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1 avenue du 24 aout, Antibes, 06600, France
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of people enjoy staying here
49 Opinions
Small but mighty
Mountains, Old Town, Blue Water and Rocky Shore
Cool conservatory strong art deco
Yachts floating and relaxing in the Mediterranean
Hi everyone. After 6 weeks in France in 2005, time to go back! Anyone heard of any reviews of the Centre International d'Antibes? I am looking for a good language school in either Nice or Antibes?
Many thanks
Hi
It's probably a too late for you but for anyone else who'd like to go to Antibes to do a language course: don't go to the Castel Arabel when you're older than 18 and if you'd like to sleep for at least 7 h per night! The C.I.A. courses were more or less ok (one of 4 weeks we had a very bad teacher, so this week was completely senseless, the rest was good). But the Castel Arabel is far away from what one wishes for a holiday. It's very noisy (it's always noisy because of the very thin walls but when there's a group of young italians you really shouldn't wish to sleep - it's impossible), you can use the kitchen only if you stay for at least 8 weeks and anyway it's dirty, in a very bad condition and you need to queue for one of the cooking pots because (in spring 07) there haven't been more than 3 pots and 2 frying pans for an accomodation of 60 beds, you may reckon that there isn't any warm water for some days, it's also possible that the whole building is in renovation (everything that can be broken is broken there), but of course you still pay the full price. And at the end, when there was enough reason for a complaint, the school will deny everything and will pay back not one cent. Conclusion (not only for me but also for all the others i've talked to): once and never again!!! Take another accommodation or even better, look for a private one.
No no no!!! Sorry this review is too late for you, but maybe it will save someone else from wasting a ton of money on a crap school. Centre International d'Antibes is horrible in almost every aspect. Teachers are fine, but classrooms are rundown and noisy, organization is practically nonexistant, and the housing options are awful. I had the misfortune of staying with a host family who screamed at each other, me, and the other students on a daily basis. Each day we woke up to angry words and lots of door slamming, and we were locked out of the house from morning until 7:30pm. At night we were locked in the house unless the host mother chose to let us out, and maybe decided to lend us a key. (I am over 30 and the other students in the house were over 21.) We were allowed one shower per day, and the shower didn't even drain properly, maybe because it was being shared between 7 people. There is lots more, but I think you get the basic idea. I couldn't deal anymore, management was not sympathetic to the situation, and I finally left with three weeks of classes to go, already paid for. I was not given even one cent of a refund, nor an apology for such a miserable experience and waste of money. There are other schools all over France. Do not waste your time and money on CIA.
In these old town they obviously already long time agi started to built on top of eachother. Maybe in an attempt to keep all the citizens living within the safety of the citywalls, this was a must. In Antibes one can witness in some places the structure of the buildingblocks and be surprised about the fact that the houses must be terribly small.
The old port in Antibes has a lot of history. During the reign of the Greeks, the old port was the heart of "Antipolis". Centuries later, Crusaders left from here on their way to the Holy Lands. Today, the Port Vauban is the largest marina in Europe. The large yacht jetty which was added just a few years ago, often has on display a row of some of the worlds largest yachts.
In 1946, Picasso has been living several months in Antibes in Chateau Grimaldi and produced many different works, a lot of ceramic work, centaurs and toreador paintigs...etc.
The museum in itself is probably not the best you can see about Picasso, but still the scenery from this ancient acropolis is wonderful, and it makes a lot of sense after to understand how Picasso got his inspiration.
The Covered Market is one of the most well known activities to see and experience while in Antibes. Since I visited in the off season I was unable to experience it for myself, but everything I have heard suggests if your planning to visit during the spring and summer months its worth seeing. They sell fruit and other local knick knacks and it a frenzy of activity mixed with both locals and tourists. The market generally runs between April and September.
As with most French towns, at the very heart of old Antibes is the main town square, the Place Nationale. Lined with a selection of restaurants, cafes and brasseries, plenty of places to sit and enjoy a salad or brushetta and a glass of wine, and watch the ever-changing people scenery.The residents of Antibes are more eccentric and bohemian than either Cannes or St Tropez. You will hear a lot of English spoken amidst the French and Italian.
On Sudays, between the shade-giving plane trees, market stalls come out for you to browse an interesting array of bricabrac, books and antiques, CDs, nicknacks and thingumajigs. A totally relaxed and laid back attitude pervades old Antibes. The pace is unhurried, there is nowhere you have to hurry to get to, because you have already arrived at where you want to be.
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Q: Travel ideas for Antibes? "Hi! I will travel to Antibes in June this year! Haven't been there before, any ideas of do's and dont's?"
A: "nice area, lovely town near Nice. see tips by posters like us above right Destinations, type in Antibes. hope it helps your planning."
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