Cassis Travel Diary

Cassis, Cassis, Cassis, where do I even start. This trip was actually my first ever time in the South of France, and I was pleasantly delighted that it ticked all the boxes and actually went above and beyond my expectations. If you follow me on instagram, you will know that I fell in love with the small quaint side streets filled with colourful houses, cobbled walkways and the most beautiful port and calanques that were only a boat trip away.  Talk about being a place to inspire me to an extent I didn't even think was possible...every time I travel I am filled with joy, adventure and imagination that stretches to every inch of my body. I aspire to be more creative and allow my surroundings to do just that....inspire, create and enjoy! 

I am much more of an adventurer than I am a girl who wants to sit around and tan all day (I don't really enjoy this when I know how many places there are around me to go and see) and I want to see the places I go to: enjoy the food, slip down the narrow inlets of the street and watch the locals go about their day to day occurrences and watch behind my gold tinted glasses. 

Things to do: 

Cassis is mainly know for it's port and scenic side streets which are a must if you visit. Staying within walking distance at the Royal Cottage Hotel meant that everything was close and we could wonder down during the day to grab some lunch and also get dressed up at night for dinner. Overlooking the whole of Cassis on the top of the cliffs was the century old château (*castle) which at night was all lit up and shon the most beautiful light onto the most beautiful port. It really is such a picturesque place. 

For most of the days we would have our breakfast in our hotel, then have a wonder down to the main area and enjoy roaming around the port looking at dream boats, grabbing an ice cream and prancing around the side streets. Paddle boarding is a definite which I have to say is so much more fun than I expected and I was actually rather proud of myself for managing to stay up most of the time and only falling of once...my dad on the other hand could hardly stay on, which did bring us much amusement. 

One of the things you definitely have to do is take a boat out to see the calanques out at sea (a calanque if you aren't sure is a narrow inlet). The first calanque is a beautiful harbour, the second is extremely quiet however there were a few boats parked up and people swimming in the sea...oh and a nudist sunbathing up on the rocks. The third, which if and probably when I go back next time will be a definite must see, is a small beach which takes an hour and a half to walk to, or 30 minutes to Kayak out to...this is on my to do list for next time as we didn't actually get to go to the beach here as the boat didn't stop of *cries. 

Shopping In Cassis:

Cassis is the best place to go to along the southern coastline of France if you are someone like me who enjoys 'the nicer things in life'. It was a nice escape and seeing as we only went for five nights, I'd say I saw pretty much everything I wanted to. The side streets have THE best independent boutiques full of Parisian wear that you can't help but drawl over, although they are expensive, I tell you that now. Even better than that there is a local market held every Wednesday and Friday which sells amazing jewellery, clothes, bags and food. The stalls are full of the cutest linen shirts, suede and leather bags and food that smells bloody amazing. Oh and dance lessons are held in the square which I so wanted to join in on, If only I could dance. I bought the cutest tan suede tasselled bag at the market on Wednesday and was super chuffed with it. The great thing about shopping abroad is the chance that no one else will have what you buy, especially from markets, so I love how unique everything is. 

 

Eating In Cassis:

The food was absolutely amazing, even just thinking about the '4 cheese and cream ravioli' dish I had is making my mouth water. Eating in Cassis is quite expensive, and you would imagine so for what a beautiful and up market place it is. One of the things I did notice was that fish was one of the main meals in most of the restaurants, and being someone who really hates fish I was slightly worried at first that I would struggle to find anything I liked, however that wasn't the case at all. Most if not all the restaraunts served a few meat dishes, and the veal I had one night was simply amazing, not to mention the home cooked chips that most places served. But the best meal was definitely at Le Chaudron which is where I had the 4 cheese and cream ravioli which was situated in one of the side streets...that kinda just topped it of for me!

What to wear:

I do and always will view France as such as fashionable place...the Parisian women's dress sense is simply impeccable and really does make me envy the general etiquette and way that they dress and hold themselves. Cassis is definitely a place you want to mix completely relaxed pieces with fashionable dressier and classy pieces, this way you won't feel out of place. I felt like it was only right to take my new flared tropical print trousers, they kinda just fitted into the surroundings and made me blend in with some of the pastel coloured houses...which made for the best photo op. For day time wear it was bodysuits, denim skirts and floaty dresses as it was hot and called for pieces that meant I wasn't going to be uncomfortable. And of course a Breton stripe top was an obvious must!

Until next time Cassis!