Villefranche Sur Mer holiday apartment accommodation, Villefranche Old Town with walking, beach/lake nearby, balcony/terrace, air con

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La Belle Epoque (apartment)

Home description

Enjoy the charm of a beautiful French Riviera apartment situated on an elevated position in the pretty medieval town of Villefranche-Sur-Mer. This fully air conditioned apartment offers the rare combination of a superb sea-view terrace with the facilities and charm of living in an old-world town. As soon as you enter the apartment, the beautiful Bay of Villefranche opens up before you . You will be enchanted watching the changing colours of the Mediterranean against the backdrop of Cap Ferrat.
This is one of five exclusive apartments in a recent renovation of Villa St Remi on Ave. Gallieni which is close to shops / bus stop / restaurants and is a ten minute walk to the beach.
It is on the first floor. The enterance-hall and stairs are bright, wide and gradual. The lounge opens onto the spacious terrace commanding 180 degree views of the renowned Bay, looking over the terracotta roofs of the medieval town, towards the sandy beaches and the Mediterranean beyond.
This quality apartment is redecorated and furnished with comfortable furniture in 'La Belle Epoque' style with a modern all electric kitchen. It is equipped with air conditioning and electric heating.
Centrally located, the apartment is close to shops/ restaurants/ bus stop/ car park / Institut de Francais. Imagine the romance of dining al fresco or sipping an aperitif watching the twinkle of the distant villas on Cap Ferrat. Relax on the glorious beach while the children build sand castles, or explore the rocks in the expectation of catching that elusive fish. And what about the hill walking in the foothills of the Alps? It is an ideal base for a romantic holiday or a small family.

Cap Ferat and Bay from Terrrace	Lounge and french doors onto terrace
Terracotta tiles, blue of the Bay and Cap Ferrat from the terrace

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/27553

The Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur / Alpes-Maritimes region

Villefranche lies in the heart of the French Riviera about 8 Km. east of Nice. Imagine an old medieval village with tiny narrow alleyways and steps winding steeply down to the quayside. Here the pace of life has slowed down accordingly – people have time to sit in cafes and restaurants, enjoying the superb French cuisine and the wonderful “old fishing village” atmosphere. Others stroll along the promenade maybe heading for the crescent shaped beach further along the bay. This is Villefranche, nestling at the foot of the hills where the Alps finally meet up with the Mediterranean.

The attractive old town of Villefranche hasn’t changed much over the centuries but in spite of this it is a real place where people live and work with all modern amenities while managing to preserve a definite village atmosphere. The Boulangerie or Greengrocer is a great meeting place every morning where locals joke and discuss their problems. Fresh fish caught by the local fishermen can be bought on the quayside and the clink of the boules on a lazy summer afternoon gives a distinctive French flavour to the village atmosphere.

Families love the sandy beach because it’s so safe for children and both young and old can be seen trying their luck fishing off the rocks. For the more activity minded there is scuba diving and a diving school, or you can just hire a boat and snorkel along the Cap Ferrat promentary. There is public tennis courts close to the apartment and golf at La Turbie, which is inland from Monaco and a twenty-minute drive away. Not forgetting walking some of the wonderful way marked trails in the hills that form the backdrop to Villefranche or along the many coastal routes.

The 'Alps Maritimes' create a wall of mountains which shelters the coastline from the cold north winds in winter and allows the Cote d'Azur east of Nice enjoy a wonderful climate – mild sunny winters and the breeze from the sea in summer ensures that it doesn’t get unbearably hot. Consequently, this area is a gardener's paradise with it’s a unique microclimate where you will find many exotic plants and shrubs. No wonder that the Victorian aristocrats and artists loved it. They flocked to this area for its gentle climate and stunning scenery that the area has to offer.

