Romantic Riviera VillaCalendar

Apartment Amenities

Every room in the Villa has stunning, panoramic views of the Bay of Villefranche, Cap Ferrat, and beyond to the Bay of Beaulieu sur Mer. Everyone who walks into the villa exclaims that the pictures don’t capture the beauty and drama of the view.  Each room opens onto the terrace through lovely French doors that fully open so the sea-facing wall “disappears” and the terrace and view become part of the each room — a perfect flow inside to outside.

Situated on the hillside of Villefranche, above the Old Town, it’s a short walk from the Villa to the village, on one of many public stairwells or on the road that weaves down the hillside.  The Romantic Riviera Villa is one of two “apartments” in a stand-alone villa.  Each apartment-villa has their own private entrance, garden and terrace.  You don’t even realize there is another apartment in the building.  Our apartment is the lower level and our neighbor, a lovely Swiss woman, who lives most of the year in Hong Kong, is upstairs.  She is a very nice, quiet woman and an excellent neighbor.

The Villa has been completely remodeled, including the kitchen and baths. The decor is a tasteful mix of antiques, lovely lighting, and comfortable furniture, plus excellent beds.  Although many complement us on the lovely décor, certainly the most beautiful décor of all is the captivating view that you enjoy from all parts of the Villa. It is hard to walk through the Villa without your head constantly turning towards the direction of the sea — a dramatic and panoramic view.

In addition to the breathtaking views of the sea and the old village, there is a beautiful, lush garden of jasmine, gardenias and bougainvillea, filling the Villa with a wonderful perfume. The garden is also abundant with Mediterranean herbs for cooking. Church bells in the distance mark the time of day from 7 am until 9 pm And although the Villa is very central and within walking distance to everything, it is quiet and private. You rarely hear any passing cars or other disturbing noises.

The living/dining area, bedrooms and office each have large French doors that open onto the stone terrace and garden, with panoramic views of the Bay of Villefranche, Cap Ferrat and beyond. On a clear day you can see Corsica, 95 nautical miles away. Because each room opens onto the terrace and the spectacular view, the outside and inside spaces merge and become one. When living in the Villa, you truly live inside and outside constantly — even in winter. We are told by our guests that this apartment is an incredibly comfortable space for living: just the right size, a perfect use of space, and an easy flow of indoor and outdoor living.

The Villa is fully equipped for relaxation or work, as there is excellent WiFi, a stereo with Bluetooth and inside and outside speakers, and a Smart TV with English & French stations.

Although the Villa has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, plus an office with a bath, most of our clients come as a couple as they enjoy having the space to themselves. They enjoy having an occasional guest for a few nights but mostly they prefer to have the Villa to themselves. Most of our guests stay an extended period of time and enjoy the experience of living here vs. being a tourist. They generally come for 2-3 months at a time and come every year. Many of them use the office for work and rarely as a bedroom. The office can work as an occasional guest room but it is really a much nicer office than bedroom. Couples do not feel the Villa is too big for them because it is only 110 square meters (1,100 square feet) with the terrace providing another 75 square meters (800 square feet) of outside space so it is really perfect for two although very nice for also entertaining or the occasional guest.

As with all our properties, we attempt to provide you with all the comforts of home. We have tried to think of every little detail, but if we have missed something, we hope you will let us know and we will do our very best to provide it as soon as possible.

Entrance

One enters the Villa through a private garden gate located on a public stairwell lined with jasmine and bougainvillea.  This stairwell also leads to the Old Town or the Col of Villefranche and is safe, day or night, and well lit and used by locals and visitors all the time. There are many such stairwells throughout Villefranche that run throughout the Old Village and hillside of Villefranche, making walking very pleasant not to mention great exercise. Entering the gate, you are greeted with an abundant garden; to your right is the front door, and to your left a path that leads to the front terrace and spectacular sea view.

The front hall includes a coat closet, hall table and mirror. One one side of the front hall is a door leading to one of the bedrooms and on the other side of the front hall a door leading to a bathroom. Straight ahead, the front hall leads directly into the main living space where the living room, dining area and kitchen all flow together.

Living, Dining & Kitchen

Guests who have stayed in our Villa usually say ‘wow!’ when they walk into the living room, quite surprised by the breathtaking view. That, plus the lighting, décor and overall feeling of the room, combine to create a pretty, casually elegant and comfortable atmosphere.

The living room and dining table comfortably seat six and can squeeze eight. There is a standard sized, 3-cushion sofa, two stuffed chairs, two little stuffed chairs, and a large coffee table. The dining table has six armchairs, and each bedroom has a chair that can be pulled up to the dining table so you can accommodate eight. The lighting is a combination of mood lighting (chandeliers and antique lamps), all on dimmers, plus reading lights. Both the sofa and armchairs are so comfortable that you will likely want to kick up your heels to enjoy the beautiful views, while daydreaming away or drifting off to a nap.  Lastly, we hope you will enjoy the artwork in the Villa, nearly all original pieces from local artists, except for the excellent copy of the Jack Vetriano piece, the “Singing Butler” of the couple dancing on the beach.

