Biot II

As promised, here's the other painting of the house that is now sold - together with a little bit about the old true south-french village where it is located: Biot.The old centre of Biot is super. A very romantic, friendly French village, with tiny streets that are made attractive with plants and flowers everywhere.
I have lived there myself for a couple of years and I loved it! Hence all the paintings - I couldn't stop (and must admit I made many more... Biot has a museum and lots of art and crafts galleries, great restaurants, a wonderful old factory where glassware as well as art objects are made by hand. It is close to the sea - walking distance - I used to walk to the beach quite often in the summer (ok - almost an hour - and there's a bus too.)

Biot is close to all the important cities, airport and trainstation, as well as to our "silicon valley" Sophia Antipolis. It is a modern village - with an old centre that is alive summer and winter! I can recommend it heartily - as a village to live or to visit...

Biot I

Tomorrow Riviera Home Finders has another sales contract signed, sealed and delivered! Again it was our top-agent Jeroen Zaat who did the deal. The new owner as well as the seller will recieve an aquarelle - the one above painted on a piece of hand made, super rough-grain paper.

The house is located in Biot (between Antibes and Valbonne) in a quiet residential area. It has a surface of 300 m² and a lot of terrain, and a lovely garden with a 5 X 10 meter swimmingpool. The view is wonderful: over the woods right down to the mediterranean...

The villa is in perfect condition with 4 bedrooms, that all have their own bathrooms and access to large terraces. Additionally there is an independent studio with kitchenette and bathroom, and a garage as well as a car port for 2 cars. The price of this house was €1,920,000 - and if that is an interesting price bracket for you, don't hesitate to contact Jeroen Zaat, because he has lots of similar properties on great locations for you! I'll post the other aquarelle after the sale has passed at the Notaire's office and give you some information about the lovely village of Biot!

Cabris II

As mentioned a week ago, I have been painting a house in Cabris for a friends' birthday. The house has a great view, all around, towards Cabris and also towards the sea. They also have plenty of olive trees (enough for their own oil!!) and last but not least, perfect rosebushes all over the place... It is a marvelous house with a great ambience - which I hope you can see in the painting:

Click on picture to see details!

And below an overview of the making of such a painting:

If you are attracted to houses like this and you would like to buy one - we can help you - Riviera Home Finders has a database full of similar beautiful properties - and many others...

Cabris I

Close to Valbonne (Riviera Home Finders headquarters) and all the other lively Riviera villages and cities - yet quiet and away from daily business and noise, lies Cabris, a beautiful village 550m up the Plan de Provence hills. From the top of the village, you have a truly spectacular view towards the sea.The village of Cabris dates back to 1000, though the way it looks nowadays, reflects the reconstruction of the 16th century (after the Black Plague). Southwest of the village lie the ruins of the Chapel of Mostayret. They are built by the Lerins Monks in the 4th century. There is also a tiny lovely 19th-century chapel - the Chapelle de Saint-Jean-de-Pape. The vestiges of the castle of Cabris, mostly destroyed in the Revolution, are still visible from the Place Mirabeau, named after the writer and statesman who often stayed here. Cabris has always been popular with great thinkers and artists, like Marcel Pagnol , Albert Camus and Antoine De Saint-Exupéry.

Exupéry with his mother - on a tile in Cabris

And you can follow their example, by taking the A8 motorway, then the N 85 and finally the D 4. Cabris is only 6 km from Grasse, it has a population of 1370 people

I am writing about Cabris because I am in the finishing stages of a painting for a friends' birthday. He has a house there, with a splendid garden, gorgeous roses and a great view - to the sea from one side and on the village of Cabris from the other... Watch this space...

Villa in Les Adrets

Riviera Home Finders is still going strong, despite the crisis...

