NIce, France

I liked the Hotel le Royal for the views of the water and the people walking on the Promenade des Anglais.

I splurged for a seaview room at the Hotel Westminster in April 2013 and loved it. It was within walking distance to the old section of the city, and I would definitely stay there again.

I stayed at the Hotel Suisse. I had a double room with a sea view. I loved the location and my room. I had room #16 and posted pictures on tripadvisor and a video on YouTube. This hotel is located right next to the main entrance to castle hill.

We went twice to Nice and both times stayed in a furnished apartment. It is much more affordable and more convenient too than a hotel room. There are so many that are available, and many websites that offer short-term apartments. I'd suggest starting with flipkey.com (it's owned by Tripadvisor). The one we stayed at the second time was right off of Place Massena in front of one of the tram stops. It ws a great location for restaurants, access to the sea, a very short walk to the old town, access to trams and buses, etc. The first time around we stayed in a residential area (Boulevard August Reynaud) and it was very inconvenient, and not a nice area either. An apartment is great if you are staying longer than 2-3 nights -- it's just nice to have that much space, to be able to take a break from restaurant meals (the outdoor market as well as the deli section of the Monoprix supermarket) sell wonderful, wonderful prepared food if you don't want to actually cook), and to live like the locals do, somewhat.

Simone,

I'd also highly recommend Hotel Suisse. It's in a very convenient location, great views along the Promenade des Anglais and an easy walk to the old town.

You may find it helpful to have a look at this other Thread concerning Nice....

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/riveria-advice