Shopping for Staples in Antibes

By Jemma

I recently ordered a music stand from Amazon for delivery in Antibes. Perhaps it was the shape of the box, but dispatch to the usual Amazon Locker being impossible, I scanned the available pick-up options.

Geoffreys British Supermarket

Geoffreys of London. My heart did an elaborate flip.

What better excuse?  I would be obliged to set foot into Geoffrey’s, and while I was there . . . .  I ticked the appropriate box, and in the days awaiting my Amazon delivery notice, I drew up a shortlist.

The inventory at this supermarket caters to the British tourist who insists on all of their favourite things from home. At Geoffreys, there is an entire aisle dedicated to tea. The cereal selection is overwhelming, and for anyone who is craving Heinz baked beans or Twiglets, they stock the real thing.

Geoffreys of London (website)
La Galerie du Port
Rue Lacan
06600 Antibes
Closed on Sundays

…Continue reading here for the contributor blog post by French Lessons Blog where Jemma goes shopping for a few staples in Antibes.

Other Shopping in Antibes

Need a bathing suit for the beach? Antibes’ Boutique Kiwi a shop for bathing suits. Shopping for the perfect swimsuit is at best elusive – too big, too small, too fussy, too mumsie…You get the picture.

Discover Art turned into wearable women’s fashion at the Choisy Boutique, designed and fabricated in France. The collection has evolved from its 2008 launch with a single designer top. By 2012, the line included dresses, blouses, ponchos and scarves printed on silks and cotton jersey. There are also handbags, umbrellas, fragrances and candles available in Choisy boutiques. There are two stores on the Côte d’Azur, in Antibes and Saint Paul de Vence, and one in Bordeaux.

Vallauris Golfe-Juan – “city of 100 potters” – is a tourist town on the French Riviera between Antibes and Cannes. Its name (Valauria in Provencal) means “the golden valley.” Divided into two parts; the old centre of Vallauris, and the seaside section running from the port along the Côte d’Azur, towards Antibes. The pottery of Vallauris is traditional culinary ceramics likely created during the Roman era thanks to nearby clay deposits.

The Antibes market is open Tuesday through Sunday mornings with a tempting spread of local produce, French cheeses, some cured meats and loaves of bread. It is worth seeing the market, although one gets the sense that is a fraction of what it might have been in the past before the grocery and convenience store options nearby. This market is one of a few must-see places during a short stay in Antibes.

Jemma Hélène

Jemma was born and raised in the US Midwest. A banker by trade, she slogged away at a Swiss investment bank in the UK and South Africa before moving – for decent spaces of time, anyway – to the South of France. At a similar stage, she also moved to the right side of her brain as a writer. She has published articles in Maclean’s, SuperYacht World, and various travel and university presses.

At this point Jemma lives mostly in Canada, but she spends the whole of every summer in the Côte d’Azur town of Antibes. From this seaside town of ramparts, situated midway between Nice and Cannes, she has penned her blog French Lessons since 2007. Each post captures a snapshot of the remarkable, real life of the French Riviera. “Consider these pages my summertime gift to you,” she tells her readers.

When not engrossed in things French, Jemma is - not in any particular order - writing a book, making music, performing motherly duties, expanding sustainable education in places that have less of it, promoting Canadian writing, and travelling off-the-beaten-track: over 90 countries, and counting.

You can reach Jemma through her blog site at French Lessons.