Frequently Asked Questions for Guests
Meet Our Team
Matthew Roberts – Founder of Nice Pebbles in 2006, Matt's former career as a micro-biologist in the UK is now a distant bad dream. Two years of Riviera living means he now knows how to handle a speed boat and knows all the right restaurants to visit. His passion is food and wine. Matt is here to answer your email enquiries and help you choose the apartment most suited for you. He works behind the scenes on improving our booking system and balancing the books, which often means pulling in the reins of Gayle’s Next Big Plan.
Gayle Roberts – Gayle relocated to Nice in 2006 with Matthew to set up Nice Pebbles. Formerly a solicitor in the UK, Gayle loves being away from office life. Gayle takes responsibility for the running of the business and works to improve our service to our guests. When it became clear that there was a high demand for a more personal and boutique approach to apartment rentals, she persuaded Matt to take Pebbles further and launch Riviera Pebbles in 2007. It didn’t take much for her to persuade good friends Simon and Amanda to leave the UK behind to come and join the Pebbles team.
Simon Walker – Before joining us in 2007, Simon’s former career was as a TV director and producer for travel and entertainment shows. Spending a lot of time in hotels, Simon appreciates how important staying in a great apartment really is. Like Matt, Simon is here to answer any queries you may have about which apartment will suit you best and will handle all aspects of your booking with us. You might also see his restaurant reviews in our cuisine section. Before settling in Nice, Simon travelled the world with his wife Amanda who shares his love of travel.
Amanda Walker also left a glamorous media career to join Riviera Pebbles. Originally a fashion journalist, she was formerly a TV producer and has experience in the travel industry producing shows for Thomas Cook and the Independent Travel Agent Teletext.
Amanda’s love of fashion and interior design means she is called upon to get our apartments up to the boutique standard we strive for. Amanda is working closely with Gayle to expand our choices of apartments for our guests across the Riviera.
Malena Richard Living most of her life in Detroit and Chicago, Malena moved to France in March 2003 after having a coup de foudre (falling head over heels) with a Frenchman. She packed up her life and moved to Nice, married, and started a small family of three. Since she arrived in France, she worked in the management sector of luxury hospitality business such as world-reknown private dining clubs, hotels, and private estate functions. Running haphazardly into Matthew and Gayle one evening at a restaurant proved to be fate as nearly two years later Malena joined the Pebbles team.
Philip Cecchettini is our web master and is responsible for our websites. Based in California, it was a chance meeting in the restaurant La Mérenda when both Phil and his wife and Gayle and Matthew were on a four- day trip to Nice and were sitting at adjoining tables. There was chemistry and the start of a beautiful friendship. A year later Gayle and Matthew contacted Phil and asked him to help them build a new concept of holiday apartment rentals in Nice.
Sheila Langer is responsible for all of our artwork both on the websites and in our publications and marketing products. Sheila is also based in California but spent several years in France and so is called upon to speak her fluent French to our suppliers from time to time. Charles Shepley – Our UK based director, and a tax specialist at one of the leading firms of accountants, Charlie is responsible for our strategic planning, budgeting and UK based marketing.
Our Owners – We choose our owners carefully. All of them are pro-active, pleasant to deal with and responsive to any problems which occur in the apartments. We all appreciate how they are continually open to suggestions by way of improvements. Without them there would be no Nice Pebbles Ltd or Riviera Pebbles Ltd and we wouldn’t be able to offer you the service we strive to give our Guests.
The answers below are for apartments under the management of Nice Pebbles or Riviera Pebbles only. These answers do not apply for apartments managed directly by the Owner (see details).
What does Apartment Managed by Nice Pebbles mean? 
This apartment is managed by Matt and Gayle, the founders of Nice Pebbles and Riviera Pebbles. You can expect the following:
- An answer to your email within 24 hours
- Flexibility on arrival times and length of stay
- The facility to take payment by credit card
- To be personally met and taken to the apartment you have booked
- All beds made up with Egyptian cotton linen and white towels provided
- A welcome basket on arrival
- A guide to Nice in the apartment
- Matt, Gayle and Annina to be on hand to help you during your stay with us
Standard terms of business for all of the apartments are detailed here.