The first in June is sold by Leo and Karin, RHF's Real Estate couple for the Var - you can safely say they're on a roll! Karin and I worked hard on the original aquarelle for the new owners: They will receive it this week at completion, in the office of the notaire as a present - we do this for all our clients - instead of a bottle of champagne or some flowers. An original aquarelle by the Marina Artists Team makes a great gift - the feedback is always very very positive!About the villa: as you can see on the painting it has a swimmingpool (overflow) and it is luxurious and well-maintained. It has a stunning seaview and is located in a much sought-after closed private domain. Les Adrets is only 5 minutes from the highway A8 and 30 minutes from Nice airport. You drive to Cannes in 20 minutes. Now this house is of course sold - to a Belgian couple, but we have much more where that came from! Visit our website if you are interested in one of our properties, or need more information...

Villa close to Mougins

In March I posted about a villa close to Mougins that we once sold and then had for sale again. And now, two months later, Master-Realtor Jeroen Zaat has sold it yet again! The happy and lucky new English/French owners were looking for this modern style of house - and fell in love with it immediately. They will improve it even more, with ecologically conscious additions and replacements, solar energy, the newest ultra modern audio visual systems etc...

Above you see the painting of their house as it is now - and I hope to be able to show you an "after" version in a couple of months!

In the meantime - even with the "oldfashioned" fittings - the owners can still enjoy their fantastic 360° South-French view from the house (picture below) and the fabulous sun...

Mielan - in the Midi-Pyrénées

This "Manor house" was sold by my colleague Kirsty - she works for RHF in the departement Gers. The great painting for the new owners is from the hands of Marina Artist Team member Marina Teding! She made sure it looks like the sunny and happy house it actually is. The house is south facing with amazing view: of the whole of the range for the Pyrenees on a clear day. The house is two hundred years old and has a grand entrance, with large wrought iron gates leading up a gravelled tree lined drive to a gravelled courtyard.

Nearby bastide village of Mielan is five minutes away - and that means local restaurants, boulangerie, terraces, the weekly market and the bar-tabac on walking distance!

Gassin

This fabulous villa in Gassin, painted by the Marina Artists Team will soon change owners! It was sold by Pia Frei of the RHF office in Saint Tropez.

The 250m² villa is located in a sought-after domain close to Saint Tropez. A few years ago it was completely renovated and it now offers spacious rooms, exquisite decoration, natural stone floors and everything made with care and the highest quality materials Of course there is air-conditioning, alarm and a private garden with pool area, not overlooked...
The large living / dining room with kitchen overlooks the Gulf of Saint Tropez. This wonderful villa has 4 bedrooms with their own bathroom and the new owners can live there all year round- or just spend their holidays there.

Gassin is situated close to St. Tropez and the Mediterranean sea.

The old village is still authentic, with old winding streets and ancient houses. It overlooks vineyards, the sea and the forest with a magnificent view from the Iles D'Or over the Maures Mountains and all the way to the snowy peaks ot the Alps.

Les Adrets de l'Esterel

In the heart of the Esterel mountains, not far from the sea, you'll find the village "les Adrets de l'Estérel". It has 2700 inhabitants that can enjoy an incredible panoramic view on the Côte d'Azur...

Marina Artists Team member Karin painted a house of a friend that has such a view!

People who like hiking and nature will agree that the view is not the only good thing about Les Adrets: there are many paths that lead through the forests with pinetrees and cork trees and rare and beautiful plantation. And there are the lakes, l'Avellan and Saint Cassien. These are a great spot for fishermen and St Cassien even has its own, equipped beaches.
Les Adrets has a centre with little shops and its own tennis court, as well as an equestrian centre. It is still quite unspoilt: living there you'll breathe clean air, hear nothing apart from the chirping of birds and the wisper of the wind through the leaves - you'll feel part of nature!

Still, Cannes is not far and if you're into golf, or nautical activities - Fréjus, Saint Raphaël and Mandelieu are very close too...

If you are interested in a property like this, you can contact Karin and/or Leo de Bruine via the RHF website. They speak English, Dutch, German and French - and live in Les Adrets too!

Magnificent estate in Mougins

There are a couple of paintings of houses in the making (which means Riviera Home Finders, unlike other agencies, is still selling - despite the crisis - good for us!) and in the meantime I'll introduce a marvellous property to you, that I happen to know inside out (and hope to be painting soon) because it belongs to a friend! It truly is a little piece of paradise, in a perfect private setting - and at the same time very close to everything, from the old centre of Mougins village to the airport...

