We originally booked a hotel in Nice but inasmuch as we had a car found it inconvenient and decided to check out Villafranche su mer. We came into the town and came across Hotel Provencal. It is in a wonderful location with easy access to the bus going into Nice. We found the hotel slightly run down but the rooms were in the process of being renovated. We paid a little more and got one of the renovated rooms. It was a very large room with a sitting area on the corner of the hotel. We had 2 sets of floor to ceiling glass doors which opened to a fabulous view of the inlet and harbor of Villafranche su mer. Parking was nearby on the street and we were able to walk all over the town and down to the harbor easily. I would recommend this hotel but ask for a renovated room overlooking the water.

This charming older hotel has a great location - short walk to old town as well as public transportation. This is a great place to stay while adjusting to time difference. Breakfast downstairs, fruit around the corner and Pizza across the street. Tourist info office across the street as well. No good wifi that I could find.

I first stayed at the Provencal as a child in 1961 when my Dad was with the U.S. Navy 7th fleet and the Navy put families up at hotels until we could find local rentals. I remembered it as beautiful and elegant, making me feel like a little rich girl. So it was nostalgia that led me to book at the Provencal for a couple of nights at the end of a two week tour of Italy with my long time best friend, before we flew home out of Nice.

I'm generally a "go with the flow" kind of traveler, but what a disappointment this was! The only thing this place still has going for it is the location. The Provencal has aged badly and suffers from lack of care in both the physical sense and the attitude of its staff: Peeling paint, spartan furnishings, no shower curtain, threadbare towels - and not particularly clean. Having stayed in two different rooms on the two nights (therein lies a tale), I can report that the attempted renovations have only replaced threadbare carpets with cheap vinyl flooring and shabby bedclothes with spartan white sheets and a thin folded coverlet. The redecoration of the lobby removed all remnants of charm and left it looking like a McMahan's floor display. The elevator is so tiny and rickety that a couple with a suitcase apiece will probably want to ride up separately. If arriving by car, be aware that there is not only no parking, but no place to pull off the steep, narrow street to unload luggage or passengers without blocking traffic (unless you get very lucky and there happens to be an empty parking spot along the street.) And don't expect any of the staff to leap to your aid!
If you do choose to stay here, don't pay for the breakfast option - coffee, sad fruit and a croissant aren't worth 10 Euro, even in a pretty garden setting.

I'm so glad that Villefranche itself is still the beautiful and charming place I remember!

The review sof this hotel scared me a bit to be honest before we went! I have stayed in several hotels in France and am not bothered about star ratings in terms of desks and trouser presses, and am also not really desperate for a sea view, particularly in Villefranche which is so beautiful you can see it all the time when out and about. We were really lucky to get a refurbished room as they are currently doing the hotel up. Our room had nice furnishings, was clean and comfortable. However, I have two complaints. One, the rooms that aren't sea/garden view are advertised as 'Mountain View' - well it's true to say they do have a view of the mountain, but in reality it should be advertised as view de la rue! We were right by a busy main road and it was really noisy, we came on holiday to relax, not be woken up by lorries and scooters at all hours of the night! We did ask if we could move but the hotel was fully booked. The second complaint is that there was no door on our bathroom!!! Now in a small ish hotel room this could have been a bit of a problem if we were newly weds or in a new relationship or in fact are just humans who have a bit of a problem with no privacy when using the toilet! Myself and my husband thought it was quite funny but really it's a bit strange. Overall, Villefranche is AMAZING and well worth the visit, we had a great time, and this hotel is reasonably priced if you get a refurbed room, the other rooms looked awful when we peeped in one morning when the cleaners had some doors open, old carpets, dodgy looking furniture, but I will say that the hotel is clean so that's not a problem. The hotel is also really well located. We also had a shower head that didn't stay up when you used it (we didn't have shower over bath so bath not an option) so we rigged up our own way of holding it up with some rope from a bag I had - take rope for shower rig is my advice!!! Vive la Villefranche!