Villefranche Sur Mer / Villefranche Old Town area

Historically Villefranche developed as an important duty-free port in the 14th century and latter on in 18th century it became a strategic military base for the Savoy’s. The Duke of Savoy’s Citadel is still very much intact, housing not only the Hotel de Ville but also museums of sculptures by Volti and paintings by Jean Cocteau. In summer it is the venue for an open-air cinema. Cocteau also redecorated the Chapelle St Pierre with frescoes as a gift to the fishing community who used to story their nets there.
Within walking distance of Villefranche, the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and the Villa Kerylos can be visited – the former being famous for its splendid gardens and view over the Bay of Villefranche and a great place for afternoon tea. The latter being a reproduction of a 5th century BC Grecian villa – a must for those interested in Classical Greece.
Many of the magnificent villas from the Victorian era survive and some now house important museums and art galleries. For example, Matisse who lived in Nice, left the city a priceless collection of his works and these are displayed in the Matisse museum – an exquisite late 17th century Genoese villa. There is the Renoir museum in Cagnes-sur-mer just west of Nice.

How to get there

Villefranche is ten minutes East of Nice on the R98 to Monte Carlo and Menton. To get to it from Nice Airport, Cote d'Azure you travel East through Nice along the Promenade des Anglais to Nice Port and thake the R98 direction Menton. It takes about twenty minutes depending on traffic.
The apartment is on Avenue Gallieni just off the R98.
Nice-Cote d'Azure is an internalional airport with direct flights to the US, the UK and the majour European cities.
British Airways, Easy Jet , BMI baby, RyanAir and AerLingus offer good deals to Nice.

Activities near Villefranche Sur Mer

Facilities

Further details indoors:
Accommodation consists of a large lounge which opens onto a south-east facing terrace (10sq m) through two full length french doors. The bedroom also opens onto the terrace with a wonderful view of the Bay through french doors.The bathroom has an attractive view of the mountains to the North. The open plan kitchen is tucked away at one end of the lounge.
The lounge is furnished with a couchette / sofa which seats three, an armchair, a table seating four and two table chairs ( the two folding chairs on the terrace are suitable for use at this table). There is a TV incorporating DVD / CD. The TV receives Sky channels. There is a small selection of CD’s, DVDs and paperbacks.
The bedroom has a king size double bed with a deep 'Latex' mattress, bedside tables and reading lamps and a turn-of-the-centuary amoir with a full lenght mirror. The tiled bathroom has a well lit vanity unit, a corner bath with shower and rain-shower, toilet and a beautiful view of the hills behind Villefranche.
The all electric kitchen is fitted with a four ring ceramic hob, a self-cleaning oven with grill. There is a dishwasher, a washing machine and a fridge-freezer.
There are a full range of new pots, pans and utensils for cooking for a family with cutlery and table-ware for six. There is an electric coffee maker, an electric kettle, a toaster, a hair dryer and a deposit security safe.

Further details outdoors:
The terrace is fitted with an electric sunshade. It is furnished with two wicker garden chairs and footrests a matching table and a gas-fired BBQ. There are two folding chairs which can be used inside also.
There is limited street parking outside the apartment and pay parking in a municipal carpark 100m away. There is a nominal charge between 8.00am and 6.00pm. Other times are free.
There is a municipal tennis court 300m from the apartment which can be used by guests.
The south facing sandy beach which is very safe is 500m from the apartment , a walk of ten minutes through the pedestrianised streets of the old town and not crossing any busy thoroughfares.

Further details

The rental rate includes provision of bed linen, towels, beach towels and electricity. Cleaning and laundry on vacating the apartment is an additional EUR80, which is payable to the manager on collection of the keys. Changeover is Saturday to Saturday. As change over is tight in the high season, access to the apartment will be 3pm or later on arrival, and departure will be before 10am.
On your arrival the apartment manager will welcome you to the apartment with a Guest Manual, show you how every thing works, give you the keys, collect the security deposit and cleaning / laundry fee and is available to deal with emergencies. She has fluent English and French, knows the area intimately, and will be delighted to help you settle in. The Guest Manual contains, house rules, inventory, local area maps, a list of local resources, attractions, and restaurants.
The airport is served by a taxi direct from Villefranche or the regular bus ‘100’ links with the ‘98’ ‘airport direct’ bus which runs every 20 minutes from the central bus station.

Conditions

Booking deposit of 25% payable on making the booking, the full amount payable one month before arrival. On receipt of the deposit you will get a signed rental agreement.
We require a security deposit of EUR500 which will be refunded on return of the keys subject to no damage to the property, the fixtures or fittings. If convenient the deposit can be held in any of the major currencies.

