We were so happy with our stay at the Grimaldi. The location as absolutely stunning, atop a beautiful serene medieval town that overlooks the ocean. The location itself, Haut de Cagnes is picture-perfect - lots of little cobbled streets, archways and flowered creepers. You simply get a free shuttle bus from the centre of Cagnes sur mer and you are there in 5 minutes. Even though we stayed there in high season, the place was not overrun with tourists and the main square and surrounding streets has plenty of little restaurants - several of which we ate at and found to be very good.
In terms of the hotel, we stayed in the suite in the top floor which was very spacious, air-conditioned, beautifully furnished and has a great little terrace that over-looks the water. The hotel itself is stone and has lots of character.
Minor complaints were that the ceilings and doors are quite low so I bumped my head quite painfully a few times and also that it would have been great to have had a mini fridge so you could bring bottles of wine up to the terrace and have an evening drink before dinner.
The hosts were excellent - warm, friendly and very helpful about the local area. Breakfasts were included and consisted of good coffee, juice, yoghurt, cereals, croissants, baguettes, ham, cheese, jam and tomatoes.
We only stayed two nights but could easily have stayed a week and were so sad to leave!

We stayed at the Hotel Grimaldi for 2 nights at the beginning of July. Business partners Tomaz and Joanna took over earlier in 2008 and have created a 'cool space' to stay in Haut Cagnes sur Mer.
The hotel offers 5 rooms, one a suite with its own balcony. All are air conditioned and provided with TV/Hi-Fi. The able-bodied will love the spiral staircase access to the rooms. The beds were incredibly comfortable, and our room had a great view over the square next to Chateau Grimaldi, and across the surrounding hillsides.
We arrived late after a delayed flight, and our hosts could not have been more accomodating.
Eating here is a notch above the average hotel restaurant. There are options of eating either prix fixe or a la carte. The chef trained with Alain Ducasse and it shows. We happily washed down our meal with a light rose from their cellars, sitting outside under umbrellas, watching a late-night game of boules.
Parking and access to the hotel requires a bit more effort. There is a public car-park on the left as you follow the road to the centre of the village. It is the only guaranteed place to park, and you'll have a novel experience - the cars are loaded onto racks and descend into the hillside. The square is pedestrianised, so it's impossible to unload your luggage outside the hotel anyway. You won't need the car again until you leave the area as there is a frequent free shuttle bus service to take you down to Cagnes sur Mer. This departs from just around the corner outside the tourist office.
So is this a restaurant with rooms or a hotel with a restaurant ? If you want a mini-bar in your room; room service; and all the usual trappings of a modern full-service hotel with bar and reception rooms and garden, then you'll regard Hotel Grimaldi as a restaurant with rooms. To me this suggests a level of personal service which is welcoming and attentive without being intrusive, helped by the hosts' excellent English. It is also reflected in the tariff which was very reasonable for the area.
Ideal for couples and romantice breaks. Only 30 minutes drive from Nice Cote d'Azur airport
Not so good for children and anyone with a physical impairment

We were a bit nervous having booked via an external website, but were greeted quite warmly by our host Tomaz, and shown around. The Hotel is very old but with modern touches like the cD player and posh bathroom, and the bedroom we had overlooked the village square and hills and valleys beyond.
It is a beautiful place, and we liked the medieval village greatly.
Ajowan and Tomaz are both from Sweden and know how to make guests wlecome. The restaurant serves excellent food and very good regional wines. We could not fault the hotel. There is a free minibus from round the corner near the Tabac to Cagnes sur Mer, but we would recommend thoroughly testing the tourist office close by before you go into town for Musee Renoir, buses to Nice and beaches, maps, rather than doing everything the hard way like we did. We found a lack of buses on Sunday, closed shops on Monday and a scarcity of taxis from ranks marked on the maps other than by the station, by which time you might as well get the trains, which are on the Ventimiglia to Cannes line, fine for trips to Villefranche, Nice etc.

My sister and I just returned from a fantastic stay at the Le Grimadi. It was absolutely one of the highlights of our vacation on the French and Italian Riveria. We took the train from Italy, and then a taxi from the Cagnes Sur Mer station. (I think it was about 10 Euros.) We were a little confused when we arrived because the village seemed very steep and crowded, and we had booked this hotel without knowing what to expect. Once we got settled, we found it was actually crowded with people who lived in the town enjoying the square, not tourists.
Tomas, the owner, was outside the hotel, and greeted us by name. He made us feel comfortable right away. He spoke perfect English, and was extremely polite and attentive, without being intrusive the way some owners might be in such a small hotel. Our room was spotless, looked out on the square, and was extremely quiet at night. It was very cozy and comfortable. (Room # 2)
I'm not sure if the village sees many young, single, female travellers, but we felt very comfortable and welcomed by everyone we met. We had an absolutely amazing dinner at the hotel, and enjoyed the jazz bar next door, with a really friendly waitress and owner. We also had a great dinner the next night at a wonderful and inexpensive place right down the hill.
The free shuttle is great if you want to take the bus or train to other towns, or if you want to go to the beach. The driver was very friendly. It runs every 15 minutes.
We felt a part of the village, and we were only there 2 days. I would recommend a visit to this village and hotel as a very authentic French experience, with lots to do if you like walking, and prefer a livelly cafe in the evening to a nightclub!
Thank you so much to Tomas, and all the other friendly villagers.