Saturday, November 19, 2011

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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Mediterranean Vacations in French Riviera

!±8± Mediterranean Vacations in French Riviera

Forget all the hype about topless bathing, hedonistic bar scenes, and preening celebrities - St-Tropez is hands down the Riviera's most charming town, a pastel-colored fishing village that happens to be one of

the most glamorous spots on earth. Just don't come in July or August,when dense crowds make even a stroll in front of the yacht-filled harbor nearly impossible. Unlike other Riviera towns, St-Tropez has a perfectly preserved center - a colorful port unmarred by high-rise hotels and virtually unchanged for more than a century. (For evidence, visit the portside Impressionist museum L'Annonciade to see the early-20th-century images of St-Tropez.) Bustling cafes crowd the old port, and behind them, the winding village streets beckon with exclusive boutiques and romantic restaurants. All paths lead up to the citadel, a 16th-century fort perched at the top of the town.

The beaches of St-Tropez are a lively scene - an integral part of the Tropezienne experience. The most famous beaches are located several miles from town and lined with restaurants and clubs. Pampelonne

Beach, on the peninsula's southeast coast, is the most famous (or notorious) stretch of sand on the Riviera. After a day on the beach, it's time to gear up for a memorable dinner and a taste of St-Tropez after dark. The crowd is young and starts out late: Dinner is at 10 p.m., and bar hopping begins shortly thereafter. If you aren't into the bar scene, you may enjoy strolling along the old port or people-watching from one of the portside cafes.

St-Tropez is difficult to get to without a car (no trains stop there) or even with a car. Plan on at least a half-day of travel to reach the resort.Summer traffic onto the peninsula can be bumper-to-bumper for miles.To get there the closest major bus-and-train hub is St-Raphaël, 38km (24 miles) east of St-Tropez. Bus fares from Cannes to St-Raphaël require a change at the agrarian hamlet of Le Trayas, take about 70 minutes of travel time, and cost 6.80EUR (.85) each way. Continuing on by bus from St-Raphaël to St-Tropez costs an additional 3EUR (.90).

St-Raphaël is on the main coastal train line for the Riviera. A train from Nice to St-Raphaël takes between 50 and 75 minutes and costs 10EUR to 12EUR (-); trains from Cannes to St-Raphaël take 22 minutes and

cost 6EUR to 8EUR (.80-). Other nearby train stations are at Toulon (60km/37 miles) and Marseille (134km/83 miles). For train information,call %08-92-35-35-39 or 3635 within France.

Transports Maritimes Raphaëlois runs a shuttle boat service between St-Raphaël and St-Tropez. Boats run daily (July and Aug), taking one hour and costing 12EUR one-way. From April to June and in September and October, only two shuttle boats travel between St-Raphaël and St-Tropez each week. St-Tropez is about 20 minutes by boat from St-Maxime (14km/9 miles east of St-Tropez), and two companies make shuttle boat trips between them daily (in season):Transports Maritimes (%04-94-55-09-92), running from April to November 4, and Les Bateaux Verts, which run year-round. Both charge 12EUR () for adults and 6.30EUR (.20) for children ages 4 to 12.

The major airports (and distances) nearest St-Tropez are the Aéroport Toulon-Hyères (56km/35 miles), Aéroport International de Nice Côte d'Azur (91km/57 miles), Aéroport International de Marseille-Provence (115km/72 miles), and Aeroport St-Tropez-La Môle (15km/9 miles). La Môle, located to the northwest of St-Tropez is a relatively new landing strip, suitable only for small planes whose arrival and departure rituals may remind you of equivalent small-plane "puddle jumps" throughout the Caribbean. The airports have offices for all major car-rental agencies. A taxi from the Nice airport to St-Tropez costs a whopping average of 180EUR to 225EUR (4-3) each way for up to four passengers. The distance from the other airports to St-Tropez makes a rental car your best option.


Mediterranean Vacations in French Riviera

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Sunday, November 13, 2011

Laughlin, Nevada is Known As the UnVegas

!±8± Laughlin, Nevada is Known As the UnVegas

Remember the story about the Native Americans selling Manhattan for some trinkets? The one-time owners of a tiny eight-room motel on the banks of the Colorado River must have the same sinking feeling.

Not that these motel owners were short-changed by visionary Don Laughlin - it's just that now, four decades later, Laughlin has parlayed that 5,000 investment into a big-time resort empire that so far has drawn eight other casino/hotels to his little stretch of the Colorado. In the meantime, Laughlin has pumped millions in casino profits back into such community projects as a bridge to Arizona and an airport capable of landing 737's.

Who could blame folks if they named the town after him, too?

Laughlin had made a few bucks selling a gambling club in Las Vegas and, while flying over what is now Laughlin, Nevada, the soon-to-be resort magnate looked down and saw a stretch of the river nestled between two sets of craggy mountains. The river also is the dividing line between Nevada and Arizona, and California's just a few miles up the road.

"If we build it, they will come." Not Don Laughlin's words, but no doubt his sentiments as he looked into his unusually reliable crystal ball and foresaw the development of another Las Vegas just about an hour's drive south of the real one. In 1966 he opened the Riverside Casino with 12 slot machines and two playing tables. There were only four rooms to be used as accommodations becuase the Laughlin family lived in the other four rooms.

