Riviera Pebbles Blog: 5th Pebbles Guide

Posted on 16th Jun 2014 in Nice News

Guide in boxes

We’re just about able to stand on our tiptoes and see over the brown paper boxes containing yep, our 5th Pebbles Guide. 1,000 of them arrived at our UK offices this morning, and the other 24,000 copies are trundling down the motorway making the journey over to Nice. They say they are going to be there by Monday, but we’re hoping not since our usual storage place can’t home the 15 pallets and we’re desperately seeking another! It will all work out in the end…

Truth be told, when the Guide arrives, it’s almost an anti-climax. We’ve written it, checked it, checked it again and added to it before its gone off to print. Its finished. Old news. Then we grab the scissors, snip the wrappings and slice down the tape, and we’re there. The waft of fresh paper, ink, and glue and the glossy covers staring out of their boxes, begging to be picked up and fanned, means we become as excited as a handbag dog being introduced to its new Louis Vuitton.

Or for us, it should be Knomo – the luxury London based travel ad assessor company, who have given us dozen of bags to give away to our lucky guests over the next twelve months. So if you want to travel in style to your next Pebbles apartment, be sure to keep in regular contact on our facebook page or this blog. There’s also the usual offer from Gallerie La Fayette giving an exclusive 10% off to all our readers as well as gifts from L’Occitane. We thank them and the rest of our advertisers SCNF, Elite car hire, Alliance Francais, Geoffrey’s English Supermarket, Axa, Friend in France and Matthew James Removals) as without their contribution to the printing costs, this Guide simply wouldn’t be possible.

Special thanks has to also go to the professionals who offer their advice in the Guide for professional services which our readers, Owners and Guests will need from time to time. Acpaca (SOS service for foreigners from accounting to tax management and banking paperwork), (Florence Fauconnier (translator), Liz Gibney (interior designer), Peter Brooke from Spectrum Finance (Independent Financial Advisor), Graeme Perry (International tax and probate lawyer) and Arnaud Ruff (French accountant) and Cosette Cutrara from Currencies Direct(currency broker) have all not only supported Pebbles with the Guide but have personally helped Pebbles and their clients along the Pebbles journey for years. Their professionalism and aptitude in their fields comes highly recommended and have allowed us to include a wealth of information about all aspects of investment for buyers, sellers and property owners.

One of the special things about the Guide this year is the far reaching involvement of our Pebbles team. We were delighted to find in Tina’s 100s of submitted photos to us this one of Nice from Place Massena which became our cover. We felt it captured Nice wonderfully, the fun, the culture, the palm trees and the gorgeous blue skies and sea we are all privileged to enjoy. Our favourite articles are those where are team are involved. We loved our date with the Cannon Man (page 16), and the photos of Alice jumping out of her skin which we just didn’t have room for in the Guide, so here they are. This piece has been something we have wanted to cover for many years because many of our guests say “What’s that noise?” when the daily cannon booms throughout the city. This piece involved us finding the facebook page of Philippe Arnello, and even writing to the mayor, but eventually we got Alice and Tina to the top of the Chateau to meet him and understand more about this fun local ritual.

Alice and a cannon man

The UK office greatly enjoyed Laura’s Picnic Park recipe (page 35). Based in our UK office, Laura make this picnic for us on a sunny UK April day, yes, we do get a few. We weren’t surprised – she makes us muffins and cakes to die for every week, and her recipe is delicious. We hope you’ll find a lazy day to go to one of our picnic parks, make Laura’s picnic treats or take a visit to Parc Phoenix. We know our Guests will enjoy the restaurants we recommend – and we want to make it clear there is no payment or incentive for any inclusion in our Guide, they are just the ones we have eaten at personally time and time again.

Anyway, just read our new Guide, either your own personal copy that you will receive when you get here, or the on-line version. If you are not a guest or owner, then you can still pick up a free copy in the Nice branches of the Monoprix supermarket chain as well as other outlets including outside our Nice offices on rue Giofreddo and rue de l’Hotel des Postes. Happy Holidays!