Large, Family Apartment in Vence, near Nice - LONG TERM LETS ONLY Reviews

Excellent location, clean and well equipped. Great views, nice balcony area and useful parking space! Shirley was a wonderful host, first class from start to finish. Great holiday with two young children, the area is great and perfect for a relaxing and fun filled break.

My husband and I spent a very enjoyable holiday at Les Chenes Verts in June. The apartment is very light and spacious - a true "home from home" , tastefully furnished and very well equipped.The views are very attractive and the large terrace with its pretty little garden is ideal for outdoor living.

Vence is an interesting town, particularly the old walled part with its restaurants, boutiques and galleries. Visit the chapel designed by Matisse up the hill at the back of the town, although not large it is very atmospheric.

If you are reasonably fit you do not need a car - we caught the number 94 bus on the dual carriageway opposite Nice airport which takes you to the small roundabout on Avenue General Leclerc a short distance south of Les Chenes Verts. The number 400 bus comes from the same bus stop at Nice airport but goes to the bus station in Vence new town which is a longer walk to the apartment

However a "must" when staying in Vence is to take the 400 bus from the bus station to St. Paul de Vence which is a quaint and pretty village full of art galleries. When at St. Paul walk to the Fondation Maeght outside the village, well worth a visit for art lovers.

There are 4 supermarkets in Vence. The nearest to the apartment is just off the town's main square near the entrance to the underground car park.

This is a holiday for people who like to soak up the ambience of a vibrant historic French town in a beautiful setting.

This was a last minute booking but Shirley was most helpful in getting things organised for us - keys etc.

The appartment is very clean and homely with a balcony which runs the full lengh of the place. Nearly all rooms have french doors opening onto the balcony which made you feel outdoors without having to leave the appartment. The view from the master bedroom was a delightful feature and, in the morning, when you opened the blinds you were greeted by a wonderful view - shrubs, trees and magnificient hills in the distance. South facing so the appartment shelters from the heat of the day allowing outside evening eating without the heat in July! We loved the gentle farm noises from a small croft below particularly the 'cow bells'. I feared we may be in a suburban area but instead there was a wonderful rural feel to the place.

Lots of lovely old villages to visit and very close to all the main beaches - we tried them all and would struggle to put one above another.

The old village of Vence is lovely to walk around and is well placed for markets as there seemed to be one every second day or so with a different theme.

Would love to come back

As a frequent traveller to France it is always pleasant to find new places of interest and beauty, and in this respect the area in and around Vence did not disappoint. Staying at an apartment, Les Chenes Verts, some eight minutes walk from Vence old town, and with fine views of the mountains from its balcony, there was ample opportunity by car to visit nearby St Paul, the Gorges du Loup area, many other fine perched towns and villages and of course Nice and a host of resorts, small and large along the Cote d'Azur.

The apartment itself was clean and well maintained, with ample supplies of clean linen, kitchen equipment, a balcony complete with small garden and a reserved parking place immediately below the flat. The owner also took the trouble to telephone on the first day of our arrival to confirm our safe arrival and that all was well. The town of Vence with its old and new areas has plenty of restaurants and bars, both inside the walls and outside in the main road and main square (where there is a market each Friday) plus a supermarket within walking or easy driving distance. I would recommend both the area and the apartment to a friend.

We have stayed in the South of France many times over the years, but this was our first time in Vence. The apartment had everything and more that we needed. The rooms are spacious, the sofas and beds which were made up when we arrived, were very comfortable, and the views from all the windows wonderful. The kitchen is very well equipped, kettle and teapot we used alot, but we never found the cheese grater!

The town of Vence is only 10 minutes walk away, but the many steps (48 in the main flight) have to be tackled first. These were tough to start with, but became a challenge: could we do them all without stopping? not for the first couple of days but by the 6th or 7th day, no problem. It's also any quick drive into Vence if you want to save your legs.

Vence has everything you needs, markets, shopping, cafes etc. The first bread shop sells the best baguettes we've ever had.

As well as driving round the area, we had a bus ride to St Paul De Vence, and anotrher day one to Nice, a bargain at E1 per single journey.

The parking space at the apartment was very useful, and it was nice not to have to fight or pay for parking as at a couple of other places we've stayed.

