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We would like to go away with extended family and all stay in one large place all together. It would need to be self catering.

There would be at least 14 of us, possibly up to 22.

Ideally it would have a pool, but lots of outdoor space would be just fine. We would prefer to be rural, or at least a bit out of town. Pretty villages and lovely walks would be another thing we would look for.

We are thinking South of France, but none of us know it at all well and so I am looking for advice on where to go.

It doesn't have to be France, but we would like a smidge of a guarantee of nice weather and not too long a flight (lots of children).

I am hoping someone here can point me in the right direction for nice areas or good websites to look through, I am getting very befuddled trying to find something!

Hi there,

I live in Cannes in the south of France with my fiance - we've been here for over 5 years.
You can literally Google 'apartment rental south of france' or 'antibes/cannes/nice apartment rental' etc. A site that is pretty good is Riviera Pebbles, although I don't know your budget. There are LOADS of sites for rentals down here, you just have to trawl them unfortunately!
There is one couple down here who 'rent' out their house, but what they have actually been doing is taking the money and then not sending the address to the renters. Her name is Lyndsey Kurtis and his name is Chris something. http://www.tripadvisor.com.my/ShowTopic-g187217-i926-k2962301-Do_not_send_any_money_to_the_following_man_he_is_a_fraud-Antibes_French_Riviera_Cote_d_Azur_Provence.html

Here is a link to the search.....you just need to wade through them.

Good luck and enjoy!

http://www.google.com/search?q=antibes+apartment+rental&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GBfficial&client=firefox-a#pq=antibes+apartment+rental&hl=en&cp=15&gs_id=1q&xhr=t&q=antibes+cannes+apartment+rental&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&client=firefox-a&hs=bcr&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB%3Aofficial&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=antibes+cannes+apartment+rental&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=7d76c5b2ed21d0e8&biw=1280&bih=612

Whoops, always helpful to add the link!!!

We've booked somewhere via http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/

It has a good map search facility and some properties that big.

I can vouch for holidayrentals.co.uk. Very reputable, nice one Purple!

Thank you! I will have a look at those two sites. Thanks for the warning Angel.
Are there any areas to avoid or is it lovely everywhere down there?

You're very welcome!

Antibes old town is very pretty and touristic, Cannes is best for shopping and has good restaurants, Nice is great for restaurant selections and all along the coast you have beaches. The beaches from Nice along to Antibes are pebble beaches aside from in Cannes where they are sand. If you want rural then I would highly recommend Biot as a pretty village to make your base. It is a 10-15 min drive up from Antibes and has beautiful views over the Alpes Maritimes, plenty of little boutiques etc. Another lovely place is Valbonne. Like a bigger version of Biot and around 15-20 mins from Antibes. If you are adults and kids I would go for Valbonne village. More to do, some great restaurants and shops. It has a big supermarket which Biot is too small for. Valbonne is rural enough that you are close to walks but with the added bonus of not being in the middle of nowhere!!

A bit of advice - I wouldn't advise going exploring in Nice after dark as it has a dodgy reputation. If you are in the old town where all the bars are, then ok, but the areas just behind are not for the tourists.

Let me know if I can help you with any more questions!

Thanks so much Angel, that's just the sort of info I need- I am dreadful at decisions! I will be able to narrow the search down a bit now.

For large groups try www.groupaccommodation.com or www.thebigdomain.com

both cover France as well as the UK.

For France you could also try www.vendee-vacances.co.uk They have large properties with pools.

Did you find anywhere yet I wonder? This is where we stayed last year - and we are going back this year!

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/France/Midi-Pyrenees/holiday-farmhouse-Aveyron/p56316.htm

If you want S of France the more western part has much better beaches

nr Collioure, sleeps 14
St Cyprien, sleeps 14
St Cyprien again, 14
Argeles, sleeps 14

can't find anything bigger on holiday-rentals

sleeps 10-20 in Agde
up to 23 in Gard
nr Narbonne, sleeps 16

if some of the kids are under 2 you can squeeze them in as extras as a rule

you could look at N Spain as well

if you're not bothered about seaside, try the Dordogne:

nr Bergerac, sleeps 15
Bergerac-ish, sleeps 14
ooooh, this one looks good - chateau in Aquitaine, sleeps up to 22, good availability in summer hols & £4900 per week for 10 people "additional people are charged at a nominal extra amount, see owner's website for full details, including supplement for cottage annex" English owners & a UK mobile to ring initially

(owners direct is very reliable & reputable btw)

Have you thought about renting out a complex of smaller gites, then you are not all in one house. They usually have a pool and lots of space for kids to run around.

There are loads of these in France - google gite complex France for some options.