Where to find the best water parks in Southern France

20/08/2024

From high-speed slides to nature-based experiences, there are plenty of options for water lovers seeking a thrill in the south of France this summer. Here’s a guide to some of the best water parks and attractions in the region – and one beyond.

Starting with the closest water park to the Principality, Aquasplash Antibes is a great option for families looking for a day out in the Alpes-Maritimes. From gentler activities for little ones, such as the Lazy River and a huge pirate ship and accompanying splash pad, to more daring slides for older visitors, there are dozens of attractions and different pool spaces that will keep you busy all day long.

*Aquasplash Antibes is around 45 minutes from Monaco. Photo credit: Aquasplash Antibes*

The water park is part of the larger Marineland complex, and there are bundle packages available that offer access to both venues. For more information and ticket prices, click here.

Aqualand Fréjus, in the Var region, is well–known for its variety of water flumes. Attractions include the King Cobra, a pitch-black tunnel ride, and the Niagra, a 25-metre straight-drop slide. With over 20 slides, it is a top choice for high-adrenaline experiences. The park also caters to families, with calmer areas and smaller slides for younger children. For more information, click here.

Nestled in Roquebrune-sur-Argens, Water Glisse offers a mix of adrenaline-pumping slides and more serene pools. The Kamikaze slide and the Tornado vortex are among the stand–out attractions, but the park also features a Lazy River and a Wave Pool for those looking to relax. Water Glisse’s location, close to the cities of Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël, makes it easily accessible for those holidaying in this part of the Riviera, and it offers a range of amenities, including ample parking and picnic areas. For more information, click here.

Waterworld Lac de la Gaudrade in Puget-sur-Argens is one of the region’s best inflatable water parks. Surrounded by lush greenery, the park provides a serene environment for families and is suitable for those aged four and up. The inflatable course covers 1,200sqm and includes climbing walls, trampolines and slides. For more information, click here.

For thrill-seekers willing to travel further afield, Paradise Aventure in Argelès-sur-Mer offers an exciting alternative to manmade slides and attractions. Here, visitors can jump off cliffs, abseil under waterfalls and navigate a 100-metre-long zip line. The park also features over a dozen plunge pools. Compared to the other parks in this list, access to the canyoning park is limited to those aged 10 and above. For more information, click here.

*Paradise Aventure in Argelès-sur-Mer offers a more natural water park experience. Photo credit: Paradise Aventure*

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Main photo credit: Aqualand Fréjus

Bayesian sinking latest: UK tech billionaire Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley chairman among those feared dead

by: Stephanie Horsman

20/08/2024

Six people are still missing, including British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and Morgan Stanley International’s chairman, Jonathan Bloomer, after the luxury sail yacht they were holidaying on, the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning.

The 56-metre Bayesian, a luxurious sail yacht owned by Mike Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, is believed to have been struck by a waterspout, a rare type of tornado that forms over water, at around 5am on Monday 19th August.

At the time that the storm hit, the vessel was anchored off the coast of the Sicilian town of Porticello, found around 20km east of the regional capital of Palermo. In comments to local press teams, a fisherman from the town said that the tornado lasted for around “10 minutes with strong winds and rain”.

“We saw a flare 500 meters from the dock,” he told the media. “We went to see what had happened. We only saw the floating debris of the boat. We immediately called the Coast Guard. The sea was terrible. The wind very strong… The vessel was hit head-on. I thought I would find someone in the sea. but nothing. The boat had disappeared from the radar.”

The captain of another yacht moored nearby has shared a similar story.

“We were also awakened by the storm,” Karsten Borner told a reporter for The Guardian. “The first thing I did was to start the engines of my sailboat to give more stability to the vessel. I don’t know if the Bayesian did the same. It seems like they were also suddenly caught by the storm. After securing our boat, we immediately approached the Bayesian, but it had already sunk. I have never seen a vessel of this size go down so quickly. Within a few minutes, there was nothing left. Then we saw the raft with the 15 passengers. It was a tragedy.”

22 people onboard

It has been widely reported that there were 22 people onboard -12 passengers and 10 crew – when the yacht sank. 15 were rescued from a life raft in the aftermath by the yacht captained by Borner, including nine of the crew members, a one-year-old baby and her parents.

According to press reports, the body of the yacht’s chef was retrieved from the water in the hours after the disaster, but a further six people remain missing.

Among those still unaccounted for are: Mike Lynch, the UK tech billionaire behind software company Autonomy; his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch; the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; and Chris Morvillo, a US lawyer for Clifford Chance who represented Lynch during the US trial pertaining to his sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11bn (€9.9bn). Lynch had been accused of fraud on multiple accounts, but was acquitted in June. The sixth missing person is yet to be identified.

Difficult search

Divers were brought in to search for those still missing as the weather cleared on Monday.

According to local media reports, the “practically intact” vessel is understood to be resting on the seafloor, 48 metres down. A combination of the depth, tight onboard spaces and diving time constraints is hampering search efforts.

“They [the divers] can stay underwater for a maximum of 12 minutes, two of which are needed to go up and down,” an emergency responder told Italian daily newspaper Giornale di Sicilia, as reported by Sky News, “so the real time to be able to carry out the search is 10 minutes per dive… The spaces inside the sailing ship are very small and if you encounter an obstacle, it is very complicated to move forward, just as it is very difficult to find alternative routes.”

