Antibes City Centre, Cannes Hotel Rooms at the Independent

We stayed here 2 nights and it was great. The hotel itself was very modern, with clean and sleek lines throughout. The room was very large and could accommodate a double bed and a single bed. Our family of 3 felt that we were in a suite (we were definitely not). The decor and lights were well thought through and tasteful. Bath toiletries were from Fragonnard (wonderful) and the bathroom was large enough to accommodate 2 sinks. While getting to the city centre requires a 10-15 min walk, this made our room a lovely and warm haven to return to after being out the whole day. The only 2 things that puzzled us were the location of the toilet (you literally have to walk to the other end of the room to get to the sinks to wash your hands) and the design of the shower area (strangely, the drainage hole is not under the shower so when we showered, the water actually flowed right out to the rest of the bathroom). Otherwise, this is a winner for us.

We did not drive but the hotel proprietor picked us up at the Grasse train station (our train was delayed about 30 minutes because of the strikes) He wrote us a few days ahead to get our train arrival time. Very gentlemanly. After we arrived the hosts offered us some wine and an appetizer on the terrace and we spoke French but mainly English. They were gracious, and friendly. Breakfasts had fresh fruit, lovely breads, preserves, cheeses of the area, eggs made to order. The attention to detail was superb. They made a reservation for us at the little restaurant (very reasonable) down the road and we went there every night for dinner, trying out all the different specialities. Loved the scallops. They also advised us of the bus schedules and how to access the buses into Grasse--the stop is very near them and the fare is only 1 euro each. Grasse tourist office is right at bus station---very convenient. The host also drove us back to station on our departure.

In the centre of town, close to everywhere and near the car park. The hotel is friendly, immaculate inside, high quality, recently refurbished by the look of it and with friendly staff.