La Gardette

A gem of a property. A beautiful stone house, exquisitely renovated and furnished and nestling in peaceful lawned gardens, conveniently located near the historic village of St Paul de Vence.

La Gardette is a beautiful stone-built villa, nestled in a 5500 m2 garden and woodlands just outside the walled hill-top village of Saint Paul de Vence, one of the world's most beautiful medieval villages. The house is located 1.5km from the village, an easy walk along a pretty path just outside the gates. The grounds are extensive with lawn for croquet and badminton, forest for exploring and various sunny terraces for basking. The villa is typically French in style with terracotta floors, arched windows and simple elegant furnishings.

Inside, there are 4 double bedrooms, three of which are air-conditioned and all en-suite with Gessi fixtures and beautiful tiling and practical yet luxurious design. Underfloor heating provides comfort for Christmas and mid-season guests. Two bedrooms have spacious private terraces, another opens onto the garden and pool and the 4th enjoys its own access from outside.The furniture and furnishings all originate from France, China, Japan and Indonesia and have been carefully chosen to create a simple but elegant Asian/French atmosphere.

The cupola-ceilinged dining room seats 8 and the spacious and light sitting-room has a fabulous fireplace, card table and gorgeous artwork. The kitchen is fully equipped, including 2 fridges, Nespresso, Quooker, ice-maker, food processor, micro-wave and lots of cook-books, 2 ovens for culinary guests and underfloor heating for Christmas and off-season guests.

In the basement is a large TV/Games room with flat-screen TV, DVD player, DVDs, Ping Pong, Table Football, books, games and sofa-bed. The separate Laundry room is also in the basement and has Washer and Dryer and sink - very practical for large groups and busy families.

There are two bedrooms upstairs, both enjoying lovely private terraces and en-suite bathrooms. The spacious upstairs master bedroom, has a queen-size bed and walk-in wardrobe while the smaller ''blue and white'' room has two single beds which can be pushed together to make a king if required. The master bedroom, with its king-size four-poster bed is located on the ground floor and opens up onto the garden and pool area. This spacious room has a study area (with fax machine, scanner, printer) and sofa-bed to accommodate a child within the same room. The fourth bedroom is downstairs but is light and airy, due to a large glass door that offers independent access. This ''Japanese'' room, enjoys a modern bathroom with double sinks in glass and multi-head shower.

Outside, the dining terrace off the kitchen seats 12 and makes an ideal place to eat during the day (when the cover of the oak tree provides welcome shade) and in the evening. There's a gas barbecue for easy al-fresco cooking and, if you prefer, there's also a charcoal version. The covered terrace off sitting room makes a lovely place for drinks and a quiet retreat from sun and pool. The stone and tile pool (4.5m x 11m) is heated and has an automatic, retractable security cover. The pool is saline as opposed to chlorinated and is surrounded by grass which is lovely under-foot and there are plenty of sun-loungers and chairs.