As of 1.30pm local time, media teams on location were reporting that an operation was underway to make an opening in the yacht’s stern in a bid to establish better access to the interior of the vessel.

Odd coincidence

The sinking of the ship happened just two days after Stephen Chamberlain, Lynch’s co-defendant in a decade-long US trial linked to the sale of Autonomy, was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire in the UK. He was put on life support following the crash, but has since passed away.

Photo via Perini Navi

Hôtel Métropole extends popular ZIA pop-up until end of September

by: Niki Borisova

20/08/2024

ZIA, the creative pop-up restaurant that has been serving diners in the Odyssey area of the five-star Hôtel Métropole with experimental pizza and dessert concepts all summer long, has announced that it will be continuing its evening service until the end of next month.

Since opening on 12th June, the ZIA pizza pop-up, led by chefs Manon Santini and Rocco Seminara, has been enchanting guests of the hotel and visitors with its unique blend of traditional Italian flavours and modern culinary techniques.

The ZIA concept, which had been due to wrap up at the end of August, has proved so popular that the Hôtel Métropole has decided to extend the restaurant’s evening tenure of the Odyssey’s garden space by a full extra month.

See more: Monaco’s must-visit restaurants without a Michelin star

ZIA’s menu features classics, such as the Margherita and Napolitana, alongside more inventive and unusual pizzas, like the avocado, truffle and caviar pizza creations.

The desserts also stand out. Chef Santini, who won a World Champion Pizza Dessert title in 2019, has designed an array of sweet treats, with two guest favourites being the strawberry-pistachio pizza and the Piedmont chocolate hazelnut plate.

*The strawberry and pistachio dessert pizza. Photo credit: Matthieu Cellard*

All dishes celebrate high-quality, Italy-sourced ingredients and are made with dough prepared and left to rest for 48 to 72 hours.

The restaurant will be open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday until 28th September.

Read related:

Introducing the Hôtel Métropole’s ZIA pizza pop-up

Photo credit: Matthieu Cellard

Extreme heat fuelled by carbon emissions killed 50,000 in Europe last year

by: Stephanie Horsman

20/08/2024

A new study released by ISGlobal has laid the blame for 50,000 deaths in Europe in 2023 on the exceptionally high temperatures experienced by the region last summer. Greece’s population was worst hit by the extreme conditions, followed by Italy and Spain.

According to a recently published study by ISGlobal, a Barcelona-based scientific research and knowledge transfer centre dedicated to global health, 50,000 Europeans died as a result of excessive heat fuelled by carbon emissions and other pollutants in 2023.

The Greeks suffered the most heat-related loss of life, with 393 recorded deaths per million people. Italy was next highest with 209, followed by Spain, which noted 175 such deaths per million.

These shocking mortality rates could have been 80% higher, say the authors of the study, which was published by Nature Medicine, if local populations hadn’t adapted to rising temperatures over the past two decades. For example, Europe’s 2003 heatwaves are believed to have caused in excess of 70,000 deaths and are considered one of Europe’s most glaring health related disasters.

“But the number of heat-related deaths [in 2023] is still too high,” warned Elisa Gallo, an environmental epidemiologist at ISGlobal and the lead author of the study, in comments to The Guardian. “Europe is warming at twice the rate of the global average – we can’t rest on our laurels.”

The European continent is a notable climatic hotspot, given that warming since preindustrial levels is almost 1 °C higher than the corresponding global increase. Rates here are also the highest of all other continents.

See more: Mediterranean Sea reaches record-high temperature

Across the continent, from its northern reaches to its Mediterranean shores, governments are looking at measures to further reduce heat-related health risks in future. These include designing cities with less concrete and more green spaces, establishing heatwave early warning systems and putting healthcare professionals on alert as temperatures soar to prevent the overloading of national health services.

Combined with populations doing more to ensure their own safety, adopting habits such as staying indoors during the hottest parts of the day and drinking more water, authorities will be no doubt hoping that the figures from 2024 will be less severe.

“More work is needed to adapt to climate change and mitigate the rise in temperatures,” concluded Gallo in her comments. “Climate change needs to be considered as a health issue.”

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

Photo source: Alex Presa, Unsplash

Tickets now available for the Condamine’s Bal du Marché

by: Stephanie Horsman

20/08/2024

Monaco’s Marché de la Condamine will be holding its annual Bal du Marché, a community celebration for local families, in mid-September. Here are all the details.

On the evening of Saturday 14th September, the Condamine Market near Place d’Armes will replace its usual fruit and vegetable stalls with picnic benches and a whole host of family-friendly games and attractions as the local community comes together for the ever-popular Bal du Marché.

Outside, there will be live music from the Benty Brothers, while inside in the food hall, vendors will be dishing up delightful meals for all to enjoy.

The party starts at 7pm, and reservations are required as space is limited.

To book a spot, speak with any one of the market’s shopkeepers. Further information can be found here.

Read related:

The best markets to visit in Monaco and the south of France

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

Photo credit of La Table d’Elise via Facebook

Day: 20 August 2024

Where to find the best water parks in Southern France