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All reviews beautiful view comfortable rooms family room bunk beds enjoy the view separate room pool area saint tropez amazing hotel second bedroom decent star hotel nearby beach high expectations home made cakes breakfast was excellent very special place south of france
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Reviewed 10 July 2018

We returned from a fantastic vacation in France, and used this as our base for South of France & Provence, enjoying 4 nights at La Villa Douce in Royal Canadel sur Mer.

THE GOOD
1. THE VIEWS
As other reviewers note, this charming modern hotel is situated on a hill with beautiful views of the sea and neighboring islands. Breakfast & Afternoon Tea are served by reception on an outdoor terrace facing the sea. The restaurant is a lower level and faces the sea. Guest rooms all face the sea.

2. STAFF
For the most part we found the staff to have good attitudes, and helpful. I think the service was painfully slow at lunch (1 waiter, 3 tables occupied) and dinner (2 waitresses & every table booked).

3. GUEST ROOM
Our room was #302 and was spacious, modern, and comfortable. We had a private outdoor terrace that was easily 15 feet long with 2 lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs & a loooooong marble counter spanning the entire terrace. So I could write in my journal on that counter, my husband could use his computer etc.

4. POOL AREA
LOVED that they had so many umbrellas everywhere to avoid sunburn. To be ecofriendly, they ask that you use the same pool towel all week. We did that and it's fine but we weren't really sure where to put the wet towel when we returned so draped it over the terrace chairs.

A MIXED BAG
1. BREAKFAST.
Breakfast was included every day and open for at least 3 hours (good window of time. Some days we were the first ones there, another day the last depending on our schedules) and appreciated the large window breakfast was offered. Foods were fresh & flavorful. Good variety - choices of fresh French breads, pastries, yogurt, fruits, boiled eggs, cheeses, meats, fresh baked sweets. What we didn't like - it was exactly the same breakfast. Every day. After 4 days I would have liked to have seen some variety. Oatmeal? Smoked salmon? Definitely missed eating vegetables (like fresh summer tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers you get the idea). Also would have preferred to ask for eggs made to order.

2. LACK OF RESTAURANT CHOICE.
Awesome hillside location - but only 1 restaurant with limited menu. You need a car to get to other restaurants based on the location of this hotel, so if you are planning a week here it's something to consider.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
1. RESTAURANT SERVICE. Lackluster waitress service, she was constantly moving but never found her way to us. I think management needs to hire one more server. Ordered & pointed to menu, got something different. Ate it but we both received meals we did NOT order, and I read from the menu AND POINTED. :) I mention this because I read this in other reviews today!

2. WARNING - TUESDAY NIGHT IS JAZZ NIGHT. EXPECTATIONS WERE NOT SET AT CHECK IN THAT IT SELLS OUT SO WE CANT EAT THERE.

When we checked in, they recommended Jazz Night but they did NOT say hey this ONE NIGHT SELLS OUT because it's awesome (it is!), so if you have any intention of eating with us you have to reserve a table. We arrived home to our hotel weary on Tuesday night, after a loooong day of sightseeing in Provence (LAVENDER FIELDS!!!) and hoped to eat at the hotel restaurant. NO parking spaces were available because jazz night really is GREAT & attracts so many from surrounding area. We wanted to eat - and imagine our surprise when the answer was NO. Just no. If that's the case, I think it's wise for hotel to simply let guests understand that even though hotel is not sold out, and usually you don't need a reservation - on Tuesdays you do. If so we could have reserved....we could have grabbed dinner on the way home. SIngle thing i'd suggest to management - please explain how great the jazz is & explain importance of reservation. The disappointing part, is given how much you pay for a room - you expect some interest from hotel staff to help come up with an alternative solution. Hotel offered nothing to help accommodate. Here's what I would do if I worked there. "Hey we are full so we are sorry we can't seat you at restaurant. I want to help. What about take out or room service? How about a pizza delivery from a local restaurant? How about fresh fruit - some apples? How about a hunk of bread & jam?" Night person did not have any desire to help. We voiced our disappointment and concern that they have an operating kitchen (open!) and there wasn't something that we could do to meet in the middle (we thought perhaps we order a salad & eat it like take out? A baguette & jam or cheese? Something?). Ultimately the hotel did accommodate us by letting us order a cheese plate but WE had to suggest it. I'm not expecting sea bass. I'm not expecting anything free. But I am expecting the notion of someone wanting to help. I share this in the spirit of continuous improvement.

Lengthy review but overall liked the hotel a lot!!

