Sainte Maxime South of France
Driving along the coast road from St.Tropez brings us to a popular resort which has a rather convenient motorhome Aire. This popular location of Sainte Maxime in the South of France makes for an ideal stop on our late Autumn travels to the region.
The weather is warm and sunny, mild enough to enjoy without being chilly yet too cool for the beach. Having said that though, we do notice people taking a dip in the tempting turquoise Mediterranean.
Motorhome Aire
At first glance, the Aire which is opposite a Mcdonald’s doesn’t look too appealing. This is mainly because of its position beside a busy road. However, the price off season is really reasonable at just €8 a night. Then, once you drive through the barrier entrance and park up, there’s really nothing too bad to complain about.
There’s a few trees between the Aire and the road. If you can find a parking place on the opposite side away from the traffic, then it’s better and luckily someone is just leaving as we arrive, so we bag a space.
We remember staying here years ago when it was a dusty area without improvements such as clean gravel under tyres and barrier entry. However, it was popular back then and is still really popular now, so there’s often times during the day when it’s full.
Dump and fresh area
Outside the parking is a dump and fresh area, so you don’t have to enter to use the facilities, making it even more convenient.
The Aire also benefits from some sun throughout the day, which is good off season. Overall we think it’s a great place to park up for a couple of nights to explore Sainte Maxime on foot or bike.
A lovely old town – Sainte Maxime South of France
Walking into the centre of Sainte Maxime takes us about 15 minutes, arriving at the lovely old part of town. It’s really quite beautiful with pastel buildings and plenty of outdoor dining. There’s also a good mix of small shops to browse and vibrant feel, even in late October.
It’s much nicer than we remember, having a mix of narrow streets with interesting character. Leading beyond the old centre is the harbour, where boats depart to St Tropez which is across the water.
We took this shuttle service on the green boats some years back and makes a great adventure in peak summer when the heat is on.
Promenade and beaches
Walking along from the harbour leads to several lovely beaches, which are mostly sandy. The sea is beautifully clear and blue with fine views across the bay to St.Tropez. The harbour area is quite large, with numerous boats and pleasant outlook.
Promenade walkways enable us to sea Sainte Maxime beyond the main town, with pavements and promenade stretching along the coast.
There are many people cycling too, but we stick to two feet and seem to walk miles along the coast path.
Sainte Maxime is the type of resort where we can easily spend a few days, simply because it’s quite bustling still off season. It doesn’t feel as if everything has shut for Winter yet, although there isn’t the madness of Summer crowds.
A good nights sleep
Although the Aire is close to the road, it doesn’t disturb our sleep and we really enjoy our stay here. There aren’t many Aires left in this area of the South of France, so we’re grateful for the local authorities for providing this.
The cost for the night is so reasonable and a nice bunch of fellow motorhomers are staying during our visit. It’s just a nice atmosphere and a friendly kind of place to stop.
I’m sure we’ll be returning to Sainte Maxime, but in the meantime, it’s market day, which means only one thing. Yes, it’s time to stock up on some goodies before moving on to our next stop on this Autumn tour of Southern France.
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