When you are travelling along the exquisite, beautiful and luxurious coastline of the Cote d’Azur, one dominant feature stands out at virtually all of the harbours and quaysides – the vast amount of elegant super-yachts that can be seen gently bobbing up and down on the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Ocean.

Super-yachts and the Cote d’Azur have long been associated and luxury yacht charter companies which specialise in Luxury Yacht Charters for the many exclusive events that are held on the Cote d’Azur throughout the year, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Grand Prix are bountiful on this stretch of coastline.

Contributing to the vibrant and world-leading luxury yacht scene the French Riviera has become renowned for is Monaco Marine, which is based around the slogan, ‘Pleasure is a serious matter’.

In a recent press release issued by Monaco Marine it was announced that the super-yacht charter and refit company has gained a foothold in Antibes in the Cote d’Azur by taking over the super-yacht refit yard Antibes Marine Chantier.

The acquisition means that Monaco Marine has extended its network of five shipyards to six, the others being dotted across the South of France in Monaco, Beaulieu Sur Mer, Saint Laurent du Var, La Ciotat and Cogolin.

In obtaining a new shipyard in Antibes, Monaco Marine has undoubtedly strengthened its existence in the Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur region, a place where luxury yachts and super-yachts are in high demand.

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The Cote d’Azur is world-famed for its beaches of beautiful sand, beautiful vistas and beautiful bodies. Four million tourists ascend on the French Riviera each year, the majority of them arriving during the summer months. To ensure that the beaches are in ship-shape order and live up to their reputation, the region has been preparing what is arguably its biggest selling point, for the imminent onslaught of tourists.

Over the past few months a series of cleanup measures have been in operation along the beaches of the Promendade des Anglais. The measures have included the arrival of 10,000 cubic metres of pebbles that has been spread across the beaches of Nice, including Coco, Lido, Magnan, Carras and Poincare beaches.

Determined to eliminate the amount of jellyfish accompanying swimmers off the Cote d’Azur shoreline, the installation of an extensive netting system has been in operation along the beaches of Mace, Roubine and Gazagnaire.

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When one thinks of swimming on the Cote d’Azur, one immediately thinks of golden beaches lapped by the Mediterranean, with bronzed and beautiful bodies bobbing up and down in the lucid water.

For swimming with greater solitude, privacy and tranquillity, making your way inland to the many cobalt mountain pools, waterfalls cascading into clear mighty rivers, framed by fertile plant life of colour and vivacity, and gorges tumbling down to form natural Jacuzzi’s providing a true haven for swimmers and snorkelling, certainly promises to be a memorable swimming experience.

If we’ve managed to get your natural water taste buds bubbling, then read on to discover three of the most stunning natural places to swim inland on the Cote d’Azur.

Gorges du Loup

Finding the Gorges du Loup is an experience in itself as following the winding road that weaves along the Loup River taking you into the heart of the Gorges du Loup has to be one of the most scenic drives on the Cote d’Azur.

Passing through coarsely carved tunnels, along nail-biting edges of sheer cliffs faces towering high above the Loup River and past breathtaking views of rural utopia, you eventually arrive at a terrace overlooking awe-inspiring waterfalls and pools just outside the village of Pont du Loup.

Clue d’Aiglun

The Clue d’Aiglun is one of a series of gorges known as the Clue de Haute Province, which can be found in the verdurous hills to the north of Cannes.

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Mightily dominating the crossroads of Saint Tropez, Cannes and Monaco is Chateau Diter, a magnificent Neo-Renaissance relic situated on the hills just to the south of Grasse. Sat among a preserved and verdurous rapture of trees, gardens and hills, blessed with the most splendid of views of the property’s orchid, olive groves and park, this extraordinary spectacular castle truly epitomises the essence of its advantaged position close to three of the Cote d’Azur’s most wealthy, elite and regal of towns.

The castle itself is a construction of Italian architectural chef-d’oeuvre, representing approximately 4500 metres squares of accommodation of the most lavishness. With arches and columns resonating a Roman marvel and with the ceilings and walls throughout the castle having been painted by several Italian fresco painters, Chateau Diter is at the apex of flamboyant and luxury accommodation even on the Cote d’Azur.

This opulence and grandeur of its interior drifting seamlessly into the exterior where antique ornaments, ancient sculptures, stunning ornamental ponds, inner courtyards encircled by Roman columns, thematic gardens and many extensive and immaculately kept lawns, create a harmonious embodiment of the unique charm and grandeur of the French Riviera.

This incarnation of the Cote d’Azur elatedness is heightened even further with the two helicopters landing pads on the property, which allow 11 landings per day, a high tech security and audio system which consists of 132 loud speakers and the three huge and stately swimming pools that enhance the castle’s recreational and relaxing activities.

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Somewhere along the rocky coastline between Cassis and Marseille, the Calanques can be found, a touch of coastal utopia. Nobody could deny the intense natural beauty of this stretch of coastline, these deep rocky inlets, possessing tiny harbours and beaches between high white rocks, that have provided a safe haven from storms for fishermen and sailors for centuries.

The Calanques stretch for more than 20 kilometres and despite of their irrefutable breath-taking aesthetical utopia of transparent water lapping limestone cliffs, have failed to reach the recognition they deserve, until recently that is.

The Calanques have recently become France’s tenth national park, being officially recognised as a place of “outstanding natural beauty”, an announcement which, for many, has been long overdue.

Situated just 22 kilometres from the city of Marseille, after the national parks close to Sydney and Cape Town, Calanques is only the third natural park in the world that is situated on the fringes of a major city.

In spite of its close proximity to cities, rare and adored sea creatures, reptiles and fish, such as turtles and dolphins, can regularly be seen shooting out of the ocean, causing gentle ripples to ripple across the crystal-clear water, meaning marine life enthusiasts are in heaven at Calanques, and justifiably the French government has set up an anti-fishing law in the region. When it was announced that the Calanques were to be made into a natural park, Francois Fillon, the French Prime Minister said that by the year 2020, he aims to have at least 20 percent of the coastlines, rivers and lakes in France, protected by schemes such as natural parks.

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