St Malo - a French treasure

Advantages: Beauty, culture
Disadvantages: Crowds

...My strongest memory of St Malo is of my last sight of this beautiful city as I waited for the ferry home. Standing on the dockside, I watched the setting sun, very low on the horizon, bathe the ramparts in a wonderful golden light. The sun's reflection glinted from the windows of the hundreds of houses overlooking the sea. St Malo was a sparkling jewel. Sadly, a few short minutes later the sky was dark and my stay was at an end. There is something magical about St Malo - its imposing ramparts protecting a little world of cobbled streets and grand houses. Many people pass through the port with barely a second glance as they head for the south. But thousands are ensnared by St Malo's charm - and therein lies a problem! I visited St Malo for the first time in the mid-1980s at the start of a cycling holiday. My wife and I pedalled...

KeithH 17.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of St Malo (France)

Take the bait

Advantages: Dramatic location, characterful old town, colourful past
Disadvantages: A bit of a tourist trap

...Saint-Malo is best approached from the sea. This is not only because the old town looks so impressive from offshore, the tall buildings within the walls peering watchfully out over the grey granite ramparts, but because the broad sweep of its seafront provides a kind of shorthand introduction to St-Malo's history and character. While the grim old walled town on its central promontory catches the eye and hints at a turbulent past, to the east the hotels and cafés behind the beach of Paramé serve as a reminder that St-Malo is also a holiday resort. Similarly, as the visitor is steered through the fortified outer islands to enter the harbour from the west, it is easy to see that the quays are more crowded with pleasure craft than with fishing and commercial vessels. St-Malo is today primarily a visitor attraction, but much of its...

torr 19.09.2008 (20.09.2008) · Read review
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Review of St Malo (France)

ST Tropez Autobronzant

Advantages: Nice even colour, can see where it has been applied already
Disadvantages: Messy and expensive

...*Introduction* The St Tropez autobronzant is a thick lotion which you apply on your face and body, and then leave to absorb for 4 hours before washing off to reveal your tan. It promises to be 'non-greasy' and 'quick drying' with a 'relaxing aromatic scent'. It comes in one shade only, but you can reapply two nights in a row to deepen the tan. I have really pale skin that doesn't tan at all naturally, so I have to be careful what fake tan I use as I can be left with orange coloured skin! *Packaging and Price* The packaging is quite simple and whereas most fake tanning products come in a brown or orange bottle, it is distinctive as it comes in a white bottle with black writing. When buying, look carefully at the bottle to check you have the right product though as the St Tropez body polish comes in a very similar bottle...

CezaWeza 10.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of St. Tropez Self Tan Lotion

Meet me in St Louis

Advantages: Magnificent skyline. Lots to do and see. Wonderful music heritage.
Disadvantages: A number of attractions not wheelchair accessible

...We first approached St Louis at twilight and were immediately charmed by the unusual skylight dominated by The Gateway Arch which was bathed in a warm amber glow. We had driven down from Chicago along Route 66 and were pretty tired so we has little time or energy to explore ? St Louis would have to wait until daylight. ~~What?s in a name~~ First faux-pas of our trip! My pronunciation of St Louis was as in the title of the Judy Garland film and song. Wrong! A local born and bred in St Louis soon corrected me. The English pronunciation is lu-is. Lu-ee is the French pronunciation little used within the city. St Louis is named after King Louis IX of France ? the only French king that was made into a saint. The city was founded by French explorers, Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette in 1673. Saint Louis is often known as the Gateway City...

MAFARRIMOND 11.06.2009 (18.06.2009) · Read review
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Review of St. Louis

Historical walled town

Advantages: A break from the norm
Disadvantages: cobbled streets are sore on the joints

...I have visited St Malo on several occasions and every time I never fail to be amazed by the architecture in this walled town. It is reached by either driving or walking over a large bridge. Parking is quite easy if you arrive in the morning before 9.00. After that time, it may take a while to find a spot. A walk along the harbour is a must as you can access the beach from there and also the view from the end of the harbour pier looking back is great - makes a very nice photo. The walls around the town are quite high, maybe 20 - 30 feet at some points. You can walk around the walls and there is gardens along some parts with old cannons and cannon balls. You can sit here and look out to sea, watching the fast ferries and they speed from St Malo to Jersey and the other Channel Islands. These ferries take approx. 2 hours and cost...