Date of stay: July 2018
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Sleep Quality
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
5  Thank lovethat
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 7 July 2018 via mobile

Parents with little ones in tow know how hard it is to find a high end hotel that cares for the kids. La Villa Douce is one of these exceptions. We had a great stay and our 4 and 8 yrs old loved it too. We had a family room and it’s very well set for a family of 4 — except maybe for the fact that there is only one sink in the bathroom.
The view is breathtaking and doesn’t get old. A free shuttle gets you to the nearest beach and the little downtown where you’ll find a pharmacy, doctor’s office, supermarket and a shop or two.
If you’re staying more than a couple of days, do plan to get out for lunch/dinner since the menu is relatively small. There are plenty of great restaurants around, like l’Ecrin on a beach 10 min away.
And with a car you can also visit the area which is beautiful. Nicolas (staff) suggested we visit Bormes-les-mimosas and we are so glad we did. It was amazing.
We will be back!

Date of stay: July 2018
Trip type: Travelled with family
2  Thank iMaxve
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
StephanieLVD, Responsable relations clients at La Villa Douce, responded to this reviewResponded 12 July 2018

Dear De,
Many thanks for your kind comment following your stay in La Villa Douce. You perfectly resume the atmosphere of the hotel and all the services we provide:
-In high season ou free shuttle service bring you everywhere in Le Rayol Canadel so you don't need to use your car as you said
-Our spacious family suits are comfortable for 4 with the 2 rooms and the lounge area
-Our suggestions of restaurants nearby and activities recommand by our staff.It is true that Nicolas perfectly knows the region and always have good ideas!
We will be happy to welcome you for another stay.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 1 July 2018

The Villa Douce is perched high on the hill above Rayol and is an absolutely beautiful place to spend a few days. The reception is clean and classy with those attending extremely helpful and attentive. The room we had (208) was very nicely laid out and had a huge balcony/terrace with amazing views over the sea.

The bar and dining area down by the pool are lovely and a really relaxing place to spend lunch, dinner or just a few drinks. And the pool itself has loads of space and loungers for relaxing and it's temperature is perfect for a swim or cooling dip.

We ate breakfast, one lunch and two dinners and all were very good.Breakfast is a continental spread but of great quality. The lunches and dinners are off a small but very classy menu and all served beautifully.

All in all I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough as it is really classy, comfortable and a beautiful place to spend a few days by the sea. The staff are also absolutely exceptional (with maybe one exception - see below)

I do have one suggestion and one small niggle though:

Suggestion - there is a shuttle car with takes you up and down the hill during the day if required, which is a fabulous service, but it does stop at 19:30. I fully understand the logistic of extending this at night, but a very limited service to pick up from one of the restaurants down the hill between 22:00 and 23:00 would be great as there are no taxis.

And, the only member of staff who did not shine like the rest was the bar/restaurant manager down at the pool. I absolutely cannot say he was rude as he wasn't, but he came over as rather aloof and quite dismissive. In three days he never once smiled at us and it was almost like he didn't like us asking questions of even ordering food/drink. And I only mention it as he is such a stand-out from the rest of the staff who were absolutely wonderful.

But thank you - we will definitely look to return when in the area again.,

Room tip: 208 and rooms on upper floor look better.
Date of stay: June 2018
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Sleep Quality
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
Thank gordy125
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 28 June 2018 via mobile

Lovely hotel -Scandinavian type rooms would have preferred a proper wardrobe for clothes! View and pool very good as was breakfast. Wasn’t impressed by dinner only 1 of the 3 starters was available and we got a completely different main dish to the one we had asked for- how you order pasta and truffle sauce and end up with duck is another matter apparently they had run out-not liking duck they did remove from bill when I pointed out I was not willing to pay for it. You can walk to local bar but of a trek back up hill apart from that it’s a drive

Date of stay: June 2018
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1  Thank LondonGipsy
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 28 June 2018

We stayed here for 2 nights in order to attend a wedding locally. From the moment we entered the hotel to the moment we left, we found the staff to be highly efficient, friendly and helpful, in particular,
Adriana on reception. We were welcomed with cool serviettes to refresh us and when our rooms were ready, we were taken there personally with a mini tour of the hotel on the way. The room was spacious and comfortable with lovely toiletries in the bathroom. Plenty of space for our clothes. The food in Cafe L'Envol was delicious and served with the same friendly attitude which we encountered in every member of staff. A truly wonderful stay in a hotel we would thoroughly recommend.

Date of stay: June 2018
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
    • Sleep Quality
    • Rooms
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
Review collected in partnership with this hotel
1  Thank 462raynerc
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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