Great from beginning to end!

We have been using self-catering facilities across the world for 30 years and have certainly been to scores of them. This is as good as any we have experienced: it is spacious, has a great location and views and is exceptionally well-epuipped. It certainly more than lives up to its billing. All of this despite the unprepossessing staircase which most definitely doesn't prepare you for the apartment at the end of it.
The town is a bustling and quite work-a-day port which creates a preferable atmosphere to that of the wall-to-wall tourism in nearby Collioure; that said the town has a fantastic location and good services including a superb poissonerie. Local beaches are adequate if sunbathing is what you do and the surrounding countryside is spectacularly scenic. Even parking was easy although it occasionally required crafty hovering and circulation in the very adjacent, free, public carpark.

All in all a highly recommended property and location especially for francophiles but also for anyone who wants a high quality facility in an independent and very French setting.

This apartment is beautifully presented and very well equipped with everything you could possibly need, and more. It is spacious, clean and in a wonderful position. The owners have taken great care to think of your every need. A real home from home. Though up two flights of stairs and with no lift, my elderly 80 year old parents found this no problem. The views were fantastic, always something going on. Above the quay, up the stone steps, the locals gathered for folk dancing, we would have loved to have joined in. Restaurants and food shops were excellent, the butchers by the obelisk have some delicious ready made dishes, people were very friendly. Buses were excellent value with helpful courteous drivers (very unusual). We caught the Land Train to Collioure, it arrived at the due time but was full, the driver told us he would send another in 5 minutes for us and 2 other people. We weren't convinced but sure enough along it came the 6 of us had it to ourselves.Would recommend it, the return was a bit hairy but well worth it, the views were breathtaking.Frank & Penny leave meticulous instructions for everything you need to know. We all thoroughly enjoyed a memorable holiday in the most of idyllic of settings.

Thanks to Penny & Frank's wonderful apartment, we have all had a glorious 2 week's holiday.

Whilst our primary aim was to play competitive golf between ourselves ie "The Last of the GB Summer Wine Tour", the location, aspect, quality and facilities of the apartment far exceeded our expectations.

The area is vibrant, colourful, busy and the scenery very photogenic.

We found the locals very friendly and understanding towards four seniors whose knowledge of French left a lot to be desired.

One to be remembered and recommended.

This is a genuine first class apartment. It is superbly located right on the waterfront, with all the action to view of the coming and goings of private yachts, fishing boats, and, set over on the main port, the occasional international container ship. I understood this was possibly one of the deepest seaports along the coast and, during the second world war, had played host to the Bismark. Port Vendres has several bakeries, a traiteur, 3 little supermarkets, wine cellars, loads of places to eat and a few boutiques. All in all, everything we could need to thoroughly enjoy our stay.

Loved sleeping in the front bedroom with the windows open and listening to the wind in the yachts’ riggings at night. My husband suggested having the windows open was a bit noisy at dawn with the little street washing truck but, what the hell, you’re on holiday and watching the dawn come up over that harbour was one of the highlights. The colours were breathtaking, and you can always go back to bed after and be wakened by the smell of freshly baked croissants from the bakery below.

Cannot fault the apartment. Excellent bed linen and towels. Mattresses were good and firm. Well thought out furniture and accessories. Masses of space and can easily sleep 6. My husband was particularly appreciative of the wifi connection which had excellent links.

Things we did in the area: Just 1 euro to take the bus to Perpignan for a day’s shopping; a drive up into the hills towards Torre del Madeloc gives spectacular views but needs a strong head for heights because the road is very very narrow with sheer drops, visit to charming Banyuls, some lovely local walks, great to be able to buy fresh fish right on the quai.

Have no reservations?
This apartment meets all requirements for that perfect holiday, It is rare to to find such a spacious and well appointed holiday let with a location directly onto the marina and promenade.
Port Vendres is a lovely little town, much less touristy than nearby Couliore but still has plenty of restaurants and shops to keep you supplied.
When you also factor in a splendid local bus service that serves all the coastal region from Perpingan to the Spanish border at a fixed cost of 1 euro per journey, it is possible if you do not want to drive, to have a holiday without a hire car.

