Captivating Vidauban Cottage S116190

About this property

In this corner of Le Var department, you are surrounded by some of the regions finest wineries amongst stunning countryside yet it’s only thirty kilometres to the beautiful French Riviera and its glorious beaches.    

Le Cadran Solaire, with its own private pool and four bedrooms, is 4km from the charming wine-making town of Vidauban, well known as a film location of ‘Love Actually’ and ‘Le Château de Ma Mère’. As well as extensive wine tasting, activities in this area include hiking, horse-riding or simply finding a perfect picnic spot on the banks of the nearby River Argens or by the Aille waterfalls. There is an excellent golf course within a ten minutes drive and cyclists have a number of routes to follow throughout the Le Var region of Provence-Côte D'Azur.

That said, you may find it hard to leave the relaxing gardens and spacious swimming pool at Le Cadran Solaire. The villa is set in 2500 square metres of enclosed gardens with mature shrubs and shady trees to hide under as you relax on the delightful poolside terrace. There is a fantastic outdoor kitchen with its own pizza oven for lingering lunches or dining under the stars on warm summer evenings.

The villa itself appears charmingly rustic from the outside with pretty green shutters yet as you walk in you are pleasantly surprised by the elegant, contemporary décor that greets you in the spacious lounge and open-plan kitchen. Breakfast can be served on the covered terrace overlooking the gardens with the sound of birdsong. Cooler evenings can be spent dining with local fine wines in the traditional dining room or chatting on the comfortable sofas, the villa also has a DVD player and I-Pod dock to help guests unwind.

There are four bedrooms, two on each floor, each one styled with modern simplicity and bright touches, ensuring a welcoming feel. The three doubles have air-conditioning whilst the twin has fans, there is also a prettily tiled bath or shower room on each floor. 

As well as wine-tasting and exploring the historical local villages in the area, you are only 30km from the wonderful French Riviera and the beautiful sheltered beach at Sainte Maxime, a seaside town favoured by artists and writers in the past. If you fancy some glamour and nightlife, head a little further to St Tropez, with its luxury yachts, bistros and exclusive beach clubs where you can spot a celebrity or two. After a day or night exploring you’ll be pleased to return to the gentle pace and idyllic surroundings of this famous wine region.

With pine trees and pink sandstone to the south and green oaks and the cliffs of the River Argens to the north, the conditions in the local town of Vidauban are fantastic for wine making and there is a great choice of vineyards and wineries in the area.  So beautiful is the setting that it has been used as a film location for ‘Love Actually’ and ‘La Château de Ma Mère’, the latter you can visit at Château d’Astros winery.

Keen walkers can take a nature trail up to St Brigitte Chapel, overlooking the town where you can enjoy lovely views of the surrounding countryside. If you are even more adventurous you can take a trip down the River Argens by canoe, which are available to hire in July and August. There are also places to fish and wonderful walks in the area as well as delightful picnic spots on the bank of the river or by the pink sandstone of the Aille waterfalls. There is an excellent golf course within a ten minutes drive and cyclists have a number of routes to follow throughout the Le Var region of Provence-Côte D'Azur.

As well as hiking, horse-riding, cycling or simply driving through the stunning Plaine Maures, there are numerous historical villages to discover, many of them also making some of the regions most famous wines, such as Taradeau (4km), Les Arcs sur Argens (8km) and Lorques (11km).

Of course you are only 30km from the French Riviera and the wonderful beaches along this coastline. The nearest is most probably Sainte Maxime (32km), a south facing beach sheltered by the Maures Mountains making a pleasant climate all year round. This pretty seaside town has been favoured by artists and writers over the years and has a lovely beach as well as many more beautiful coastal spots just outside such as La Croisette and La Nartelle. You can find a great range of watersports and boating along here.

If you fancy some glamour and nightlife, you can head to St Tropez (40km), with its luxury yachts, clubs and bistros as well as its Tuesday and Saturday markets. Don't miss a visit to Pampelonne beach where you may well bump into movie stars, football players and other celebrities.

Accommodation

Villa Interior (160m²)
Ground Floor
- Entrance hall
- Spacious open plan lounge area with sofas, TV and large patio doors
- Fully equipped open plan kitchen (hob, oven, fridge, freezer, coffee machine) with patio doors leading to the back of the house
- Open plan dining area with access to covered terrace
- Master bedroom with queen size bed and A/C
- Twin bedroom with ceiling fan
- Bathroom
- Guest W.C.

First Floor
- 2 double bedrooms with A/C
- Separate shower room
- Guest W.C.

Outside Grounds
- Fully enclosed flat garden (2500 m²) with car port
- Alarm and electric gate
- Private salt-water swimming pool (size: 10m x 5m/depth: 0.5m-2m/ shape: rectangular/steps: Roman)
- Pool House with dining table, pizza oven and sink
- Built-in BBQ
Facilities

- Internet
- Electric heating
- A/C in 3 bedrooms (master and 2 double bedrooms)
- Ceiling Fan in the twin bedroom
- I-Pod dock
- Security box (on request)
- TV with some English channels
- DVD player
- Washing machine
- Sunbeds