La Bastide de Valbonne - Valbonne, France     

This hotel is quaint, stylish and well maintained. The grounds and the gardens are picturesque and the owners have invested in the decor (eg. cast iron and mosaic tables, not the usual plastic in 3 stars). The pool area is exceptionally pleasant and the hotel is located about 3 kms from the center of town. Although it's on a main local road we didn't hear the traffic. The breakfast is generous. The beds are a little on the hard side. This hotel is perfect for couples. However, we arrived with our three children and it was a disaster. The breakfast tables are located within meters of the terraces of the rooms overlooking the pool. Everybody spoke in hushed tones and you could here the gasps as our children spashed and played in the pool. Some guests insisted on total silence and one uptight french gentlement threatened us and told us it was against the law to make any noise around a swimming pool. Instead of enjoying the pool area we tried to avoid the hotel as much as possible. I would recommend this hotel for couples, however if you have children this place will only stress you and it will be a lonely experience for your children as this hotel is full of couples.

Perfect hotel if you are looking to stay out of the main towns along the coast. The staff are wonderful and always available to help. Beautifully decorated, this charming hotel is just outside the lovely town of Valbonne which has enough great restaurants to keep you going for weeks. You will need to have a car if staying in this hotel so that getting to towns such as Cannes etc doesn't become a problem. The only slight negative is that the hotel does not provide meals, though with such great restaurants near by it is not a problem unless you really don't want to eat out. Breakfast a little pricey at ?12 but I guess this is par for the course for any hotel. Highly recommended