What a peaceful hotel.This hotel has a lovely pool area as well as having an indoor pool and turkish bath.We had a fabulous evening meal here sitting outside.What a gorgeous setting. Vence and nearby St Paul de Vence are great places to purchase art as there are heaps of galleries there.

The Cantemerle in a beautiful hotel in a perfect spot to explore the Riveria as well as certain spots in Provence -- plus a 10 minute walk to Vence. We spent a few nights at the hotel in July of 2005. The rooms were great -- and the staff was wonderful. The grounds/pool areas are beautiful and the hotel is a great place to return to late afternoon after exploring the area. The free/secure parking is also a plus.

We stayed at the Cantemerle for 4 nights in June and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

The accomodation was excellent and the surroundings restful and relaxing.

As there are not very many rooms, despite being fairly full, we almost had the 2 swimming pools to ourselves.

The staff were courteous and helpful at all times, and the fact that it is family-run rather than part of a chain made the overall atmostphere very relaxed.

It is not particularly cheap, but then it is the South of France, and at only 10 mins drive from Nice airport and the autoroute it is very well situated.

We will be returning in the future

We've just come back from a very relaxing week at the Cantemerle. It is a truly lovely hotel in a pleasant setting, on the outskirts of Vence and with oblique views of the Mediterranean. The rooms, set in series of terraces, all have outside space and are tastefully furnished. The bathrooms, in particular, are excellent.

The reason I can't give the hotel an unequivocal endorsement is because of three experiences that rather soured the experience. Dinner could have been a lot better for the price we paid, even if this was southern France. Towards the end of the stay, we had the unpleasant experience of being dressed down by the owner ("this is not a campsite") when I returned to the hotel with a packed lunch for my wife (whose mobility was limited by a recent back injury), despite the absence of lunch service at the hotel. Finally, when we came to settle the bill, we noticed the unwelcome insertion of a 30 euro charge for cleaning a rug in our room, which the owner claimed had been soiled by baby food.

I couldn't help noticing that the hotel was, at best, 15% full. The refusal to discount substantially off-season probably didn't help. But if other guests felt the wrath of an uncivil manager, as we did, I doubt they would rush to return, or recommend to friends, especially those with kids. Given the sweet nature of the rest of the hotel staff, his gaucheness is a real let-down.