Buses into town stop outside the tourist office on the promenade Simon-Lorière (June & Sept daily 9am–12.30pm & 2–7pm; July & Aug Mon–Sat 9am–8pm, Sun 10am–noon & 4–7pm; Oct–May Mon–Sat 9am–12.30pm & 2–6pm; tel 04.94.55.75.55, www.sainte-maxime.com), which can give you information on trips and advice on hotel vacancies – once again, rare in summer. If you're heading for St-Tropez from Ste-Maxime, an alternative to the bus, at not much greater cost, is to go by boat; the twenty-minute service from Ste-Maxime's gare maritime on the port runs daily from April to October, with more frequent crossings in July and August. Bikes can be rented at Holiday Bikes, 10, route du Plan de la Tour (tel 04.94.43.90.19, www.holiday-bikes.com).As you would expect in such a popular Riviera destination, finding accommodation in Ste-Maxime can be a nightmare in high season: if you're coming in July or August, call as far ahead as possible to make a reservation. The best of the cheaper hotels is the good-value and welcoming Auberge Provençale, 49 rue Aristide Briand (tel 04.94.55.76.90, fax 04.94.55.76.91; €40–55), with its own restaurant; or there's the small Castellamar, 21 av G.-Pompidou (tel 04.94.96.19.97; €30–40; closed Nov–March), on the west side of the river but still close to the centre and the sea. For more comfortable surroundings, try the central Hôtel de la Poste, 11 bd Frédéric-Mistral (tel 04.94.96.18.33, fax 04.94.96.41.68; €70–85), an ugly modern construction but with very nice rooms; or the small and unobtrusive Marie-Louise, 2km west in the Hameau de Guerre-Vieille (tel 04.94.96.06.05, [email protected]; €70–85), tucked away in greenery but in sight of the sea. For camping, Les Cigalons, in quartier de la Nartelle, is the three-star seaside option (tel 04.94.96.05.51; closed mid-Sept to May). For non-beach eating, the Hostellerie de la Belle Aurore, 4 bd Jean-Moulin (tel 04.94.96.02.45; closed Wed lunchtime & Oct–March; weekday menu €35), offers gourmet food on a sea-view terrace; or, less expensively, there's classic French cuisine at La Table des Gémeaux, rue des Maures (tel 04.94.49.16.54; menus starting at €22).
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