What does Apartment Managed by Riviera Pebbles mean? 
This apartment is managed by a Riviera Pebbles agent. This means you can expect the following:
- An answer to your email within 24 hours
- To be personally met and taken to the apartment you have booked
- All beds made up with Egyptian cotton linen and white towels provided
- A welcome basket and welcome booklet on arrival
- Your Riviera Pebbles agent to be on hand to help you during your stay.
What does Apartment Managed by Owner mean? 
This apartment is managed by the Owner. The Owner uses the Riviera Pebbles site to advertise only. The Owner’s terms and conditions of rental will be different to that of Riviera Pebbles. You should make sure you understand the terms of booking with the individual owner before booking.
Can we stay for less than one week?
Of course. Riviera Pebbles agents appreciate that you might like to come for a long weekend, or take advantage of inexpensive weekday flights. The advertised prices are quoted for weekly prices but if you plan to stay for less than or more than a week, then please enquire for a quotation.
What is included in the price?
Our price includes a Riviera Pebbles agent meeting you on arrival, a basic grocery pack to get you started in the apartment, all utilities and taxes, and cleaning the apartment at the end of your stay. Your bed will also be freshly made up with Egyptian cotton sheets and fresh white towels will be laid out for you. You will also have our contact mobile number to use during your stay to deal with any difficulties which may arise.
I am not familiar with the advertised currency. What is the price in Euros or U.S. Dollars?
Click here for a currency converter.
How do I book?
When we have received your initial enquiry, Riviera Pebbles we will contact you and confirm availability and price, and give you details of how to pay. We ask for a deposit to book the apartment of £100 for a one-bedroom apartment, £150 for a two-bedroom apartment, and £200 for a three-bedroom apartment. This deposit is non-refundable. Two months before you are due to arrive, the balance will be requested, minus the linen and end of stay cleaning, which is due in Euros on arrival. To avoid any doubt whilst the cleaning and linen is paid on arrival, the linen and cleaning are still included in the price quoted. There are no hidden or extra charges.
How do I pay?
Riviera Pebbles can accept payment through all major credit and debit cards including Visa, MasterCard and American Express. You can provide your credit card details over the telephone or through our secure server online. We will send you details once you have confirmed your wish to book.
 |
How will I know how to get to the apartment?
Once we have received your deposit, your Riviera Pebbles agent will send you a booking confirmation form with full directions to the apartment and all the information necessary for your smooth arrival in Nice. This form also acts as a receipt with full details of the amount you have paid and what is left to pay on arrival.
What if I need to cancel?
The fixed amount of £100, £150, and £200 paid on booking the apartment is not refundable. Any other monies that your Riviera Pebbles agent has received from you will be refunded as follows: over 28 days before arrival, 50 percent will be refunded; over 7 days before arrival, 25 percent will be refunded. To comply with money laundering regulations, our refunds can only be made by direct payment back to the credit card the monies were received from. In some cases you may incur your bank’s small handling charge for this service. Riviera Pebbles cannot refund monies any other way to avoid the risk of inadvertently “cleaning” money. We thank you in advance for your understanding. Should you wish to claim for any lost monies through your insurance company, then we will assist as far as we possibly can.
Why am I paying in GBP and Euros?
The price we advertise is the price you pay inclusive of all cleaning, linen, and taxes. The small amount due on arrival is paid to our self-employed staff who are registered under their own companies. This includes our service laundry. Because we are paying for these services in France, we must take Euro payments to cover the charges. Accordingly, we fix a rate between the Euro and GBP twice yearly. It is impossible for this to be completely accurate due to fluctuations. We change our website apartment rates to reflect the changes between the two currencies periodically. The prices in both GBP and Euros are fixed at the time of booking. We will never ask for a higher Euro amount on arrival if the Euro weakens. At the same time, we cannot change the quoted amount to pay if the euro strengthens. Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to the UK joining the Euro!