Janine 27.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of St Malo (France)

A St Tropez Tan

Advantages: Excellent colour, easy to see where applying as it is coloured
Disadvantages: Quite expensive

...This product has got to be one of the most convincing fake tans I have ever found. Last year, being a very pale shade with the task of being a bridesmaid for one of my mates, I decided that I didn't want my pale skin to clash with the pale dress I had to wear!! So off to a salon to have the St Tropez professional tanning treatment. I was amazed! I emerged from the salon with a decent tan (as it is coloured you can see the effects immediately). The tan developed and I was left looking as though I had been on holiday. It lasted for nearly 2 weeks. A real confidence boost for the vain people amongst us!! After seeing how the professionals do it, I now do it myself!!! It is much better to mix half and half with moisturiser. If you go wrong you just apply another thin coat. You wash the excess off about 4-5 hours later and you...

moose 07.12.2000 (18.12.2000) · Read review
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Review of St. Tropez Self Tan Lotion

The Niagra of St Vincent

Advantages: Very picturesque, nice plunge pool to swim in, plenty of diving in points
Disadvantages: Not as big or impressive as I was expecting

...The Falls of Baleine are located on the North West side of St Vincent and can only be reached by boat, therefore for tourists that don?t know anyone on the island the only way to get there is to go on an organised tour. A lack of tourists on the island will mean that getting a tour is not as easy as it is in other holiday destinations, where you are touted everywhere. In St Vincent it is the tourist that has to do all the hard work and actively seek out excursions because the tour operators/locals will not come to you. Whilst you will pay for the boat trip to the falls, entry is absolutely free and other than any other tourists that may be present you will be on your own. We managed to catch a boat from India Bay and the trip to the falls took around thirty five minutes. Given the size of St Vincent the trip to the falls will be...

yackers1 09.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of Falls of Baleine, St. Vincent

St Annes NOT Lytham

Advantages: lovely
Disadvantages: rubbish when it rains

...Before I start there is one thing I need to get straight Lytham and St Annes are two different places with 2 different town centres and I am reviewing St Annes and not Lytham. (ok it is now a single borough but the people that live in these places see them as separate towns) If you put either St Annes or Lytham into google etc you will get information on both Lytham and St Annes The full name is St Annes-On-the-Sea which is shortened to St Annes . A Bit of History Colonal Clifton the squire of Lytham wanted to develop the area known as 'West End' (That part is now St Annes) All there was in 1870 was Dunes, a railway from Blackpool to Lytham and some farms and cottages that paid rent to the Clifton's. They had seen the good of Lytham as a resort so saw the dunes as somewhere they...

rojm 23.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Lytham St Annes

St Brides the Wedding Cake Church

Advantages: free, interesting crypt, peaceful
Disadvantages: not so many memorials to look at

...Have you ever wondered how the tiered wedding cake came about? Look no further than the distinctive spire of St Brides just off Fleet Street. An 18th century baker William rich used the three tired spire as inspiration in a range of wedding cakes and it has became the standard ever since. However there is so much more to this delightful little church which I often visit to get away from it all. Saint Bride's has a long and interesting history. Named after Saint Bridget, a 5th century Irish saint who turned well water into beer (a nice party trick me thinks and always a welcome guest) there has been at least been seven church buildings on the site since Saxon times. Being on Fleet Street it is known as the Journalist's church and it is associated with a number of literary figures such as Boswell, Dryden, Lovelace, the diarist Evelyn...

duskmaiden 15.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of St Bride's Church

Fantastic historic walled town!

Advantages: Beautiful scenery and plenty to do.
Disadvantages: Parking and cost.

...If you get chance to take a look at the historic town of St Malo you will discover one of Europe's finest coastal towns. The town is enclosed in a square shape by high stone walls with the majority of the town on an island in the sea, only joined to the main land by one corner. There are many shops to browse aswell as entertainment in the town consisting of, mime artisis, painters, face painting, etc... There are also market stalls to enjoy and many bars and restaurants. Outside the town walls is a port with trips to Jersey and Guernsey, and to the other side is a splendid sandy beach and pool to enjoy the warm waters. The only downside is if you don't get there early you probably won't find a parking space and most car parks are limited to 2 and a half hours, although some 24 hour parking can be found. NB: Also note that food...

antony_mcdonald 13.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of St Malo (France)