Villa rental Antibes / Nice area - advice sought!

[alt]

Please accept my apologies, I realise this has nothing to do with boating! However, given the vast knowledge on the forum of the area, I thought i'd ask here also...

Decided to take the family away for a week in August and a villa would suit us best (or a high quality, large apartment with a shared pool)

6 of us...
Myself and OH (double)
Father and nephew (share a twin)
Sister and niece (share a twin)

I just looked at nice as i've flown in there before on the epic Blue Angel cruise-in-company and flights are very affordable as we speak.

However, when it comes to general knowledge of the area, i'm clueless.

OH and I are happy to chill out, day trips in the car, relax by the pool (as normally our trips involve a lot of activity / adventure, happy to take a rest this time). Father is retired and happy to bask in the sun all day, as is my sister.
My niece (10) and nephew (18) won't want to be 'bored', but again are happy by the pool and a day escape to the beaches. The nephew and I of course will want a bit of nightlife but doesn't need to be Magaluf style (I am 30, afterall!)

Wondering if the forum would recommend searching in the Antibes / Nice / Cannes area? Or even if anyone knows of anything suitable to get in touch and deal direct.... i'm sure it's safe to say that 2 established forum members could trust each other.

We don't mind if it's a few minutes drive (maybe up to 10) from the action / beach if we had our own pool / veranda for BBQ'ing etc. - we'll have a car and happy to take turns driving.

Finally, any car hire operators to AVOID in Nice? I rented with Sixt before (from Malaga) and had zero issues, but also heard horror stories.

Many thanks in advance for your help... a case of wine for anyone who wants to make this least stressful for me

 

[jfm]

What dates Alt?

These days you might as well Airbnb it. Or look on HomeAway and similar websites, which will have 500 places fitting your bill. You can get places in the old town of Antibes if you don't mind a bit or cronkiness, and on the outskirts you have new apartment buildings and similar eg La Fontaine.

I know the owners of loads of smaller apartments and grander houses, but not much in the middle ie 3 bedroom.

The car hire shops are fine but I'd suggest to avoid Europcar due to the huge queues when easyjet flights arrive. Takes an hour + to get your car.

You can rent big small boats by the day on the quay in Port Vauban right beside the arch to the old town. http://www.antibes-bateaux.com/ Need to bring your icc. Depending on dates a forum-provided boat trip might be feasible!

 

[alt]

JFM,
Many thanks for the info.

Of course I forgot the dates!! Aug 17 - 24 (Thurs to Thurs)

Given that i'll be hosting the family, the OH and I are definitely planning a day of relaxation (ie. escape from the madness) and a boat rental is 100% on the cards for just the 2 of us (will make sure I bring my ICC) and actually a big incentive.

Forum meet-up wouldn't be refused! However given the time of year I understand that people would most likely be busy doing their own thing. I think we may actually be hosting some forumites ourselves for day trips this season as I always open up the welcome to people given how helpful / friendly people have been here in the past.

We are currently searching AirBnB and I will try the other agent you mentioned, for sure.

 

[ostra4]

If you haven't been to the area before be aware the traffic can be very very heavy all along that coast , if you can find somewhere close to a train station the trains are frequent and quick , you can always nip to Italy for the day for something a bit different but the traffic ......., lovely area though .

 

[alt]

If you haven't been to the area before be aware the traffic can be very very heavy all along that coast , if you can find somewhere close to a train station the trains are frequent and quick , you can always nip to Italy for the day for something a bit different but the traffic ......., lovely area though .

Thanks for the reminder! I remember the traffic well from when MapisM picked scubaman and I up from Nice airport a while back, although he managed to avoid most of it because of local knowledge.

 

[scubaman]

Hi N!

Regarding the boat hire: we visited the area back in 2015 and I did a post on our day trip to Ile des Lerins. Here is a link just for reference -> http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?425677-A-day-trip-in-South-of-France-(with-pics)

We found the accommodation from Tripadvisor but as mentioned here, there are others as well. There are apartments and villas everywhere so should be easy to find a suitable place to stay, especially as you are booking early.

Enjoy, it's a very nice area.

 

[alt]

Many thanks for all your help.

After consideration, I decided that for the sake 'of an easy life' (ie. nagging kids) we're going to fly into Malaga instead (flights booked)

OH and I will fly to Nice another time (just the 2 of us) and we will be able to appreciate the local area better.

Many thanks again.