Main Bastide at front entry

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Location: Aix en Provence, Aix en Provence Area, Provence, France, Europe (Located in the Countryside in Aix- 5km to DT- cours mirabeau) View Map

Accommodations:  estate, 7 Bedrooms + Detached Unit, 6.5 Baths (Sleeps 14)

Keywords:  Grand Bastide

AIX EN PROVENCE, FRANCE

Spectacular 18th century Bastide. Great shopping, dining and culture minutes away in downtown Aix but the feeling of life in an authentic Provencal estate with beautiful views of the countryside and absolutely no neighbors in site is life changing.

This property consists of the "maison principal" built in 1803 with 2 foot thick walls, tall ceilings, ancient flooring, original doors, windows and shutters. It is a truly an authentic Provencal bastide, facing due south with 3 floors of occupancy. The ceiling heights are 10 ft plus and the proportion of the rooms are perfect.

The estate includes all the North American touches which will make your stay much easier and much, much more comfortable. American pillow-top mattresses, down pillows and duvets, 100% cotton sheets, flat screen TV's (2) and wireless internet. Bathrooms are basic, very functional, and for the most part, original. The property is supplied with great water pressure and abundant hot water (new water heater 2008).

The kitchen is oriented for both family living and catered entertaining.

2 Huge SMEG (made in Germany)oven/cooktops, 2 dishwashers, microwave, 2 large Lieberr (made in Germany) refrigerators, "Nespresso" automatic coffee maker and coffee/tea pots, plus storage in the playroom directly connecting to the kitchen, for food and extras. Silverware, cooking utensils, long stemmed "bordeaux" wine glasses, simple white plates.

The exterior grounds are georgeous. The main automatic gated entry slopes down to the main house and 12.5 meter pool, then down to the tennis court. Landscaping is mature and the 6 ancient plane trees in front of the Bastide are truly breathtaking. These trees, 210 years old and majestic, provide shading for the house from the summer heat.

Extensive seating and entertaining areas abound outside. It feels open and secluded all at once. Feel free to call or e mail if you need additional information or photos.

The Grounds:

· Two Formal gated entries, one Main entry with security television camera and automatic opening mechanism and one Service entry.
· Park like setting on 2.8 Hectares (Approximately 7 acres) with spectacular Plane Trees shading house and dining areas. Additional farmland surrounding but within the property fencing totals approximately 18 acres (6 hectares).
· Tennis Court with Tennis House which is equipped with dressing rooms and showers.
· Pool with new, electric state of the art cover.(2007 pool cover)
· Pool House with wet bar, changing rooms and bathroom.
· 2 Smith & Hawkin teak pool lounge chairs plus more furniture including dining table/chairs, 8 bright yellow "sun chairs" and more.
· Regulation Boules de Petanque court.
· Outdoor Kitchen/Dining area with grand pine farm dining table and chairs accommodating 12 people comfortably. Plus pizza oven and huge stainless steel Webber gas BBQ.
· Outdoor lighting of all walkways, dining areas and recreation sights. (see caretake for contols of lights)
· Large Guest Parking Areas in service area. (4 car parking plus overflow)
· Location is unique in that the property is surrounded by farmland, but only minutes from downtown Aix-en-Provence and its historic main boulevard the Cours Mirabeau which terminates in the great "rotonde" fountain.

The property is quiet and very private.
· 15 minutes to TGV and 25 to Marginane (Marseilles) International Airport. Direct access of to the house is via a very very small gravel road which terminates approximately 300 meters after the property. This creates a very private entry with little traffic.

Main House

* 6 beds and 4.5 baths
* #1 Master Bedroom, 1 king
* #2 In-laws Bedroom, 1 king
* #3 Guest Bedroom, 1 Queen Size Bed or 2 twins.
* #4 Children's Room, 2 Twins
* #5 2 Twin Beds
* #6 1 twin and 1 smaller child's bed.

Other amenities include:

· New, pillow top American made mattresses
· American type shower heads with decent pressure
· Totally equipped Kitchen with new appliances including dish drawers, large refrigerators with wine storage and double ovens.
· Dining rooms seats 12
· Living room and family room, both with large fireplaces
· Laundry room with stacking Miele Washer/Dryer
· Children's play room/ movie room
· Media room + office with fax and wireless internet
· Wireless internet in the kitchen.

Guest Houses

· Guest House #1 - 1 Bedroom and 1 bath, Small kitchenette, King Size Bed

· All living areas have Furnace/radiator heat.
· Live in English Speaking caretakers who are available to assist.
· Sports equipment including bicycles, and vespa rental is negotiable.
· House cleaner 3 days per week included, 3 hours daily.
· Gardener/Pool maintenance included

