Dreamy vacation rental and holiday villa overlooking a medieval hilltop village in Provence...
Your holiday villa in Provence is situated in the hills above the medieval village of Fayence, near the beaches of Cannes and Fréjus - a 25 minutes drive along Autoroute A8. Being a thousand feet above sea level, the climate is near perfect all the year round: not too hot in summer and quite mild in winter.
Villa la Moncalaise rises above the round village bell tower and the square rampart ruins of a medieval château. The Chemin de la Libération encircles Quartier la Roque, the dominant hill surtmounted by a huge rock which stands guard over the village of Fayence.
It takes a few minutes in the morning to walk down the cobblestone path to the boulangerie for freshlky-baked croissants for your breakfast on the sunlit terrace. A little later in the day an apéritif, perhaps, by the fountain at the Place de la République before browsing the popular, mouth-watering food stalls set up in the village market on the Place de l'Église, in front of the 18th century church, the largest in the Canton.
View of the Maures and the Esterel mountains from the gazebo
From the gazebo in the garden of your villa in Provence, you will be enjoy the panoramic sweep of the Esterels and the Maures - the range of hills which separates Fayence from the Mediterranean sea. They are dotted with medieval villages perched upon the crests across the valley in between. The sunrise and the sunsets are a daily spectacle of blending colours of sky blue, deep mauve and pink.
The cantonal road D562 divides the valley floor. This is the old road to the former Prefectural town of Draguignan. It traverses the Canton below les villages perchés(hilltop villages) of Seillans, Fayence, Tourrettes, Callian and Montauroux to Peymenade and Grasse, the perfume capital of France. From Montauroux the departmental road D37 follows the shores of fresh water Lac St. Cassien to Exit 39, gateway to Autoroute A8. Cannes is only 10 minutes away, Nice Airport is just another 20 minutes further.
Gliders from the airfield below the village rise on thermal currents warmed by the morning sun. Performing graceful ballets in slow-motion, they skim and hug the contours of the hills above Villa la Moncalaise. It is this micro-climate in a natural bowl which makes Fayence, encircled by steep hills, the foremost gliding centre in Europe.
Entrance to villa above the garage
Entrance to the villa is from a large hall with a guest cloakroom. The wide corridor leads through double glass doors to a spacious living room with a modern fireplace. The dining room adjoins a fully-equipped, separate kitchen. The living room is bathed in sunlight all day as it opens through French double doors (porte-fenêtres) on to a large south-facing terrace which is also accessed from the kitchen and the master bedroom. The dining room has its own separate entrance with French double doors leading to another terrace in front of a yellow rose garden.
The villa is tiled with rich, semi-glazed Provençal floor tiles and is carpeted throughout with Agra rugs. Original oil paintings adorn the walls and lined, silk curtains frame all French doors and windows. The villa has been furnished by Roche Bobois in a classical French provincial style.
The garden has been developed on two large terraces (restanques) and is planted with fruit trees, table grapes and ancient olive trees some, said by locals, to be over a thousand years old (millénaires).
Sitting Room
Dining Room
Solar-heated Kidney Shaped Pool
The large (10m x 6.5m) kidney-shaped pool is shaded by a giant parasol pine. It is solar heated and floodlit - as is the gazebo, a great place for dining and entertaining as the summer kitchen with a Weber barbecue is conveniently close under a willow tree. There are deck chairs and a drinks trolley for use around the pool. Armchairs and a teak dining suite with seating for eight are on the terrace outside the sitting room. All garden furniture is teak.
Master Bedroom
There are two master bedrooms on the ground floor with bathrooms ensuite (one with bath and the other with a shower cabin with a multitude of shower heads directing spray jetsfrom all sides) and an additional double bedroom on the mezzanine floor. The villa is designed to sleep six people in great comfort and some style.
There is a large basement leading off from the garage with a laundry room (which is accessible from the hall) with an additional refrigerator (used mainly for wines...) and an upright freezer, a wine cellar and a well equipped gym.
Villa la Moncalaise is a private home, very much loved and enjoyed by its owners. It is as fully equipped and cared for as any expensive private residence on the French Riviera. There is a dish washer, a washing machine, a dryer, an LCD TV with Sky satellite, a DVD, a Bang & Olufsen entertainment centre, Wi-Fi ADSL (2048 Kb) and all the usual kitchen accessories found in a modern kitchen. You will enjoy living in a luxury villa in the most desirable part of the French Riviera and Provence...
Finally, your villa in the south of France is completely fenced, electronically secured and protected with a 24-hour automatic telephone alarm to a private security service.
View of the Terrace from the Master Bedroom
Entrance Gates and Parking
The Olive, the Willow and the Pine
There is much to do in Fayence... Swimming, fishing, camping and boating on LacSt. Cassien and its shores, trail riding, windsurfing and gliding are all in the Canton, as is magnificent walking country. Vineyards abound... For the really energetic, la GrandeRandonée along the base of the Gorge du Verdon (Europe's largest) or, for those not so energetic, a drive along its picturesque rim is highly spectacular. St. Tropez and the Mediterranean, as well as local golf courses including excellent championship courses at Tourrettes (Terre Blanche - 15 minutes) and La Motte (Saint Andréol - 1 hour) are all within an easy drive. In winter, skiing is great in the Southern Alps, (Foux d'Allos, Gréolières and Isola 2000 a two-hour drive away).
For music lovers, there are plenty of summer concerts with jazz in the open air in Bargemon and in nearby villages of Seillans and Montferrat; chamber music and recitals in nearby churches: Mass with Gregorian plainsong on Sunday mornings at the Abbey de Thoronet; opera in Aix-enProvence, Orange and Nice.
VISITOR COMMENT & GUESTBOOK
Dear Lesley,
This is just a brief note to thank you both for all the warmth and hospitality you showed us last week. We enjoyed our visit so very much - and the memory of the breathtaking, crystal clear views from your beautiful home have done much to relieve the drabness of London and its grey, sponge-like skies! I do hope that we will see you both soon.