All in all this is a splendid place to stay and we highly recommend it, and will probably go back next year.

Heather from York.

Located about 10 minutes walk from the centre of Vence, this well laid out and wonderfully spacious apartment provided excellent value and an ideal place to stay for the two of us and our three year old daughter.

The apartment is not a sparsely furnished state of the art rental option; it acts as a second home for the owners and as such is very fully and personally furnished and equipped to a high standard. The floor to ceiling windows provide stunning views even on the dullest and wettest of days (we visited in October) and the vast sheltered terrace provides a great place to sit out on the warmer and sunnier ones. It faces east, so would I imagine be pleasantly cool in the summer heat.

The setting is enhanced by a pastoral small-holding below the apartment (surely one of the last in this area) offering a background soundtrack of goat bells and the occasional cockerel. This sense of seclusion is reinforced by the apartment being well below the local road, but it should be noted that the walk up to it is very steep and not suitable for the infirm. That said cars can get right up to the front door.

We visited without a car, as the reliable and cheap local bus service offers easy access to the airport and to several other villages and towns in the area worthy of investigation. Only for trips inland or further afield would a car be more practical (the apartment has its own parking space).

Vence itself is a town which works for locals as well as tourists and as such is full of character, useful shops and good restaurants. Our self catering requirements were well met by the several supermarkets and the excellent array of independent outlets.

We would thoroughly recommend the apartment, its owners and Vence.

We spent a week here in July 2010 and immediately felt at home. The apartment is fully equipped and furnished and has everything that one could possibly want ,including cookery books! The views from the living room,kitchen and main bedroom are magnificent and we were particularly impressed by the peace and quiet of the setting even though the apartment is just a 5 minute walk from the town centre. The owner is delightful and rang on the first evening to ensure that everything was in order. She was most helpful and friendly.

The town itself has plenty of good restaurants and is well placed for sightseeing. The neighbouring village of St Paul de Vence is a must. We also spent an afternoon on the beach at Cagnes-sur-Mer which was readily accessible.

We will definitely return to this lovely apartment and beautiful area and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.

We stayed in the apartment in Les Chenes Verts in Vence for a short week in the early spring and found it perfect for our needs - a family of four with two teenagers.

The apartment is clean and well kept, everything worked perfectly, once we'd figured out the use of the numerous keys ;-))

The living room is big and has a beautiful view of the mountains and the kitchen is well equipped. We cooked several dinners in the kitchen and enjoyed the fantastic french vegetables etc. from the shops in Vence.

The master bedroom is large as well, but even the smaller and somewhat darker second bedroom was quite okay for our two children.

The apartment is conveniently located just outside the old city, so a five minute walk will take you to the middle of Vence with shops, restaurants etc.

At the same time you have your own parking space just outside the apartment, which is very practical, and you are away from the noise of all the tourists in old Vence. The only noises in Les Chenes Verts came from the local boys playing football in the parking lot and the bells on the sheep in the field below the apartment building...

The apartment in Les Chenes Verts in Vence is just wonderful - bright and airy – in just the right place with a magnificent view over the valley to the mountains from all the rooms - double sliding doors that open onto the wide spacious private terrace from the living room and the main bedroom. The owner has thought of all the needs of her clients, and makes the apartment comfortable in every way - it is always immaculately clean. Ideal for two couples, comfy beds (important) and good facilities, and only five minutes walk from the village. I have stayed there several times and love it for its proximity to many cultural venues as well as the coast for its beaches, harbours and shops, not forgetting other villages to visit in the area. You are also close to the border is you want to nip over to Italy - Friday market in Ventimiglia is fun but get there early. Eating in the village is varied with lots of different choices, and the market is fun for veg and fruit. Eat on the square in the sunshine - perfect! Or bring it home and eat it on the terrace - equally so! I would certainly recommend it to friends.

We had a most enjoyable holiday at your (very homely) apartment located in beautiful medieval Vence. Using a combination of excellent public transport and our hired car, we visited Monaco, Cannes, Nice, St. Paul-de-Vence, Cagnes Sur Mer plus many other villages in the area and enjoyed local food and drink immensely. We found the Tourist Office in Vence most helpful.