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30 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday November 4, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com Off season is the best time to visit Cannes C annes, home of the famous film festival, is famous for its beautiful people, its gorgeous scenery, the nightlife, the yachts, the shopping, the casinos and the prices. Yes, it is all of that, but it can be anything you want it to be, even affordable. This city is without a doubt one of the most prestigious cities in the world. I'm just back from a trade show, learning all about the world of Duty Free, and the changes made necessary this year. Three of us went, and we were on a serious budget. This show attracts 5,000 people from all over the world, and the prices jump because of the demand for hotel rooms. We put our thinking cap on, researched, and ended up renting a condo for a week for what amounts to $1,400 Canadian. We were the envy of the show. We had two bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, and a computer with fast Internet, dishwasher, washing machine, and films from the film festival. Our balcony was big enough for a dinner party for eight. We could walk to the show in about 10 minutes, but it always took longer. You see you walked all along the Croisette, turned left at the Dior boutique, walked a few blocks past bistros and restaurants, turned left at the Armani store, crossed the road and were home. It took double the amount of time, as it was eye candy to walk by these famous shops, and linger to watch the locals at play. The apartment came with complete instructions, and ideas of where to eat. It was obvious from the notes that there was a bit of debate between the owners, who have something to do with the film festival. "My wife is a food snob, and here are her ideas." Said husband Adrian. "When it comes to beach restaurants L'Ondine, to my local food snob, is the best restaurant on the beach. Large menu but if you like fish you have to have it here. Prices for the main course are from 22-30 Euros." Adrian is the pub specialist and recommends the Morrison Irish bar, close to the Market. "Great Pub, decent pint of Guinness. They have all the footie on Sky too." This pub was also a favourite of the participants of the show. We spent a fair bit of time there. Adrian says "Lots of nice little bars on the corners near Rue Bivouac Napoleon in the small roads opposite the Palais. "I have dined in all the restaurants my picky wife recommends and have the enlarged stomach and empty wallet to prove it," says they are worn with high heeled boots. The old city of steep narrow streets, crisscrossed with stairways that beg for a photo op is a must, if only to walk off all those croissants and deserts you won't be able to resist. In this neighbourhood you walk. Don't miss the ramparts, the Castre Museum, the Square Tower and the religious edifices. At the foot of the old city I poked around the Forville Market and the surrounding food stores, and yes, stopped in to the bakers and bought deserts. There are lots of museums, I've visited before. The Musée de la Castre, the Musée de la Mer, the Malmaison, regularly honouring Picasso or Ozenfant, or Matisse. This time I visited the Croix des Gardes and the Californie, two neighbourhoods that since the 19th century welcomes Kings and Queens, Czars, Princes of Maharajahs. I wandered in awe at these summer homes. The tourist board helpfully puts out a Beautiful Residence Adrian. We tried a few of these, but due to our limited budget, would have an appetizer, or just a dessert. We also found one of our own that we loved as all the beautiful people walked by. Our budget didn't include shopping, but we did a lot of gawking, and made notes on what we'd be wearing when the fashion arrives here. If I'd known my wool plaid Bermuda shorts from high school would be back in, I'd have kept them. This time round though, instead of long socks, guide. Most of the beaches along the Croisette are owned by the various five-star hotels, and they charge. The most expensive beaches are the Martinez and the Carlton. You can phone ahead and book a bed on the beach. However, there are free beaches, and the best is beyond Palm Beach. There is lots to do beside watch topless women sunning, or sitting outside a pleasant bistro, though. Just watching the locals walking their dogs, playing with the kids, sitting quietly knitting, or playing a game of cards is worth the price of admission. This week the price of the condo went down to 3,500 pounds, and I suspect the prices in the restaurants and bistros did, too. And yet the weather was warm, you could still swim, you could still sit outside, or walk in the parks. In fact off season Cannes is the perfect time to go... Sam Ion can be reached at sion10@cogeco.ca. NEW AEROPLAN POLICIES Aeroplan recently announced changes to the program's terms and conditions affecting mileage expiry. 7 Years to Redeem - Starting January 1, 2007, miles that are unused after 7 years in an account will expire, and will be deducted from the total balance in the account. This means that Aeroplan Miles issued on January 1, 2007 or after, can be redeemed for 7 years (84-months) from the month the mile is accumulated. All Aeroplan Miles issued before January 1, 2007 will be considered as accumulated on December 31, 2006, regardless of the actual activity date. This will result in an end date of December 31, 2013 for miles earned at any time prior to January 1, 2007. This doesn't mean that you have to redeem any Miles at all every year or empty your account every 7 years. It may be helpful for you to think of this as assigning a "shelf life" to your accumulated miles: you must redeem your miles by the end of their "shelf life" of 7 years or else they will be removed from your account. For example, a mile earned on November 30, 2008 must be redeemed by November 30, 2015. This means that you can take up to 7 years to accumulate enough miles for that dream vacation, provided that you make at least one transaction per year to keep your account active. Mileage Expiry - Starting July 1, 2007, Aeroplan will change the terms of its mileage expiry y policy. Members will have had to make at least one transaction -- either by accumulating Miles or redeeming Miles -- at least once in the previous 12 months. Therefore, on July 1, 2007, if a member hasn't earned or redeemed one mile in the time span of June 30, 2006 to June 30, 2007, the miles in their account will expire. This means you must earn, redeem or donate Aeroplan Miles once a year to keep your account active. This is as simple as filling up at Esso once or using your co-branded financial card once or donating to the Beyond Miles charitable program once or redeem for one reward, once. There are literally thousands of ways to stay active. Mileage Reinstatement - But what if your account does expire? What if your Aeroplan Miles go unredeemed for seven years? You can still have your account and your Miles reinstated, either fully or partially. The cost is a $30 processing fee, plus 1 cent for every mile that's reinstated, plus taxes. More information about these policies is available at aeroplan.com or call Aeroplan at 800-361-5373. BEAVER TRAILS TO AUSTRALIA: Angie Lee and Christopher Gracez took The Oakville Beaver with them when they visited Lindsay Philpott and Kelley Mackenzie at Christchurch, Australia, where they are both attending the University of Massey. Take along a copy of The Oakville Beaver on your next vacation and send it in for publication to Beaver Trails, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4 or e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com For more news about your community visit www.oakvillebeaver.com TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS Relax... you re with us Your guide to local travel experts and the best deals to your perfect getaway! 221 Lakeshore Road E. Voted Best Travel Agency Best Cruise Company Best Travel Agent Thanks Oakville! Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville 905-337-2228 wwwhookedoncruising.com (905) 827-1100 fax: (905) 827-4982 e-mail: travel@mctavish.com