Try to imagine: if you go there, you'll drive through a road lined by lavender and rose bushes. You park under the carport -or in the double garage- and walk to the main house under a magnificent canopy of wysteria...The main house is very romantic, a centuries old bergerie in stone.

It has a large living, vaulted ceilings, wonderful fireplace and a large fully equipped kitchen with breakfast corner and large laundry room. There's a master bedroom, of course with dressing and bathroom, and a second bedroom with full bathroom with jacuzzi. Upstairs 2 more bedrooms with bathrooms. The property has a cinema room and a fitness and a play room. Have I told you about the garden? With a huge freeform heated swimming pool (of course with jacuzzi), poolhouse with shower, toilet/sauna/summer kitchen and fishponds with koi carps, beautiful terraces to fully enjoy the view and the tranquil environment.

But that's not all, there's another wonderful thing about this property: it consists of 3 separate villa's (all in great shape). And apart from the poolhouse and the summerkitchen there's a seperate office that can also be used as living space... You got it by now, it is a house of endless possibilities! My friend used one of the villa's for her caretakers' couple and the other one for visitors. Of course it could be great for holiday rentals (it would house 9 couples) and ideal for a family with bigger kids, or for three befriended couples to live close together and support each other - I would personally love to have the main house and then the other houses for my parents and in-laws! Have everyone close - and still separate and having your own privacy. OK, I digress and I can't afford it anyway, but maybe you can! The asking price is € 3,75 million and considering what you get for that, in terms of peaceful living, luxury and authentic atmosphere - it is not that much! If you are interested, please contact our agent Jeroen Zaat who has the house in exclusivity.

Close to Nice: Contes

Dutch Translation below

Credit crunch or not, Riviera Home Finders are still having great clients - and finding them the best properties. Here's another one, sold by David Prince, painted by the Marina Artists Team! A fabulous villa, thoroughly renovated and modernised by the current owners, in perfect condition. It has a wonderful infinity pool and great interior, but best of all is its location: in a quiet area, on an elevated position, it has vast panoramic south & west views, set amid unique rounded sandstone rocks which are a feature of these chestnut & mimosa covered hillsides.
And believe it or not, it is only 18 minutes from the Nice Est autoroute exit and less than a half hour drive from the beaches or the airport of Nice, and 40 mins from Monaco. Now this property is sold - to a dutch family by the way - that's why you'll find a dutch translation below - but don't worry, if you are interested in a house like this (690.000€) we have similar - and different, but always the best quality and highest standards. Visit the RHF site for more information...
Krediet Crisis of niet, Riviera Home Finders heeft nog steeds fantastische clienten - en vindt nog steeds de beste huizen voor ze! Hier is er weer een, verkocht door David Prince, geschilderd door het Marina Artists Team! Een prachtige villa, doordacht en grondig gerenoveerd en gemoderniseerd door de huidige eigenaars, en in perfecte staat van onderhoud. Het heeft een subliem zwembad en een schitterend interieur, maar het beste van dit huis is toch wel de locatie: in een rustig gebied, hoog gelegen, heeft het een adembenemend, panoramisch uitzicht zuid en west. Omringd door ronde zandstenen rotsen die zo typerend zijn voor deze heuvels, die verder bedekt zijn met mimosa en kastanjebomen.
En geloof het of niet, het is maar 18 minuten rijden van de afslag naar de autoroute, minder dan een half uurtje naar het strand, of Nice airport en 40 minuten van Monaco.
Nou is deze villa verkocht - aan een Nederlandse familie (vandaar deze vertaling) maar geen zorgen, als je geinteresseerd bent in een huis zoals dit (690.000€)- we hebben er meer! Gelijkwaardige en totaal andere, maar altijd de beste kwaliteit en gebouwd volgens de hoogste standaards. Bezoek anders de RHF site eens voor meer informatie...

Callian II

Last year, in September I posted about this lovely, newly built house in Callian that my Riviera Home Finders colleagues Leo and Karin had for sale - and which they now sold! A great thing is that Karin happens to be a very talented painter - the aquarelle above is a combined effort from the two of us - and you can count on more where that came from as she joined the Marina Artists Team!!

