VILLEFRANCHE RENTAL APARTMENT IN SOUTH OF FRANCE WITH SEA VIEW AND BALCONY

Villefranche South of France apartment to rent

Holiday apartment in Villefranche Sur Mer old town

sea view holiday apartment

Le Beau Balcon is a one bedroom, one and a half bath apartment with a lovely balcony and sea view, located in the heart of the old town.

view of Villefranche old town sea view


It is just steps away from the charming Place de la Paix, the beach, and the waterfront quai.


With the addition of this apartment, we now have all three apartments in the building so you can rent one, two or all three. They are all one bedroom apartments, each one different in character and design but renovated to the same high quality. The apartment is suitable for a couple or two single people travelling together (there is a sofa bed), or a couple with a child. It is not suitable for 4 people.

If your dates don't match, please scroll down to the end of this file to rent villas and apartments on the Riviera.




Villefranche sur Mer

Villefranche sur Mer is the heart of the French Riviera and many say the jewel of the crown. It is an extremely charming, authentic, French fishing village that has managed to stay very French while being in the midst of a very busy tourist area. Although Nice, Monaco, Cannes might feel full of tourists, Villefranche never feels overwhelmed ­ you still feel the local village and village life ­ all times of the year.

There is so much to do you can't possibly do it all in a week, not even a month. There are the beautiful cities and villages of: Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Monaco and Monte Carlo, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu sur Mer, Eze Village, St. Paul de Vence, Grasse, La Turbie, and more. Further away, but very accessible from Villefranche are also St. Tropez (a nice day trip or an overnight), Ventimiglia (the first village in Italy) beginning just 25 kilometers away and the Italian Ligurian coast. Places to go and things to see, there are many.

But in addition, one of the great things about this area is the coast line. There are a myriad of walks, right on the water's edge or on the hills that plunge down to the sea. The walks are truly breathtaking and you can access them all by public transport or walking directly from Villefranche. And being that this is France, there are many many wonderful restaurants and café's to enjoy. One thing I do caution people about is not trying to do too much because one of the greatest joys is just living the lifestyle of Villefranche, taking the walks around the village and neighboring villages of St. Jean Cap Ferrat and Beaulieu sur Mer, taking a swim at the beach, hanging out in one of the beach restaurants watching the day go by and feeling the awe of the breataking scenery all around you.

Rue Volti, where our apartment is located is a wonderful street full of charming village life where many local families live. The building is a very old ­ approximately 600 years we are told by the Marie (local mayor's office). It has a special, commanding position in the heart of the village and is one of the most photographed buildings in the old town. Because of its position, it has wonderful sea views and gets a lot of sunshine even in the middle of winter.

Le Beau Balcon was the 'grand apartment' of the building. It has high ceilings, beautiful hand-made plaster molding (which we painstakingly preserved and are told by the craftsmen that it must be about 300 ­ 400 years old). We have tried to preserve the beautiful molding and the feeling of the apartment.



The other two apartments, Sur le Toit was the attic and food storage space, and the Artist's Atelier was the family shop. We happen to know quite a lot about the history of the building as we purchased it from one of the oldest Villefranche families who were able to tell us much of the history. They owned the building for nearly 200 years!



The décor is old world, a bit bourgeois / Louis XVI in style, yet one must remember, it is a much older building than the bourgeois era so it plays bourgeois with a bit of fun and not too serious so you can relax and enjoy living in the space. We brought back an old tile that was very popular 150 years ago, called carreaux du ciment (cement tiles impregnated with a lovely decorative design and color). They were typically used in bourgeois buildings 100 ­ 150 years ago. They are stunning, or at least we hope you think so. We have also collected a variety of crystal chandeliers for every room, including a unique Baccarat one in the main living room. In addition, there are lovely antiques as well as brand new pieces of furniture (sofa, bed, reading lights). And for the artwork, it is all original and most of it is from two local artists (a couple) who live here in Villefranche.



You enter the apartment on rue Volti. As we own the whole building, the street door is locked and the front hall is private so you can keep a few things there (strollers or beach chairs, although we do have a closet at the beach for beach things for our guests). You walk up a flight of stairs and Le Beau Balcon is on this level ­ the first floor.

