We stayed in this lovely large apartment over New Year 2014- Villefranch Sur Mer…

We stayed in this lovely large apartment over New Year 2014- Villefranch Sur Mer proved a handy atmospheric location for a family holiday with our teenagers, plus adult cousins from England. Being Australian, the beaches of the South of France are not an attraction though the lifestyle in the off season certainly was great! Villefranche is a quiet old village clinging to the rocky coast East of Nice, a suburb of Nice really and in fact on one occasion we walked between the two places. However the quiet village must be overrun with traffic and tour groups from boats, yachts and giant cruise ships "in the season" so I am glad we came in winter. That said, plenty of restaurants and shops were open to provide everything necessary to living like a local in your own apartment which is the best part of this kind of accommodation. The apartment itself was generously appointed with three very separate bedrooms and bathrooms around a large central kitchen and a separate lounge with a small but perfect little balcony on the port side. The apartment is a winter sun trap in the front rooms (master bedroom with ensuite, the main bathroom and the living room) while the bedrooms at the rear would be cooler and quieter in the summer, I imagine. The beds were really comfortable and everything was clean and worked more or less OK. Apart from one misunderstanding with the locally based manager our needs were met to a very high standard it all went swimmingly. I have never stayed in any other self contained flat in Europe which had a fridge stocked with necessities for breakfast on arrival! When we asked for a Nespresso machine (so we did not have to shell out for the overpriced coffee around the Cote D'Azur, guess what? A brand new "George Clooney" arrived in the kitchen promptly! The only real draw back is the small hot water capacity so that with 6 adults all trying to have showers or maybe a bath in the fabulous main bathroom with a view, the last sleepyheads to get going in the morning risk a cold wash. Apart from the hot water issue for larger groups, this apartment is a relaxing set up for people wanting to chill out in a handy location near Nice.

We have just had the pleasure of staying a week with our 3 adult children in thi…

We have just had the pleasure of staying a week with our 3 adult children in this wonderful apartment. The location is to die for - waking up to the beautiful water view each morning was just magic. The apartment is very large, elegantly decorated and clean. Instructions on how to get there with a car were very clear and I particularly liked not having to meet a manager on check in. When driving in foreign places (and easily getting lost) you can never pinpont the exact time of arrival so avoiding this time stress was great. A manager was readily available should we need help with anything but the need never arose - the apartment was fully equipped and we felt at home immediately. We all agree, our week at this apartment in Villefranche was the highlight of our six week trip and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend this amazing apartment.