La Bastide De Valbonne is the sort of hotel I had always pictured myself staying at when visiting the Côte d’Azur. The boutique hotel is full of French charm and fulfilled all my French Riviera dreams. The hotel is a 30minute drive from Nice, although the drive is only short you feel like you’re staying in a remote country town. You definitely need a car whilst staying at La Bastide De Valbonne, with the Valbonne town centre a short 5min drive from the hotel.

Each morning we woke up peacefully to a relaxed hotel. Getting dressed we’d then walk to breakfast on the terrace. The hotel put on a gorgeous breakfast buffet for 15 Euro p/p. You have the option to eat breakfast at the hotel each morning, we opted for the breakfast spread 3 out of 4 mornings. Sitting back around the pool whilst sipping on coffee, devouring warm chocolate croissants, a fresh selection of bread, cheese and deli meats was the most relaxing way to start the day.

The hotel also has an Italian restaurant Trattoria Quattro on the grounds, which is open for lunch and dinner every day. I’d definitely suggest dinner there at least once. Make your booking around dusk, it’s a beautiful setting to sit back relax with a wine whilst dusk turns into night.

We spent a couple of hours around the pool each day reading and swimming whilst sipping on French rosé. When we weren’t hanging out around the pool, we’d spend our days exploring. The hotel is incredibly well located for day trips. We drove to Grasse, Cannes and Saint-Tropez whilst staying at La Bastide Valbonne.