Central Apartment on Tree Lined Canal La Robine

We thoroughly enjoyed our two week stay at La Robine, Narbonne.  The apartment is spacious, quiet, and comfortable, situated next to the canal. The  kitchen is well equipped. There is always something interesting to see along the canal.  The path along Le Canal de la Robine is a safe and scenic location for those who like to walk and run.  Narbonne is a charming city.  The centre of town was our walking destination at least a couple of times a day for a variety of reasons - Les Halles, bistro lunches and dinners, historic sites, jewelry/clothes shopping, afternoon music, wine.  Our enjoyment of the old city meant that we took fewer day trips than we had originally intended.  Car rental at France Cars was relatively easy.  We rented a car for a week and took trips to Narbonne Plage (our favourite), Limoux, Béziers, and Portbou, Spain. David replied promptly to our initial inquiry and quickly followed up by phone and with emails. Caretakers, Julie and Mark, met us at the agreed upon time and gave us a thorough tour of the apartment.   We have stayed at many vrbo rentals and this one is tops on our list.

After turning right from the train station and walking 15 minutes with suitcases in tow, we heard Julie, the apartment manager calling us from the Juliet balcony (how appropriate) to get our attention. So nice that she was waiting for us and oriented us to the apartment and the area. Potential renters should be aware that the stairwell narrows considerably up to the second floor. Aspiring and accomplished chefs alike will be delighted with the well equipped, well lit and large eat-in kitchen and the large dining room table makes it possible to enjoy a dinner prepared with fresh ingredients from the daily market. There is even mood music available on CDs. The canal is a constant source of entertainment whether walking along the canal or observing the boats and people while having a cozy lunch on one of the Juliet balconies. Parking along the street is convenient as is the Spar grocery store that is only a few steps away, and a larger grocery store only a few blocks away... But the market is a daily event for most. The queen size bed is very comfortable and is in a quiet back bedroom. I slept better at La Robine than at home. Lastly, the file of brochures and recommendations of nearby places to go is a valuable resource.

We're still amazed at our good fortune in finding this outstanding apartment in a great location. Narbonne was ideal as it's not too touristy but has culture, history, good food and the canal! It also proved to be a great centre for exploring the surrounding area, transport links were good for us as we were travelling around France and Spain by train. The apartment itself really stood out as we have stayed in several gites etc on previous visits - we'd love to be able to come back here on a future trip!

What a lovely apartment, it was a perfect place for us to stay! The pictures are very accurate, but it seems even nicer when you are there. It is very quiet at night and seems very safe. We were greeted very kindly by Mike and a nice bottle of wine too. The canal was a great treat. The boys would skip rocks everyday on our walks along it. We rented bicycles and cycled all along it. The market is a wonderful experience and we had great fun getting our groceries there. We used the city buses all the time and went to the beach, the sports complex and the big shopping center too. We would definitely return to Narbonne and would love to stay here. Also the owners were so helpful as we are completely new to travel in Europe and have very little French language skills. We loved it!

This spacious and light apartment is perfect for 3-4 people. It is well-laid out and comfortable but also attractive and good for entertaining. The kitchen is well-appointed, and the small balcony off the kitchen, even in March, could be opened to get some fresh air at breakfast.

David was very helpful in answering my questions and even called ahead of time to meet me by phone.

I would recommend the restaurant Le Petit Comptoir which is not far from the apartment and fabulous. But we ate a several other restaurants in town and enjoyed them all.

Overall I would definitely recommend both Narbonne as a place to visit and this apartment as the place to stay!