The main room of the apartment has a wonderful view of the sea and the colorful old world buildings and terracotta rooftops that cascade down to the sea, and Cap Ferrat, with villa Rothschild sitting right on the top, all lit up light an ornament at night. It is a much sought after view and a very artistic view. You are struck immediately by the view, the sun-filled room, high ceilings and beautiful molding. This apartment with its large French doors and windows in both the front and the back receives wonderful sunlight throughout the day. In the morning, the sunlight streams over the balcony into the living-room/dining area; in the afternoon it shines into the bedroom and master bath. Two French doors lead out to the new balcony which is five meters long and one meter wide with a dining table and chairs for two and folding stools to accommodate guests for an aperitif. As the balcony is in full sun most of the day, it is filled with flowers and herbs to enjoy and you can enjoy breakfast and lunch throughout the year on the balcony, and in the warmest months (at least 4 months of the year) also dinner.

With the boulangerie just steps away, running out in the morning to get fresh croissants to have with your coffee is very easy to do. You'll enjoy the local scene as you collect your croissants in the morning some of the elderly locals show up in their colorful bathrobes!



The main living space includes a lounge area with a sofa that can seat 3, two arm chairs (Louis XVI), a coffee table and two side tables. Also, good reading lights! To one side of the lounging area is one of the French doors leading to the balcony. A large Louis XVI mirror is between the two French doors and reflects the chandelier making an especially lovely scene at night. And under the mirror is a good sized marble shelf to use as a bar. There is also a Louis XVI style round dining table that can seat four.


There is a lovely Louis XVI 'confiterie' (food cupboard) that we use for dishes. And there is a hall table and mirror, also in the Louis XVI style. There is lovely art throughout the room and a wonderful antique crystal chandeliers (all on dimmers).

Tucked away in a corner, yet with a wonderful view and next to the other French door leading to the balcony, is the office, in a cupboard, so you can close it off when you don't to see it any longer. It is equipped with a phone, wireless DSL, and plenty of electrical outlets. Next to the office, also tucked into a cupboard, is the TV, stereo (with ipod connection), DVD, etc.

The kitchen includes a full size refrigerator, gas stove (with one electric burner and an electric oven), microwave, dishwasher and beautiful granite countertops. The cabinets are all custom made.

Next is the hallway that leads to the bedroom, bathroom, and half bath.



Also, in the hallway is a coat closet. There is another closet for storage of suitcases and other large items.

Accommodation:

The bedroom includes a great bed from Lit de France (we receive lots of compliments on this bed). We only buy are beds from them. It is a queen sized bed (160 x 200 cm). Beds are equipped with very nice white cotton linen, which we personally launder and iron in our own laundry facility. There are night stands on both sides of the bed with good reading lights. We have tried to design the storage to be very practical as well as nice looking. There is plenty of hanging space, drawer space, shoe space, and place for 'stuff'. There is a full sized dressing mirror behind the bedroom door. There is lovely art throughout, a beautiful chandelier and a lovely white linen curtain on the window. The window faces rue Volti and receives great afternoon sunlight. There are the traditional shutters on the French windows for privacy at night.

The bathroom is just off the bedroom and features a nice soaking tub / shower combination, a large sink with marble countertops and plenty of counter space and storage in the cabinets. There is a large mirror, with excellent lighting, over the large counter and sink area. There is a large French window, also with lovely linen curtains and the traditional shutters for privacy. There is a toilet with a douchette . There is also a half bath that includes a toilet, sink, and a utility closet.

We have the necessary modern amenities: washing machine, clothes drying line (just like the French ladies do ­ a clothes line just outside your French window ­ and you will love how fresh your laundry smells), ironing board, iron, central heating, hair dryer, dishwasher, etc. There is no AC. We do have fans and with windows on both sides of the apartment and generally cool evenings, our guests find it very comfortable even in the height of summer. We try and ensure that each apartment is fully equipped so it feels like your home away from home and if anything is missing, we're here onsite to take care of it.

Bedrooms: 1
Sleeps: 2-3
From: 800 to 975 Euros

If you are interested, please enquire

How to get to Villefranche:

Nice Cote d'Azur is the closest airport, just 10 kilometers away and about a 25 minute journey in a taxi. The airport is accessible from Villefranche by train (a short 10 mins walk from the station near the airport) by bus, or by taxi. You can hire a car but it really isn't needed. Almost everything you will enjoy seeing and visiting is more easily accessed by public transport than by car and the authorities are doing more and more everyday to discourage driving. Of course, it can be fun to hire a car for a few days as you might enjoy driving the Corniche roads (featured in so many movies) and exploring the 'arriere pays', (back country villages) which are more easily done in a car.