The black buffet in the living room conceals a large Smart TV with English and French stations, a DVD player, the internet box and an Apple TV box. The music system sits on the buffet and has a Bluetooth connection so you can play your music and listen to it through our inside / outside speaker system. In the buffet is also a little bar, storage for table linens, vases, maps and other practical items.

The kitchen is designed for someone who loves to cook. There is a gas stove, dishwasher, granite and butcher-block counter tops, and a large refrigerator. It is equipped with a full compliment of pots, pans, knives, cooking utensils, and plenty of nice dishware — everything you need to enjoy dining for two or entertaining a group of friends. There is also a café table with two cushioned café chairs to enjoy an espresso or a glass of wine while keeping the cook company.

Master Bedroom with Ensuite Bath

The master bedroom is on the opposite side of the main living space from the guest room and entry hall, thereby providing privacy for each bedroom. It has an excellent queen-size bed with fine linens, two night stands, both with reading lights, an antique dresser and mirror, spacious built-in closets with lots of hanging space plus drawers, and mirrored doors that also reflect the sea view. There are lovely original paintings, an antique chandelier, and lamp on dimmers. It’s a very comfortable, private and romantic room. Whether laying in bed, dressing or showering, you enjoy the view of the bay and garden. The French doors of the master bedroom open onto a part of the terrace that is private so you can go out in the morning, even if you have guests, and enjoy a private moment on the chaise lounges, while waking up to the wonderful view and sunrise.

The ensuite master bath is spacious and also has an unobstructed view out to the sea. It includes a soaking tub and walk-in stall shower, a large, mirrored cabinet that has lots of storage for toiletries, a large granite counter and sink with excellent lighting, a heated towel bar, a toilet and a douchette. There is a large window that opens onto the terrace so you can enjoy the view as you shower with complete privacy as the window is made of reflective glass so no one can see in from the terrace.

The bed linen for all the beds is white cotton, with down duvets for the winter and cotton blankets and spreads for the summer. And all beds have four down pillows although we can provide foam pillows for those who are allergic.  The master bedroom has AC.

Guest Bedroom & Bath

The guest bedroom has the same great queen-size bed as the master bedroom. In addition, there is a desk, an armoire for clothing, a bookcase and bench for suitcases, plus reading lamps and night stands on both sides of the bed. The lighting includes a charming chandelier on a dimmer and a pretty antique lamp that provides a lovely ambiance in the evening. Whether laying down or sitting up, you see the beautiful sea view from the bed. From every part of the room, you enjoy beautiful views of the sea and garden through the French doors that open onto the terrace which is filled with bougainvillea, a hibiscus trees and jasmine vines. It is very pleasant to step right outside your bedroom and relax on the terrace — any time of the day or night.

The bathroom has been newly renovated and is just across the front hall from the guest room, making it very convenient and private. There is a large walk-in shower, a mirrored cabinet over the sink that provide lots of storage for toiletries, excellent lighting, a heated towel bar, a toilet with douchette and a window that looks out onto the back garden

Office or Third Bedroom

The office/third bedroom is entered from the terrace, thereby offering additional privacy and quietness.  The office area has a large desk, a comfortable office chair, phone line and WiFi. There is also a sofa bed, bathroom with a toilet, a sink with good counter space and shower. There is also a storage closet where we keep extra slip covers, linens and various client’s personal items. The office has wonderful views out to the sea and French doors that open onto the terrace. It is a great work area as it is very quiet, separate from the house so you don’t hear any noises from the house, yet you are just a few steps away when you want to join in. We do not advertise the office as a 3rd bedroom. It can be used as a bedroom for a nanny or a teenage kid, but it is not for a 3rd couple. It is an ideal office that can be used occasionally for sleeping.  The office has AC.

Terrace

The peach-colored stone terrace runs the full length of the Villa. The garden is filled with jasmine, bougainvillea, hibiscus, flowering plants throughout all seasons, and wonderful Mediterranean herbs. Every room opens onto the terrace through lovely tall French doors, each of which fold completely open thereby making the whole wall of windows disappear so the outside comes inside. The terrace is comfortably furnished with a dining table and armchairs for six, two sun lounging chairs, a sun umbrella, and a Weber gas barbecue.

Laundry Facilities

The laundry room is located next to the kitchen off the back garden. There is a washer and dryer plus the furnace. There is also a convenient clothes line if you prefer to hang your clothes outside.

Security

The Villa is completely updated with the newest locks, decorative yet very secure wrought iron gates on all windows, and French doors. In addition, we have sturdy, old-fashioned wooden blinds that roll down electrically to provide additional security, while also shading the sun and providing ventilation. We have never had a security issue at the Villa.

Parking

There is plenty of free street parking on the street above and below the Villa, so you will have no problem parking your car directly in front of the Villa any time of the year.