suze1

I'm trying to decide between Hotel D'Arse and Hotel Provencal for our stay on the Riviera in 2009. The prices are very reasonable at both places. With a car I'm wondering which hotel is the best out of those 2 for location, convenient parking, rooms, views etc.

Eze

La Darse should offer more parking facilities than the other one that is more central. It naturally depends on the season you are planning for your stay.
From la Darse, you can walk to Villefranche city center following a path longing the seashore in less than ten minutes.Views are nice in both hotels. Rooms is a question of taste.

suze1

We will be on the Riviera the first week in May.

Areala

Did you try Hotel Welcome in Ville Franche ?

We stayed there the first time. It is right down by the beach. We now rent an apartment in Ville franche when we go but every time I pass Hotel Welcome it brings back wonderful memories.;.

http://www.welcomehotel.com/anglais/index.htm

Good Luck and enjoy your trip. I will be there in September...

suze1

Hotel Welcome is just about 100 euros more per night which is like $160 US more per night. That's why I'm looking at Hotel D'Arse and Hotel Provencal, the rates are affordable.

twoflower

Thanks for this thread Suze1...we are there in late October and were wondering if we'd find anything in that price range....we too will have a car. Passing through 2 weeks prior (staying at Menton possibly) and were thinking we'll check them both out and book one of them on our way through. Hopefully no rush to book earlier that late in the season?

suze1

Hopefully you can let me know your opinion of the (2) hotels when you return since I won't be booking the hotel for a while yet. I'd really appreciated your input.

caroltis

We stayed at Hotel Provencal a year ago last spring. We had a great stay! They do not have a parking lot however there is a street running alongside it and behind it and we never had trouble finding a vacant spot. We were there in the month of May - in heavy tourist season it might be more difficult.

If you do stay at Hotel Provencal - communicate with them via email and make it very plain what kind of room is acceptable to you. Trip Advisor had some awful reviews from disgruntled travelers, however there are quite a number of excellent reviews. My hunch is that there are some areas of the hotel that may be unacceptable. I told them that I would reserve a room but only if it looked exactly like what the photo shows on their website and that the room faced the water directly and that the room had a balcony. I told them I was nervous due to some of the very negative reviews I had read. We got exactly what we requested and it was delightful. Their breakfast is quite good and served in either a garden setting or in their garden room. The front desk people were extremely friendly and helpful - spoke English beautifully.

kattom

Hi Suze1,

We have reservations at Hotel Provencal in September'08. We reserved an oceanview room with balcony...and I will be confirming that with them prior to when we leave (thanks caroltis for your suggestions) I will report back once we return and hopefully confirm that this is the place to stay!

kattom

suze1

Kattom, I'll be looking for your report, or, maybe you could email me directly at [email protected], that would be greatly appreciated.

Caroltis, I'm assuming that your communication with Hotel Provencal was all done via email. How much was your room with the ocean view?

suze1

I forgot one more question, my flight leaves out of Nice at 11:15am, should we stay our last night in Nice or is it real easy to get to the airport from Hotel D'arse or Hotel Provencal.

sglass

I stayed at Hotel d'Arse last summer in late July. It was suggested to request a view room on the top floor, early- which I did- it looked just as gorgeous as on the panoramic Web view on their Website! There was no elevator, however, so if you travel with a lot of bags it's a long staircase up, up, up (I don't). The room was a nice size double and clean- the bathroom was fine, a little on the small side and a little leaky here and there. The balcony was simply perfect!

The staff did not speak much English so if this is a problem for you, that's another thing to know. Breakfasts were delicious (typical fare) and served on a small outdoor patio or in the covered front room.

The walk along the promenade was only about 5 minutes (I am a fast walker!)to the main square of the town- magical walking back at night with the moon glimmering on the water.

I didn't have a car. There appeared to be parking along the street and there may have been a little lot across the street at the harbor- you would need to check on that.

I, too, was flying back to the US from Nice- but my flight was much earlier than yours. Nice is only 5-10 minutes away from Villefranche- the airport was about 15- 20 minutes from Nice. But I don't know about dropping the car, etc. It was a very, very expensive cab ride to the airport (buses didn't run as early as I had to go).

suze1

It looks like both hotels are good, I'll wait and get Kattom's opinion on her return from Hotel Provencal.

Also looks like I might as well stay my last night in Villefranche to get to the airport, Nice doesn't seem too much more convenient and then I'd have to catch a cab.

Pwem

Sglass: How much did the taxi cost from Villefranche to Nice Airport? I will be staying there in Sept and plan to take the taxi from the airport to Villefranche.

Byrd

suze1,

We (four couples) stayed at the Provencal last October and were very pleased. We asked for and got rooms with balconies overlooking the harbor.

This is not a luxury hotel, but we thought it charming.

When we had to leave early because a death in the family of one of our group, the manager was so much help as we rearranged our schedules and tickets.

We had two rental cars and had no problem leaving Villefranche in plenty of time to return the cars at the Nice airport before our flight home.

We all hope to return to Villefranche to complete our visit.

Have a wonderful trip.

Byrd

caroltis

I checked my journal and it looks like we spent $140 for a large room with balcony overlooking the harbor. This was during the last week in April of 2007.

Areala

I did'nt know Hotel Welcome had gone up so much, but I should have thought about that since it had been awhile since we stayed there.

We stayed at a Etap hotel near Nimes and it was dirt cheap and not bad. I would say equivelant to a Comfort Inn here at home.

Check out this one in Mention

http://www.etaphotel.com/etaphotel/f...he_hotel.shtml

or this one in Nice:

http://www.etaphotel.com/etaphotel/f...he_hotel.shtml

There are also more in that area but not directly in Vill Franche

Good Luck and Have a great time

kattom

HI Suze1,

I will do my best to keep track of your email address so I can let you know what I thought of the Hotel Provencal. I booked it months ago for our trip so I can't recall exactly why I selected it...perhaps because I didn't want to face the prospect of climbing all those stairs at the Hotel D'Arse. Obviously the Hotel Welcome is much nicer--but the price was much more expensive too. We will be leaving out of the Nice Airport but won't need to get there until 1:00 p.m. so we will have lots of time to get to the airport...if I learn anything that might helpful I'll report that too.

--kattom

Eze

Taxi rides in Nice or to Nice airport are too expensive.
From Villefranche Basse Corniche (highway crossing the city) you can easily take a bus to the Nice bus station and from there take an other bus to the airport (4 euros in total).
Or walk to the train station, take a train to Nice (less than 10 minutes) and take a bus to the airport. Easy.
Total ride in bus 45' (waiting time included) from the moment you step in the bus.
In may, you should'nt get parking problems. Rite hotel Welcome is nice, not really on the beach but close to the sea, but above your budget.
Enjoy !

sglass

Yes- very expensive taxis! I had to be at the Nice airport by 5:30 am- I believe it was about 45 euro (last summer!), plus the tip, for the 15- 20 minute taxi ride from the western end of the Promenade des Anglais. Public transportation is so very easy to and from Nice. Worth mentioning, since I stayed in Villefranche, is that it is a steep climb up and down to both the train and bus station if you stay along the harbor. I am a good walker and it was about 10 minutes to each (they are not together). For the Villefranche train station, have a supply of euro coins handy because then you can use the machines outside- especially useful off hours.