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Autumn '09	3 Oct 09	7 Nov 09	850£ 766	0-	0-	1 Week
Nov '09/ Feb '10	7 Nov 09	19 Dec 09	650£ 586	0-	0-	1 Week
Christmas '09	19 Dec 09	9 Jan 10	850£ 766	0-	0-	1 Week
Jan / Feb '10	9 Jan 10	27 Feb 10	550£ 495	0-	0-	1 Week
March '10	27 Feb 10	3 Apr 10	650£ 586	0-	0-	1 Week
Early Summer '10	3 Apr 10	15 May 10	850£ 766	0-	0-	1 Week
Summer '10	15 May 10	3 Jul 10	1050£ 946	0-	0-	1 Week
High Season '10	3 Jul 10	4 Sep 10	1250£ 1,126	0-	0-	1 Week

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

Guestbook for La Belle Epoque

''My husband and I spent the last week in June at ''La Belle Epoque'' apartment. We absolutely loved it. It is very well equipped, spacious and clean, exactly as the website describes. It has a very large balcony that is sun drenched from early in the morning until mid afternoon. The views over the bay are amazing and it is particularly lovely in the evening to sit with a glass of wine watching the ships sail away and experiencing that feeling of complete relaxation.Villefranche-sur-mer is lovely with a village atmosphere yet great for getting around the Cote d'Azure by train or bus. We enjoyed the walk down through the old town, especially early in the morning when we went for a morning swim. When we arrived home we immediately booked this apartment for next year for two weeks. You couldn't give it a higher recommendation than that!" A & A Lancashire UK. June '08

''Our stay at "La Belle Époque" in Villefranche was unforgetable. We've been to Villefranche a couple of times already and love this place. The apartment was exactly as described. We found the the best parts to be the nice and rather quiet location, the fantastic view, the big terrace and the close distance to the beach and to several nice restaurants for dinner. We will definitely be back!" Helle S. Norway. July '08

Great location for exploring the region. We spent 3 weeks in this apt. April/May 2008 and really enjoyed our stay. It was as advertised, no nasty suprises. It is newly renovated, bed (queen size) very comfortable, kitchen fully equipped. Best of all is the view from the 'terasse'. We really miss getting up in the morning and checking on the cruise ships at anchor in the bay. Lots of restaurants, good bakeries, green grocers and general grocery stores within walking distance and also a nice beach area. Highly recommended property. Recommended for ; romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, Car unnessary. John & Debbie, Canada. April 2008.

Very nice apartment. Descriptions are accurate. The apartment was well cleaned, and the bed was very comfortable with a view of the Lighthouse. location very convenient - it took 10 minutes to walk to the Institute Francais. One thing I really appreciated were the good reading lights by the bed and having the internet was great also. Kim California March 2008.

La Belle Vie. The apartment was every bit as lovely as it looks on the website. My husband and I spent two wonderful weeks at La Belle Epoque. We loved relaxing on the balcony looking out on the Bay of Villefranche and Cap Ferrat, The morning sun was glorious. The apartment was well equipped and the manager was great at explaining where everything was. The location is fantastic! You can walk to the waterfrount, the shops and restaurants, the bus stop, the train station, 'Institut de Francais' ....everywhere you will want to go is an easy walk! Strongly recommended. Laure, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, March 2008

Excellent holiday-home. Wonderful views from newly renovated apartment. well equipped, elegantly furnished, excellent bed. Recommended for; Adventure seekers, Girls getaway, Sightseeing without a car, Romantic Getaway. Ocstavie, Finland March '08

Lovely apartment. well placed - a short walk down to the beach. if you haven't been to Villefranche then go. Nice is a short bus ride away and Villefranche town is much nicer to stay in than Nice. Good restaurants and local walks. Apartment was clean, well equipped and with friendly service. PB-CB Bristol July '07

Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

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To contact this advertiser please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/27553

Contact details for the advertiser of home 27553
Name:	Eamon Mc Cullough
Mobile:	+353 (0)87 2519796
Be aware of time-zones Please mention Holiday Lettings when contacting this advertiser
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Contact Notes: Email
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Advertiser joined: May 2007

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