A town by the Nice Airport , Villefranche sur mer?

Nice overlooks the Mediterranean and has good food. Or you could get to Nice-Ville train station by cab or tram, then take a train to Villefranche, a short ride with frequent service.

Antibes and/or Antibes and Antibes.

If you want a sandy beach instead of a pebbly beach, go next door to St Juan les Pins.

There is a coop restaurant with a great terrace that RS used to recommend in his book:

Restaurant Le Safranier

here's their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/restaurantlesafranier

we say coop but I guess they say 'commune'

The Picasso museum in Antibes is better than the one in Barcelona, almost as good as the one in Malaga.

Agree with Antibes. When I was in the area, I used the local train to visit beaches up and down the coast. Antibes beaches have the best sand. It's centrally located. The coastal train drops you about a mile walk to the Nice Airport. I walked but an Uber/Bolt might be better for you. Antibes is on a small peninsula, so traffic is only those who visit Antibes. The peninsula has defensive ramparts over the sea, one of the best art galleries, super yachts in the marina, and multiple eating and drinking choices. It's my first choice in the area.

Villefranche sur Mer is nice enough. The beach is pebbles (not sand) and it's more crowded than Antibes.

Thank you for your replies, I really appreciate the suggestions. We will be there on a Monday so hopefully things won't be too crowded. I had not thought of antibes but I am going to look into it and do some research on where to eat and watch beach is best for kids. thanks

The sandy beaches at Juan les Pins are closer to the train station than in Antibes, where the best beaches are the ones furthest from the station. The Sheraton is across the street from the San Augustin station. The Villefranche-sur-Mer beach is also close to the station. The best choice for a meal with a water view may be at a beach club, but a reservation may be necessary. However, clubs on the flatter beaches will be obstructed. That is where the steep but rocky beaches at Nice excel, due to the higher position over the water.

Both Villefranche and Antibes are lovely. We visited Villefranche on a day trip, so just checked out the beach, ate lunch at one of the restaurants along the harbor and climbed into the old town for an hour or two. Delightful. On our most recent trip to the area, though, we slept five nights in Antibes and think of the time now as the best part of the trip. An absolutely gorgeous town.