Recommendations for a spot for 2 weeks in France

Can you provide some clues, please?

Will you rent a car or rely on public transportation? Are you really going to just rest or do you want to see some sights? What are your interests?

Though I have mostly spent time in Paris, I have visited a couple other areas of France, including Normandy, spending a couple days in Bayeux. I loved the areas by the seaside. I rented a car to visit the D-Day sites, such as Arromanches and other towns, and loved it. On the Belgian side, I bicycled around 50 miles. You'll be there in October, when fall has started. It will likely be cloudy, if that's a problem. Overall, it's a lovely area. I'm told Brittany is nice, too.

Trying to get by without a car. Mainly just resting, but would like a nice atmosphere. Eg - Walking to a cafe for a coffee, stroll along the coastline, shopping in town, etc. Along those lines. (Doesn’t have to be coastal). Nice seems a possibility…….but looking for suggestions. I have 2 weeks time before a month-long rental starts in London. Too short and too expensive to fly home in between Spain and London

How about Lyon or Bordeaux. Neither are coastal but both have big rivers. Good transportaion, great restaurants, plenty of sights within the city and in easy travel distance outside.

I like your idea of Nice. There are a lot of other towns you can visit from there - Villefranche sur Mer, Eze, Monaco, Menton, and Antibes to name a few. Hanging out on the Promenade des Anglais and just staring at the Mediterranean sounds super relaxing. I haven't stayed at this aparthotel in Nice, but it gets good reviews. https://www.amminicemassena.com/

Enjoy your time in Europe - it sounds fantastic!

Nice sounds like it could be a good fit for you. Easy day trips, if you like, usually pleasant weather, relatively cheap one way airfares to London.

One approach to this puzzle is to do a broad geographic search (e.g., Provence or Riviera) for your dates and budget on AirBnB, applying lots of filters so you're sure each place meets your basic needs and wants. Then start scrolling through to see what catches your eye. Add it to a favorites list and move on. Then you can go through your favorites more closely, looking into the location, transport connections, likely weather conditions, etc. As always with AirBnB, read the listing carefully, especially the 3-star and lower reviews. This may sound tedious, but since your main purpose is rest, you want your "home" to be as comfortable as possible. An area that is probably more affordable than Provence or the Riviera is the Mediterranean coast between the Spanish border and Montpelier.
This is a great problem to have to solve. Enjoy your extended holiday!

Just Carrie,
I would check Gites-de-france. They have been around longer than AirBandB and we have used them many times, always pleased. Well-organized service, reliable and lots of choices. Very popular with the French. Check them out.