La Cicognia, St. Paul de Vence

Sleeps 6

£2,150 - £2,470 per week

Approached down a private drive off the road that leads up to St Paul de Vence,  La Cicognia  is tucked away, totally secluded and peaceful. Your nearest neighbour is the Michelin starred Alain Llorca restaurant, quite handy for those special occasions!  This is a charming and well appointed villa with a pool, set in a beautiful and very private garden with panoramic views over the beautiful La Colle valley with the Mediterranean in the middle distance.  The view at night from the dining terrace is particularly lovely.

The accommodation consists of the main single storey house and a studio cottage just a few steps away.  The main house has an elegant and airy sitting room with windows facing south and east, comfortable sofas and armchairs and a large, attractive wood-burning fireplace.  The dining area has French doors leading out onto a deep, south facing dining terrace with a round table, modern white Lloyd Loom style wicker chairs and a retractable sun shade.  The kitchen is spacious, and well equipped with two fridges, a deep freeze, dishwasher, coffee machine, etc.

The two bedrooms both have ensuite bathrooms and are air conditioned and with fans.  The Master Bedroom has a king size bed (which could also be set up as twins) and has French windows opening onto a terrace with table and four armchairs.  The second bedroom has twin beds. There is also a separate shower room/cloakroom which is handy for visitors to use after enjoying the pool.

The Studio Cottage has a sofa which converts into a comfortable queen-size bed and has its own ensuite shower room.  There are French windows opening onto a terrace with table, two chairs and a sun umbrella.

The property is set  in Provençal  gardens of 2,000 sq.m. (half an acre) planted with roses, lavender, azaleas and other flowering shrubs plus cypresses, lemon, olive and even banana trees.  The stylish swimming pool is set into the lawn with Roman steps at one end and featuing a rather beautiful bronze sculpture of a Cigogne.  It is slightly saline to avoid the use of chlorine and to keep the water crystal clear.

Owned by a London based Italian aristocratic art dealer, the house is full of charm and personality.  Her lovely housekeeper, Katherina, will ensure you have the best stay possible.

Accommodation & Pricing

Price Guide 2020:
July & August  £2,470 per week
May, June & Sept  £2,300 per week
Easter, Christmas & New Year  £2,300
Rest of Year  £2,150 per week

Sleeps: 4-6

Main House:

  • Entrance Hall
  • Sitting Room
  • Dining Area
  • Kitchen
  • Shower Room
  • Master (Kingsize or Twin) Bedroom with ensuite Bathroom (bath, hand-held shower, bidet & WC)
  • Twin Bedroom with ensuite Bathroom (bath, hand-held shower, bidet & WC)

Studio Cottage:

  • Studio Room with ensuite Shower Room

Services

  • Caretaker and cleaner 4 hours one mid week day per week
  • Change of bed linen and towels once a week.  Pool towels provided
  • Swimming Pool and Garden Maintenance

Facilities

  • Swimming Pool (9m x 3m.  Depth 1.8m max)
  • WiFi
  • Air Conditioning and Fans in both bedrooms and in the Cottage
  • Electronically operated entrance gates
  • Parking area with open fronted garage for one car and space for 2-3 others
  • Cot, mattress and bedding
  • Central heating and logs for fire (in cooler months)
  • Satellite TV (English language channels), Video, DVD and CD players
  • CD and Video library
  • Board Games

Things to See and Do:

The renowned ‘village perché’ (hill-top village) of St Paul de Vence in the heart of the Côte d’Azur.   St Paul attracts many tourists in high season and boasts La Colombe d’Or hotel and restaurant, whose walls are packed with original works by famous ‘local’ artists including Chagall, Dufy, Matisse, Picasso and Bonnard. Here there are wonderful restaurants, shops, etc. all within walking distance of the villa.

Restaurant “Alain Lorca” nearby – 2 Michelin stars and well worth a visit.

On the road to St. Paul (3 mins drive from the villa) is a comfortable, reasonably priced and modern hotel called Les Vergers de St. Paul which can cope with any overflow from the villa.  Advance booking necessary:  Tel. 00 33 4 93 32 94 24.

There are 4 outdoor tennis courts in La Colle sur Loup.

18 hole golf courses;  the closest are Opio-Valbonne (15 mins), Biot (20 mins) and Royal Mougins (30 mins).

There are countless beaches up and down the coast but the closest is at Cagnes-sur-Mer (3km down the hill in front of the villa.  la Neptune on this beach has a bar and restaurant plus sun beds, umbrellas, etc.

Cagnes-sur-Mer also has a racecourse which holds meetings, mainly trotting, throughout July and August.

Many of the world renowned scent factories in Grasse encourage visits and on-the-spot purchases, as do the glass-makers at Biot.

One of France’s most important modern art museums is the nearby Fondation Maeght.  The chapel in Vence, designed and decorated by Matisse, is also not to be missed.

There are a vast number of cultural attractions throughout the Cote d’Azur – Nice, for instance, has more museums and art galleries than any French city other than Paris and also has an opera house as well as hosting many other musical events.

There are a number of semi-tropical gardens on the Cote d’Azur that are open to the public.  Particularly recommended is the Ephrussi at St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, a Rothschild villa and garden.

And of course there is the Cannes Film Festival (mid-May) and, in the Film Festival’s last week, the Monaco Grand Prix.

Location

  • St. Paul de Vence walking distance
  • La Colle sur Loup (tennis courts)
  • Nice 8km
  • Nice Airport 15 mins drive
  • Golf courses:  Opio-Valbonne 15 mins drive, Biot 20 mins drive, Royal Mougins 30 mins drive
  • Beaches:  Cagnes sur Mer is the nearest 3km down hill in front of villa

Please note that the map is only a general indicator of location

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What Sarah thinks:

“I just fell in love with this dolls house of a villa.  To find a small villa perfect for a honeymoon or couples in one of the top locations is very special and unusual”.

Client Reviews:

“We really fell in love with the Côte d’Azur, and very much so with La Cigognia. We hope to visit this charming villa again very soon. The service provided by you as the rental agent, and by Katherina (the caretaker/cleaner) was wonderful, and your attention to the details of our vacation was greatly appreciated. I’ll consult your company again, and recommend you to friends. (I already have!).”

“We loved La Cigognia and had such a wonderful time. And as for the caretaker/cleaner, Katherina – the owner is extremely fortunate to have such a dedicated employee who truly goes the extra mile. By the time we left, we considered her to be not so much a caretaker, but more a friend for life! She helped us in so many ways which, added together, made our stay very special.

We shall miss La Cigognia (we think of it with such fondness and a strange sense of home), and hope to return soon – we’ve already written about it to friends here in California”.

” We are having a lovely time at “La Cigognia”.  The villa is beautiful – all we could wish for, and Katherina, the caretaker, and her husband, the gardener and pool maintenance man, were really so welcoming. I am just waiting for my other daughter and her children to arrive. I expect they will be straight into the delicious warm pool!. With many thanks and best wishes”.