French Riviera - 3 pièces, vue mer et piscine

We were met by Alexandra at the property after arranging arrival time with her via WhatsApp. She was especially helpful, letting us borrow her phone when ours were not able to call internationally. The property was clean and tidy (under the beds were dusty and there was some clothing left in a drawer from a previous occupant), nice to be provided with beach towels as well as shower towels. It has clearly recently been renovated with comfortable seating and beds as well as lovely marble work tops and tiled flooring throughout. Washing machine, dishwasher, nespresso and filter coffee machines were really nice to have. The A/C worked very well, definitely needed in the summer heat. Lovely large and deep shared pool in nicely kept gardens. Bedrooms at the back of the apartment meant it was quiet at night time. You could hear a little noise from one of the apartments above, but it was just the noise of people moving, it didn't go on late into the night and was not intrusive at all.

Given the cost of the apartment (over £300/night) I expected there to be at least basic supplies provided, there was only a very small amount of hand washing soap in one dispenser in the toilet, no hand soap in the kitchen or shower room. There was not enough toilet roll for the length of the stay. We had to buy soap and loo roll on our first shopping trip, not a huge deal, but not something I expected to have to do or have ever had to do at a rental property before. There was no welcome pack at all, at this price point at previous rental properties there have been welcome packs of snacks/drinks etc, that would make staying here that little more special. Communication was poor after we booked and paid for this accommodation. We had no message from the property owner confirming the booking and I was not replied to when I sent them messages through booking.com about the stay, this made me worry that it was some kind of scam. Just one week before our stay we were contacted by Alexandra who was able to answer the questions I had and was very good and replying promptly. My understanding is that she is a manager for the apartment employed by the owners, I imagine that she was not given my details until the week before our visit. The owners never responded to my messages on booking.com, I just got one message from them warning about staining the the marble worktops with wine/coffee! Communication could be far better from the owners.

The view from the balcony is stunning, we could sit there all day and watch the boats coming and going. If you don't have a car, you can walk down some steps to the beach in less than 10 minutes however it takes longer coming back up as it's very steep (over 170 steps, great exercise!). The accommodation has been refurbished in between us booking it and staying, it has been beautifully renovated to a high standard. Two double rooms, two shower rooms. Really well equipped kitchen, didn't cook much but everything was there. Nice large fridge too. Great to have access to a washing machine and dryer however washing machine tablets are not provided so bring some along. Dishwasher tablets were provided. Outside pool is up a short flight of steps to the back, it was great to cool off at the end of the day and was accessible until about 9pm so long as you were not noisy. Some really nice touches in providing beach towels as well as room towels, and having some of the cooking staples in the cupboards. We enjoyed eating in Villefranche, there are so many options to choose from, I recommend booking to secure outdoor seating in the evenings. We used the train to visit Cannes, Nice and Monaco, all three were wonderful days out. Use the SNCF website to check live train times, the station can be accessed using the same steps as the beach.

There wasn't an easily walkable grocery store to pop out to, so plan to buy anything you need while you are out and about if you don't have a car. Grocery stores in Villefranche are very limited in what you can buy (one tiny store with milk, snacks etc, another slightly larger Casino store with most of the essentials about 15 min walk down the hill, and a long walk back up. Using the bus stop on the main road outside (opposite side) can get you to Beaulieu Sur Mer within minutes, the bus driver showed us where to get off to access a bigger store. The road beneath the property can be noisy while you are sitting out as people drive to and fro. It didn't bother us but if you are looking for tranquility it might not be for you. Road noise not an issue at night as bedrooms are at the back.

Spectacular views

Apartment was over priced, but it was Cannes & Formula 1 week/weekend, so you do need to take that into account. Apartment was not very clean, dust, biscuit crumbs on seating & A/C was very dirty with an odour. A property demanding over €2600 a week, really needs 2 toilets & be spotlessly clean.

The view is great. The pool in the yard too. Big appartment. The seaside village itself, down the road, is very nice.

It's very noisy. Inside and outside. There is a road right under the building, so be ready to the road noise from early morning till late evening. Enjoy your view with closed window. The walls are thin. You literally can hear sniffing of the neighbors, Elevator work...everything! The appartment itself could have some repair. No light enough. No upper light at all. Only lamps. Half of them don't work. The host meeting you doesn't speak English AT ALL. Not a word. I mean it. We were communicating via Google translator. For the information she gave me a folder with... info from 2019 (printed bus schedule, restaurants brochures. 2019, yes. Printed from google). When I was trying to understand how to get to the pool, she never called me back or wrote. It's ok in general. Big appartment. Pretty clean. But be ready to these monents.