Fast-forward to a Riverside Casino that, over the years, has grown to more than 1,400 rooms including two towers, various casinos and plenty of extras to make the property a favorite for visitors to Laughlin. Lots of other familiar names have now staked out claims along the Colorado, including the Flamingo, Golden Nugget and Harrahs. There are now 10,000 rooms and 60 restaurants serving the more than 5 million visitors who come to Laughlin each year.

Why people come to Laughlin is best explained when you look at the city's visitor demographics. To start with, they're a bit older - about two-thirds of them are 50 or older, and about a third are 65 or older. They spend an average of a night to stay in Laughlin, but they'll budget more than 0 to gamble while they're in town for their two or three day stay.

In short, the people who come to Laughlin would rather spend money on gambling than on fancy hotel rooms, and chances are they're also more than a little phobic about the traffic and parking problems they think they might encounter in Las Vegas. As one hotel marketing person told us, Laughlin really is thought of by many visitors as the Old Las Vegas - the one that was more focused on providing cheap beds and cheap eats, but plenty of opportunities to gamble. Another phrase we heard was the "un-Vegas" that takes visitors back to a simpler time and place that is easier on the pocketbook.

Judging from our recent visit to Laughlin, the niche still seems to be working, despite more competition nowadays from Indian casinos that have siphoned off some of the California visitors who now may be content to stay and gamble at a casino closer to home. But Laughlin still pulls them in very well from several parts of California, and from many other places across the country including destinations in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Three different airlines now are providing charter service into Laughlin from dozens of destinations.

The weather was great during our November visit -- mid 70's, sunny, cloudless skies. In fact, winter is the best time to visit Laughlin because the locals will tell you that summer can be 10 degrees hotter than the already toasty LasVegas.

With consistently warm weather, another factor comes into play in Laughlin: The River. We read someplace that this is the only part of Nevada that really has this much water to play around in and, judging from the many ski-doos and speed boats on the Colorado, we would not be surprised. The hotels showcase the river as much as they would some big-name entertainer - they almost all have boat docks and shuttle boats for guests to cross the river, and there are also cruises on sternwheeler replicas and even high-speed river boats.

In fact, the river walk in Laughlin is not unlike the river walk in New Orleans - the Colorado at this juncture is quite a bit narrower than the Mississippi, but the festive walkway with restaurants and shops all along the way can be just as entertaining. And, of course, Laughlin has a series of casinos whereas New Orleans just has one in the riverfront area.

Laughlin really doesn't have Las Vegas-quality entertainment. The city does get high-quality and current acts, including many of the top country music entertainers on the charts today. But you also may be likely to see someone who has already peaked, possibly quite a few years ago. While we were there, the current and coming attractions included names like Vicki Lawrence, Charo, Mel Tillis, Roy Clark and a special "Where are they now" show at the Edgewater featuring several former child stars like Paul Peterson (the Donna Reed Show) and Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell on Leave it to Beaver).

On the plus side, the entertainment in Laughlin is comparatively inexpensive. If you've gone to Las Vegas and passed on the entertainment just because it was too expensive, you'll be pleasantly surprised in Laughlin. Instead of 0 or 0 a ticket, name acts can be as little as a seat.

Most of the big-name entertainment comes to the Riverside, which was our base of operations while in Laughlin. With little plastic signs in our guestroom saying "The customer is always King," we could not help but get a sense that Don Laughlin has trained his staff to focus on customer service. Throughout the Riverside complex there are special indications that the Riverside has been a work in progress. There's a 34-lane bowling alley and adjacent Kids Castle that allows you to drop your kids off for .50 an hour. A "Loser's Lounge" has pictures of famous losers on the walls. There's a terrific antique car museum. Oh, and of course don't miss the Watch Man, a place where you'll find thousands of watches with thousands of designs including several with Jesus Christ on the dial. There's something for everyone at the Riverside.

There also doesn't seem to be much sin to this version of Sin City - no one handing out pamphlets advertising escorts, no over-the-top billboards or signs, no real attention to girlie shows with the exception of one "Showgirls" revue at one of the hotels. You get the feeling that many of the visitors here might be some of those voters concerned about moral values, and one guesses that whatever happens in Laughlin most certainly will not stay in Laughlin.

Reinforcing this was our chance encounter with some favorite relatives from Hemet, California, who were visiting Laughlin the same time as we were, and also staying at the Riverside. We know them as church-going, God-fearing people and they were in town for four days of what they consider to be good, clean fun.

Somehow, we think that's exactly what Don Laughlin had in mind when he first laid eyes on that little eight-room motel on the banks of the Colorado River.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Laughlin is at the southern tip of Nevada and about a five- or six-hour drive from many points in Southern California.

WHAT: Laughlin is a trip back in time to the Las Vegas of 40 years ago. The strip of nine casinos can be walked, for the most part, using a walkway along the Colorado River.

WHEN: Any time of year, although summers can be very hot. The best option is to visit in winter when temperatures are in the 70s and the sun shines often.

WHY: Laughlin is a good place to visit if you've grown weary of, or are apprehensive about, the crowds, lines, traffic and prices of Las Vegas. If you compare Laughlin to Las Vegas, though, the experience is definitely more subdued.

HOW: Accommodations at the Riverside and other Laughlin hotels are quite reasonable. For more information on the Riverside or flight packages, phone 1-800-227-3849, or visit riversideresort.com. For more information on Laughlin, call 1-800-4-laughlin. Or visit the Laughlin Visitors Bureau website at visitlaughlin.com.


Laughlin, Nevada is Known As the UnVegas

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