Myself from the U.S.A. and my girl friend from Dublin met up and rented this apt. for a week in May 2009. The apt. had everything anyone would need. The bedrooms and bathrooms were wonderful with enought room for seven people to stay. The kitchen had everything a gourmet cook would need even though we eat out most of the time, as there are great restaurants nearby. The views from the apt. were fantastic as well as the weather. Collioure about five mins by bus is a great place to spend the day. We flu into Barcelona and took the local train to Cerebere where we changed and got the local train to Port Vendres. However getting back into Spain was very difficult as the local French tourist office (2 mins walk away) was not at all helpful and would not supply us with any info about connecting trains to Spain. Luckily we met a wonderful lady (Pam, originally from N' Ireland) who has an apt. close by and insisted on driving us to Cerebere early on Saturaday morning, if not for her we would have never made our flight out of Barcelona. We would defiantly reccommend this apt. to families, couples and girlfriend getaways. One last thing if you don't speak French there are not alot of French people who speak English.

We arrived by train from Barcelona 17th May then on to the apartment on the quay. Trust me, the photos are all true, a real home from home with all mod cons and ideally located. Right next door is a wonderful cafe where we bought hot croissants and baguettes for breakfast. Don't worry about the stairs you will get used to them! The welcome basket was much appreciated especially if you arrive late. There is an abundance of restaurants literally on your doorstep but if you want to go further afield try Coulliere. WARNING!! If you ask for duck it must be tres bien cuit or else it will be quacking at you!! There is a regular bus service but you need to get a taxi back if late at night. A day trip to Perpighnan is recommended 1 euro and fantastic scenery all the way. Loved every minute of our stay in the apartment.

I had the pleasure of staying in this apartment last September, although it's taken me a little time to write a review! This is a really lovely apartment. We had six adults and two toddlers, and while the place isn't perfectly suitable for infants, it's still pretty good for them if you're paying attention. For adults, though, it's excellent. There was plenty of room for the six of us, even with the children, and opportunities to find a bit of space with the ensuite bedrooms, the spacious front room and the pleasant sun-trap balcony at the back. Our experience with Frank and Penny, the owners, was pleasant and efficient, and the pricing of the apartment was very reasonable. Possibly the biggest compliment I could pay it was that I would happily live there!

A few comments about the area itself. Port Vendres is basically a working fishing port, and although the waterfront is nice and has some pleasant restaurants, it can't compare with nearby Collioure for postcard-pretty views. The nearest beach is a bit of a hike and the sea not particularly inviting. That said, Collioure is only a 30 minute walk along the coast road, the railway station (with connections to Perpignan, Collioure and Spain, inc Barcelona) is only about 10 minutes walk from the apartment, and there are some good tourist links. If you fly to Perpignan the train is a 30/40 min ride, and cabs are not hugely expensive. Although a car would be useful, we managed just fine without one.

I couldn't finish this review without mentioning what, for me, is the true highpoint of the area. If you are feeling adventurous and are reasonably fit, you can follow the coastal path around the bay to the west and walk along the headlands. A two-hour walk (complete with lots of gasp-worthy natural beauty, crashing surf, plunging cliffs etc) brings you down to a sandy beach that backs on to a vineyard. This is "les clos de paulilles", a winery which not only does free tasting sessions during the day, but also offers an excellent evening set menu, with each course designed to complement their (lovely) wine. If it sounds like I'm a walking advertisement for the place, I make no apologies - I'd put the meal my wife and I had there in the top 5 meals I've ever had, and that includes a lot of good restaurants.

All in all, the apartment comes highly recommended, as long as you're not just after a beach holiday and you're prepared to explore a bit further afield than just Port Vendres itself...