Renting an apartment or villa while on vacation can bring happiness and superb memories. Marla loves to cook while on vacation so shopping at local markets and creating something very tasty in the kitchen is something she enjoys. My job is usually finding a nice wine.

Renting on VRBO or Airbnb can be great fun… or on occasion a less than happy event. The key is plunging into a listing and really checking out all the features, amenities, location, etc. , and reading all the reviews very carefully. Are “all” rooms air-conditioned? Is there an elevator? A nice view? How close to street noise? How big are the rooms? Are there a lot of photos of all the rooms? Very important…is your rental cancellable without big fees, or even not at all? We’ve rented on many occasions in Europe and in the US. and have made mistakes, even with our experience.

Our villa rental last July in Menton, France was my favorite ever! I really should keep it a secret!

Villa La Favorite is situated in the hills overlooking the gorgeous town of Menton on the French Riviera. The villa’s 5 bedrooms are on 3 floors reached by a spiral staircase. Every room has amazing air-conditioning. In the above picture the housekeeper is giving us a tour. She lives behind the property. Luckily, we didn’t need her assistance during our week long stay.

All the rooms are furnished with antiques and windows with a view. A few floor tiles were loose…but the villa was built in 1870!

A fabulous walnut armoire on the left for hanging clothes.

The kitchen is well equiped and quite modern. We shared the villa with our daughter Lisa and family. Our daughter Stacy and her family stayed in a large apartment only a 10 minute walk from us.

This is why we hope to return to Villa La Favorite soon. The terrace and the views are totally mesmerizing! We felt like we were in the middle of a lush botanical garden!

Lisa was up first and spent her mornings keeping up wiith her job.

Paxton and Logan enjoyed breakfast on the terrace.

This guy looks quite happy as well!

The terrace wraps around the villa with many seating areas, each with wonderful views of the sea and all with beautiful plantings and trees. I love the old mosaic tiles on the floor.

This little alcove area embodied a Pompeiian atmosphere.

Lisa and Marla head to the pool located in the lower gardens.

Tropical ambiance.

Lisa was a very happy lady!

Paxton gives a tour of the villa to his cousins.

I love this view of the stairway.

The wall retains the patina of ancient paint.

The pool was a little small but actually comfortably warm.

They loved our pool!

Paxton shows Vaughan a stained glass detail.

The dining room.

We ate lunch while watching the first week of the Olympics on television.

Ray and Paxton relaxing in the living room.

Marla looks at an early litho of Villa La Favorite.

Marla and I loved the eclectic interior design elements.

A decoration from the 19th century.

The house next door.

The homes and apartments in our neighborhood were beautiful.

There are a number of “Chemins”, or paths, going down to the seashore from Bouldevard de Garavan. From our villa the beach clubs are about a 20 minute walk and the old town of Menton is about 25-30 minutes. The walk back up is a little steep. Thank goodness for Uber!

One very beautiful and happy lady!

A vintage travel poster for Menton from 1903. You can tell the area has captivated visitors for many years. This looks like it could have been painted from the terrace of our villa.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.