France
` They are entrepreneurial and flexible. There is always someone with the necessary to buy the most sumptuous properties, and they find it' s not a bad idea now to invest wealth in a villa that will be a major player in their family' s lifestyle equation.'
Saint-Tropez
Gigantic yachts have long overshadowed fishing boats in its picturesque harbour and the road intoÐ and out ofÐ town is a legendary traffic nightmare in season, but the resilient Provençal port of Saint- Tropez is still going strong. What makes the Tropézienne peninsula
so alluring? A rural sweep of verdant vine- yards and olive trees, the landscape here is like a breath of fresh air in contrast with the urbanised development of Nice and Cannes. The absence of a train station or nearby airport adds to its exclusivity; trendy restaurants and bountiful boutiques fill the moments between sunning and swimming on the Pampelonne beaches, where Club 55 is still the beacon of chic. And it' s likely to stay that way. ` Saint-
As nothing pleased these exuberant
buyers more than bragging about what they had paid, prices spiralled upwards to climax in the recent saga of La Leopolda, which would have been the biggest private property sale ever at €500 million. When the Russian buyer withdrew, he went to court to get his €38 million deposit back (10% of the official €380 million price, the other €120 million covered a superb collec- tion of paintings and antique furniture) and lost. ` At the height of the boom in 2006± 07, it wasn' t unusual to see properties change hands at more than €100 million on Cap Ferrat,' Mr Baldock says. ` Now, the mood has changed. The top level of price is more likely to be in the €20 million± €25 million range than the €80 million± €90 million of a few years ago. One property offered
at €50 million 18 months ago is now at €25 million, a whopping drop.' Everyone agrees that well-off British buyers
are coming back into the market, and they' re not all heading for the hills. ` British buyers are looking at the Caps, a notable part of the mix,' remarks Mr Humphreys, who quotes Cap Ferrat at €40,000 per sq m, with a lot of property priced about €20 million; Cap d' Antibes at €30,000 per sq m, closer to €15 million. ` For a rare waterfront loca- tion, vendors will ask what they want.' ` We' ve been handling British clients for 150 years,' John Taylor' s Mr Sanders notes.
48 Country Life International, Summer 2010
FOR SALE
€15m
Domaine du Canadel
An 18th-century bastide set in 425 acres of the Haut
Var, which uses the same winemaker as neighbours Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Hugo Skillington and Knight Frank (020± 7629 8171;
www.knightfrank.co.uk/ international)
Tropez is very undeveloped and unspoilt,' Mr Sanders confirms. ` The town has had hugely strict planning regulations for decades, and the rules are strictly imple- mented, too. When they are contravened, people get fined and go to prison, and properties are demolished.' Saint-Tropez has a younger vibe, and its
laid-back party atmosphere is a potent magnet. From breakfast overlooking the harbour on Sennequier' s terrace to danc- ing till dawn at the Byblos, the town is an ongoing fête. ` This ambiance doesn' t exist
FOR SALE
€11m
La Garde Freinet
This sprawling, 130-acre estate once belonged to French actress Jeanne Moreau, who sold it in 1984 to the late Sir Bernard Ashley and his wife, Laura,
of the fashion and home-decoration empire. It' s described as ` expensive but not exorbitant'
Winkworth France (020± 8576 5582;
www.winkworth.fr), joint agents with Knight Frank
www.countrylife.co.uk/international
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84