Anyway - the new owners of this great villa chose the peace and quiet of that lovely medieval hill-top village, in the Var. Callian has a very Provençal and authentic atmosphere and also lies close to the beautiful lake of Saint Cassien - their opportunity to sail, fish and swim, just around the corner. And as far as Callian goes, these new owners are in good company - they have chosen a village with an interesting past: the politician Georges Clémenceau lived there, also Christian Dior - who is now buried there next to his father - and the writer Anthony Burgess (writer of a clockwork orange). A good place to be - and there are more Callian-villa's in our portfolio! If you are interested, contact us!

Impressive property in Villefranche sur Mer

Before I come back to you with a series of paintings (of houses that our RHF agents have sold) - I'd like to treat you to a look at a most impressive property that we have for sale on the border of Beaulieu and Villefranche. As you can imagine, a property in that area is high priced - this villa costs over 12 million euros- and what can you expect for that.... Well, for starters it has 4500m² of land with astonishing views.

The property consists of the principal villa, a guest villa, an independent apartment and a guardian's house. In total there is around 600m² of living space.

The main house has a large hall, a wonderful living and dining room that opens to a large terrace overlooking the stunning view on the Cap Ferrat. Of course a fully equipped kitchen with pantry and laundry room, and a large office opening to terrace. Downstairs a wine cellar...
The master bedroom on the first floor has its own bathroom and dressing area opening to large balcony. On the first floor three further bedrooms with bathrooms.

There are large terraces, leading to the first swimming pool, a heated one with summer kitchen.

The guest house has a main reception and living room divided into dining and living areas, and two double bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and a private patio. Furthermore a master bedroom with ensuite bathroom and private roof terrace on the first floor, and on the lower level a double bedroom with private patio and shower room. And...the guest house has it's own private heated overflow pool!The beautifully landscaped garden is south facing, they are focused around the swimming pools of the two main villas. It includes a boules pitch, lawns, fruit trees and colourful flowers and much, much more. And last but not least, it has three garages, for 5 cars as well as a carport for four, plus parking for several more! Of course there are an extensive alarm system and automatic gates... In short - a magnificent property, in perfect condition, and in a great location. Looks like a wonderful opportunity to me and I'm told by the RHF experts it actually is!

So - if you would like to have more information- don't hesitate to contact Jeroen Zaat, the agent for this property

Villa close to Valbonne

Been checking out a lot of the terraces in our favourite Riviera village lately (and that was purely work-related, Sien!). Apart from our office there, we have some of the finest properties for sale close to that concentration of everything that's good about living here: Valbonne.

This is one of Riviera Home Finders' favourite houses: it lies in a totally quiet setting (at the end of a cul de sac in a domain) and at the same time is a five minute drive from that lively "place des Arcades". It is a truly magnificent villa, facing South, recently built using top quality materials and in excellent condition. We love it!

The 265 m² living space of the house consists of a large living room with a beautiful freplace, a separate TV lounge and an open kitchen with dining area and two bedrooms with bathrooms. All rooms open to private terraces and the garden. On the first floor a large mezzanine and a master bedroom with large bathroom, again with private terrace.

There is also a separate 2 bedroom apartment with mezzanine.

On a flat terrain of in total 6000m² there are lovely gardens and last but not least a heated pool and a poolhouse with summerkitchen, fireplace, shower and toilet. Apart from all that, there is a possibility to extend the villa or build another one with a surface of 254m2.

Interested? The price of this stunning property is 3,1 Million €. More information can be obtained through Riviera Home Finders. Visit our office in Valbonne (13 Rue de la Brague) or our website for more information.

Valbonne VI

OK, we're in the South of France and we're much better off than most anyway- nevertheless, we did have a winter this year - and a wet one! But now it is spring again... lovely temperatures, sun, the outside lifestyle can begin again! To start it off we went to our favourite terrace in Valbonne, where we had a great mediterranean salad and lots of rose in the bright sun! Loved it - and how lucky are we to have an office 20 meters from there!! RHF's best agent Jeroen Zaat enjoying the sun...
Next post will be about one of his houses - very close to Valbonne! Watch this space....