What time can I check in?
Check-in time is 3 p.m. on the day of arrival, but Riviera Pebbles agents will try to give you access to the apartment as soon as we can when you arrive. Riviera Pebbles agents charge additional monies for late arrivals, payable on arrival as follows:
£ 30 for arrivals after 8 pm
£ 50 for arrivals after 11 pm
What time is check out?
Check-out time is 10 a.m. It is always at the discretion of the Riviera Pebbles agent if they will allow a guest to stay later than 10am.
Do I have to pay a security deposit?
Riviera Pebbles agents will take credit card details from you on arrival in the same way a hotel does. They will not charge the card unless damage occurs. In the event of any damage, you are advised to call the Riviera Pebbles agent so the damage can be assessed with you. Failure to do this will result in the Riviera Pebbles agent’s decision on the value of the damage being final.
Are pets allowed in the apartments?
We are afraid pets are not welcome in the apartments.
Is smoking allowed in the apartments?
No, all of our apartments are non-smoking.
What if I want to change my dates?
Changing dates will require us to update the owner, the cleaners, our assistants and the calendars. There will therefore be an admin charge of £ 30 for date changes for the same apartment once your deposit has been received and the confirmation form sent out to you. We may not always be able to accommodate date changes, but will try to do so where possible. If we cannot change your dates and you no longer wish to stay with us, our cancellation policy will apply.
What if I want to change my apartment?
Changing apartments will require us to deal with two owners, update two sets of calendars, updating assistants and cleaners for two apartments. There will therefore be an admin charge of £ 50 for apartment changes once your deposit has been received and the confirmation form sent out to you. We may not always be able to accommodate apartment changes, but will try to do so where possible. If we cannot accommodate a move to another apartment and you no longer wish to stay with us, our cancellation policy will apply
Refund Policy
The fixed amount of £100 paid on booking the apartment is not refundable. In the event of a cancellation, any other monies that we have received from you will be refunded as follows: over 28 days before arrival, 50 percent will be refunded; over 7 days before arrival, 25 percent will be refunded.
We will pay refunds as soon as possible, but never later than thirty days of receiving your cancellation and the funds will be returned to the credit/debit card account they were received from.
Terms:
By accepting this quotation and proceeding with payment, our Guests accept the following:
1. You are responsible for taking out comprehensive insurance.
2. We are relieved from any liabilities if the apartment should become unavailable for any unforeseen circumstances. A refund will be given limited to the sums paid to us, and all efforts will be made to secure alternative accommodation for you.
3. Under any circumstances, our liability to you will be limited to the amount of rent paid to us.
Privacy Policy
We will retain the information about yourself that you give our agents, such as PayPal, or us, but we will not share any information with anyone outside Riviera Pebbles Ltd., unless ordered by a court, and will treat all information as confidential. However, direct employees and contractors of Riviera Pebbles Ltd. may have access to your information during the normal course of their work. You can rest assured we will never sell or give away any information about you.
Riviera Pebbles core privacy principles:
1. We will not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes and will only disclose your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and/or with your explicit consent.
2. Third parties are not permitted to sell the information we provide to them, to market directly to you, or to disclose it in any other way without your explicit consent.
3. We share your personal information with Internal Service Providers for our operations only to facilitate or outsource a Riviera Pebbles service or operation when absolutely necessary and under confidential restrictions.
4. We share your personal information with other Riviera Pebbles members in accordance with our Privacy Policy to help facilitate transaction and to allow members to contact you.
5. We disclose limited personal contact information to verified requests by law enforcement and government officials who conduct criminal investigations, and require a court order for additional personal information, in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
6. We will provide you with notice if our privacy policy changes.
Delivery
We guarantee to provide the best service we can in accordance with our terms and conditions. We will provide you with the accommodation you have booked, but should this be unavailable due to circumstances beyond our control, we will provide alternative accommodation or a refund. When we accept your booking we guarantee to send you confirmation via email of your booking.