Vacation Rental Features

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• Amenities
  • Washer : Stack Washer Miele
  • Dryer : Line for outside drying on a sunny day and stacking Miele dryer in full laundry room
  • Linens Provided : 100% cotton high thread count imported California sheets. 100% cotton towels and pillow cases; down pillows and duvets. All the nicest, simple, white sheets and towels.
  • Off Street Parking : The property, consisting of approximately 18 acres (7 hectares) of land is gently sloping. Parking is abundant but the dedicated parking area is set for 4 cars. The entire property is fenced and entry / exit through a automatic gate. Additional off street parking is available.
  • Wood Fireplace : Two beautiful authentic, original 1803 fireplaces are fully operational and firewood is included (no fires in July or August please).
• Beds
  • King Bed : 4 pillow top king size beds of extremely high quality were imported from Calif. and Oregon. They are very very comfortable and less than 3 years old. 3 traditional king beds and 1 California king. The king beds are located on in each of the two guest houses and two on the 2nd floor of the bastide. The sleeping is set up for 4 couples plus children. These beds are very comfortable and are in keeping with finer hotels in the US.
  • Queen Bed
  • Twin/Single Bed : Again, all imported twins of very high quality.
  • Child Bed : Two small children's beds are +-5 and 1/2 feet long. Well suited for children up to age 10.
  • Crib : Two cribs plus linens can be assembled in the room of your choice upon request.
• Entertainment
  • Cable/Satellite TV : CANAL SAT French satellite TV is available in the 3rd floor office/ television room. It includes hundreds of French channels and a handful of English channels including BBC, CNN and the like. 42 inch flat screen plasma tv with dvd players for both zone 1 dvds (north America) and zone 2 dvd's (Europe).
  • TV (No Cable/Satellite) : A small 32 inch flat screen is available in the children's play room directly next to the kitchen. There is no TV in either of the guest houses.
  • DVD
  • Video Library : We have +-100 videos on DVD format.
  • CD Player
  • Foosball
  • Ping Pong/Table Tennis
  • Private Pool : 12.5 meter by 6 meter pool. Automatic pool cover. Not heated.
• Kitchen
  • Full Kitchen : 10 burner SMEG range with two large ovens. Double Dish Drawer dishwasher, two very large refrigerators, microwave, all normal pots and pans typical of a well equipped American kitchen with a double sink.
  • Cooking Utensils Provided : Abundant Utensils.
  • Refrigerator : Liebherr side by side very large.
  • Dishwasher : Whirlpool double dish drawers.
  • Microwave
  • Ice Maker
  • Catering Available : A cook can be arranged at additional costs. The kitchen is directly accessed by both the interior and exterior dining rooms for ease of catered meals. This property is ideally suited for very high end entertaining.
• Outdoor Features
  • Gas/Electric BBQ Grill : US style propane bbq. Stainless steel WEBBER.
  • Deck/Patio : The outside area is approximately 1000 square feet (90 m 2) with a tile roof, fireplace and wood burning pizza oven. Outdoor area has an antique farm table with seating for 10 to 12. We dine outside in front of the fire during the months of March, April, May and September and October (sometimes even in November). It is a lovely Provincial experience to view the plane trees and garden while dining in front of the fire outside!
  • Lanai : See deck/patio. In addition to the covered eating area, we have a Smith and Hawken teak dining table for 12 under the ancient plane trees.
• View/Location
  • Monument View : Our "monument" is the Provencial countryside. From some parts of the property, one can see the famous mountain called the 'St. Victoire" which was painted literally hundreds of times by Cezanne. The view is extremely peaceful and one feels miles from the daily markets. Exactly 4.5 kilometers from our driveway, one is in the center of Aix-en-Provence. Our bastide is authentic and was rumored to be owned by "Mirabeau" of the Cours Mirabeau, the famous main boulevard in the Centre Ville D'Aix.
• Communications
  • Telephone
  • Broadband Internet : Wi-Fi internet functions in most areas of the main level of the Bastide.
  • WiFi (Wireless Internet)
• Other Amenities
  • If you are looking for a truly French Provencal experience, this is it. Behind the gates you will find our beautiful bastide dating from 1803. The 6 bedroom, 12 room main bastide "maison principal" is approximately 480 m2 with a 1 bedroom guest house. The grounds are lovely but not overdone. Pool, boules de petanque, tennis court (artificial grass) soccer field provide a playground for adults and children alike. The property is very well suited for 2 families with in-laws. Hikes and bicycling from the property awaits simply by departing from the gates. Full time caretakers live on site and are available to answer your questions. 15 minutes to the truly breathtaking Aix Gare TGV and 22 minutes to the Marseilles/Provence (MRS) international airport. The property is furnished with understated elegance and simply country antiques. You can relax here and visit everything in Provence within a short 1 hour drive.
• Suitability
  • No Pets Allowed
  • Kid Friendly : Swimming Pool, soccer field, tennis court, basketball hoop, ping pong, children's play room (with flat screen) foosball (mini foot) boules de petanque, pine forest, fully fenced 18 acres of land. Children can very happily stay home while parents head off to the market for the day.
  • Smoking Not Allowed
• Activities
  • Golf
  • Tennis
  • Shopping
  • Sailing
  • Boating
  • Swimming
  • Windsurfing
  • Biking
  • Mountain Biking
  • Basketball Court
  • Antiquing
  • Live Theatre
  • Theme Park (Amusement Park)
  • Cinemas/Movie Theaters
  • Museums
  • Zoo/Wildlife Park
  • Restaurants
  • Shelling
  • Hiking
  • Rock Climbing
• Other Activities
  • Nature walks in the area are fabulous. The walk to the boulanger "Joseph" is approximately 20 minutes along a quiet country lane.

Rate Details (In US Dollars)

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Personal Currency Assistant™

Nov to Apr .. $9000 USD/week
May and Oct...... $10,500 USD/week
Jun ...... $12,000 USD/week
Jul & Sept...... $13,500 USD/week
Aug ...... $15,000 USD/week
longer term rentals available at discount
Higher rates may apply during christmas holiday.

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.

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Map & Owner's Profile

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Property Photos

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