On summer evenings, when the tourists have left the beaches and we’re not too tired from a busy working day, we often drive down to Théoule-sur-Mer to do some snorkelling - and have a meal at one of our favourite restaurants, Le Jardin de la Mer.

Although there are any number of very pretty and charming little seaside resorts along the Côte d’Azur, there’s something about Théoule-sur-Mer that we like very much and thats keeps calling us back.

Apart from its Balnearic classification given in 1991, Théoule-sur-Mer is also reputed to be the place of literature - this is proudly proclaimed as you enter the village. Known as La Ville d’Ecriture, it holds a yearly Writing & Arts Festival in June with workshops, exhibitions, and competitions.

2004 was the festival’s 8th year and it had a variety of stands displaying calligraphy, origami, Braille, painting, writing instruments, sales of paper, pens, ink making, inkpots, and feather pens to name a few. While the town hall has a permanent display of writing objects, the commune as a whole has the only collection in Europe of over 1100 inkpots.

Only 10km from Cannes, and just over 40km from Nice, Théoule-sur-Mer is located in the Var. Sheltered by the Théoule promontory in the Esterel massive it covers an area of 1,049 ha, and is home to around 1,300 inhabitants.

The N98 (originally named route du Touring-Club to which is owes its creation in 1902) and now known as the Corniche d’Or, hugs the rugged coastline. This portion of road is quite narrow and steep as it climbs up the many calanques of red rock. You’ll discover here amazing views towards the mountains, sea and across to Cannes, Iles de Lérins and Corsica.

Once a quiet little fishing village, over the years it has found itself increasingly popular with locals and tourists alike. Set among the beautiful Esterel scenery, it offers a range of activities, with 11 leisure and sports centres, cultural events, museums and numerous festivals.

There are also four harbours:

Port de la Rague sits right in-between La Napoule and Théoule, and has a capacity of 520 births of which 128 of them are open to the public.

Port de la Galère (meaning galley-ship) is a unique waterfront setting reaching out into the 60-metre deep shore with 23 ha of private harbour allowing up to 185 births. You’ll find 3 beaches, 2 swimming pools (one sea water), a club house, 3 restaurants, tennis court, disco, and several shops (open in summer).

Port de la Figueirette-Miramar with 250 births of which 20 are open to the public. There’s a Harbour Master’s office, a couple of restaurants and yachting shop. In season, it also has a market every Tuesday morning. During the 17th century it was a big tuna fishing centre.

Port de Théoule: Owned by the municipality, it can harbour 183 boats up to a length of 13m.

Théoule’s proximity to such an incredible coast line means the possibility of many water sports. There’s swimming, sailing, scuba diving, water skiing, fishing, wind surfing and even pedalos to keep you busy as well as boat trips to the Iles de Lérins and Corniche d’Or. There’s even a Thalasso-Energie Centre in Miramar.

For land lovers there’s horseback riding, tennis, a fitness centre, mountain bike trails and hiking through the scrub land or forests of cork oaks and maritime pines. And for lovers of fine cuisine, there are 9 hotel restaurants and 21 restaurants to choose from; some literally by the water’s edge.

As if the scenery wasn’t spectacular enough, you’ll find various beautiful and larger than life neo-modern sculptures lining the coast road.

One of our favourites is Femme Sortant de l’Eau (also known as The Birth of Woman). This is a monumental head sculptured by Serge Sallan, located on the avenue de Lérins, near to the SNCF railway station and overlooking Plage Maurin.

Sadly, some of these sculptures are difficult to view properly as the coastal road is already narrow and parking quite impossible along some sections. You therefore suddenly come upon a monument (a case in point is the enormous Croix de la Lorraine at Miramar) - and pass it before you can see it properly.

The monument was erected to commemorate the disembarkment of allied troops during the night of 14-15 August 1944. Eleven soldiers pertaining to the Corsican Naval Assault landed there to protect the right flank of the Allied Landing in Provence. The Lorraine Cross was erected to mark the 100th birthday of Général de Gaulle. To take this photo we actually parked in someone’s driveway.

Théoule-sur-Mer is also the home of Pierre Cardin’s spectacular “Palais Bulles”. Designed in 1968 by the Finnish architect Antti Lovag, this ingenious house, nestled in the beautiful red rock face, is built entirely with curved surfaces. The series of anti-seismic self-supporting bubbles extend over 1500 sq. metres, and face onto a sheer drop down to the sea.

The whole construction is surrounded by a large oak wood 600 metres above sea level and one can only imagine the spectacular views from such a site. It is therefore little wonder that this amazing structure is host to a number of prestigious events and galas.

Perhaps not quite as astonishing, but just as odd, is the crenelled Château situated just along Plage de Suveret. During the 17th century it was a soap factory. Unfortunately, rivals from Grasse’s soap and perfume industry forced it to close down - and it fell into subsequent ruin. The site was left abandoned until the 20th century when a group of individuals built a somewhat elaborate château. Belonging first to the Laland family, it changed hands frequently, until at last, it was bought by the EDF (Electricité de France).

From summer onwards, Théoule-sur-Mer is awash with tourists and visitors and parking starts to become a little problematic. The fairly narrow beaches are quickly over-crowded, hotels and restaurants fill to the brim and life becomes a little hectic.

But outside the tourist season Théoule-sur-Mer reverts back to a slower pace, with its haven of walks and quiet strolls along the Promenade de la Darse listening to the gentle lapping of the Mediterranean sea against the rocks. In winter, the views across the sea towards the snow-capped Alps beneath a stunning azur blue sky are truly spectacular.

It’s easy to see why so many people enjoy living here and also smitten by this pleasant resort, we looked at buying property along this stretch of coastline. There are 7 estate agents dotted in and around the town, many with seasonal rental accommodation, others with properties for sale. John Arthur et Tiffen, Corniche d’Or Immo and Agence la Galère are three well-known agents.

Prices vary but are still high. A 3 bedroom apartment roughly 110m² with sea view and a small garden, comprising a living room (with access to the terrace), kitchen, bathroom, separate WC and 1 covered parking could fetch €750,000. Whereas a seafront stone villa with private access to the beach, double garage, large living area, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, equipped kitchen, and 2200m² garden with an independent apartment would sell for around €1,380,000. And this is modest as prices can go higher.

Whether you’re here for a short holiday, or spending a day on the beach, you’ll find a number of shops to cater for your needs. There’s a chemist, hairdresser’s, baker’s, green-grocer, butcher-delicatessen, a couple of clothes boutiques and a really excellent Petit Casino and small Spar supermarkets. (You’ll need to go to Mandelieu-La Napoule to find large hypermarkets and shopping galleries.) There’s also a market every Friday morning on Place Général Bertrand around the water fountain designed by Lechevallier in 1987.

Also located on this square is a very pretty little shop called Le Poisson à Plumes. It sells the most delightful Provençal ornaments, cushions, tableware and other irresistible objects. Just next door is the pleasant Restaurant sur la Place, shaded in summer by large plane trees where you can sit and watch the world go by.

Those of you needing internet access during your visit to Théoule-sur-Mer should pop round to the Tourist Office. They’ve dedicated a corner of their office space as an internet area which we think is a great initiative. There are plans to have their website appear in English - which we think is another excellent idea.

We hope we’ve shared some of our enthusiasm about this lovely resort - and that you’ll make a point to visit it the next time you’re down here. Just don’t worry if you see two adults splashing about like a couple of kids in the sea; that’ll probably be us trying to find our flippers again.