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Charming Provencal Country House, Beautiful Sea Views and Pool
| Sleeps | 4 |
| Bedrooms | 2 |
| Bathrooms | 1 |
| Property type | house |
| Minimum Stay | nights |
Overview
House, 2 Bedrooms + Attached Unit, 1 Bath, (Sleeps 4)
Your stay at the Villa Chene Vert will combine the charms of Provence with the pleasures of the Mediterranean coast.
The house is on a hill with beautiful views over the nearby sea. The garden has lavender, almond and olive trees and there are vineyards in back of the house. In addition to our large (5x10 meters) private pool there are several nearby beaches, within minutes by car. These are sandy and sloping and so ideal for small children.. Furthermore there is a pretty ``calanque'' (rocky cove) for swimming off the rocks and skin diving.
Good roads and convenient rail connections make this an excellent location to explore coastal Provence and the Cote d'Azur.
Bandol is famous for wine and food. It is one of France's small but famous wine regions See the article in the New York Times `Wines of the Times 'of March 18, 2014. The book `Lulu's Provencal Table' by Richard Olney is about Bandol and the family of one of the most noted vineyards. (Also the receipes work!) There is a beautiful marketplace with fresh fish from the town fishermen and produce from the local growers. Almonds, tomatoes, olives, peaches and apricots are among the local specialties. There are a number of renowned vineyards including Tempier and Pibarnon.
The weather is generally mild. The light is beautiful as made famous by Cezanne and the impressionists. Lavender is at the door and there are almond blossoms and mimosa in the winter.
The very picturesque medieval villages of La Cadiere and Le Castellet with their artists' and craftsmen's workshops are in the nearby back country. Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Toulon are not far. Avignon, Nice, Cannes, and the rest of the Cote d'Azur are a bit further but within range for day trips.
There are tennis courts in town and we are very close to the famous and beautiful 'Golf de la Fregate'' golf course. Walks on the cliffs along the sea starting from the Calanque provide breathtaking views. Those in the back country bring us into the light and colors of the impressionist painters.
There is a double-size living room with fireplace whose south walls are glass sliding bays opening towards the sea. There is a large terrace towards the sea. This is the usual dining area in good weather--that is, most of the year around.
In addition to the living room, the other rooms also have the glass sliding bays. There is central oil heating when necessary in winter. A small private meditation area with a sculpture and a view over the bay of Bandol is entered from the main bedroom. Shade is provided by a large, old, live oak tree ( a Chene Vert).
The garden apartment, has its own terrace, kitchen, two bedrooms, and other facilities. It may be rented together at a reduced rate for larger groups, or rented separately.
References are available upon request.
Keywords: Villa, Country House, Apartment
Guestbook comments from the owner
Dear Leo,
We had a wonderful week in Bandol--only wished it could go on longer.
Thanks again for the opportunity to stay in your house, and for the help in finding restaurants, calanques, etc. We tried L'en K on Friday, and thought it very nice.
Regards,
Jennifer H.
Amenities
Bandol House Accommodation and Amenities
- house
- Max. occupancy: 4
- pets considered
- smoking allowed
- Ocean View
- Water View
- Covered Parking
- Free Long Distance
- Linens Provided
- Parking Off Street
- Parking for RV/Boat/Trailer
- Telephone
- Washing Machine
- Wireless Internet
- Wood Fireplace
- Cooking Utensils
- Dishwasher
- Kitchen
- Refrigerator
- 1 Bathroom
-
Bathroom 1 -
- 2 Bedrooms, Sleeps 4
- Double Beds (1), Twin or Single Beds (1), Baby Cribs (1)
- Satellite / Cable
- Stereo
- Television
- Deck / Patio
- limited accessibility
- wheelchair accessible
- Private Pool
- cinemas
- health/beauty spa
- live theater
- museums
- nude beach
- restaurants
- zoo
- antiquing
- boating
- horseback riding
- miniature golf
- shopping
- sight seeing
- fitness center
- cycling
- fishing
- golf
- hiking
- mountain biking
- parasailing
- rock climbing
- sailing
- snorkeling/diving
- surfing
- swimming
- tennis
- water skiing
- wind-surfing
Reviews
Excellent!
4.3/5 -
(6 traveler reviews)
Nice place suitable for families and wine lovers
Our family stayed for two weeks in the smaller apartment on the first level of the house. The apartment is small and simple but it suited us perfectly as we spent most of the time outside. Therefore we appreciated very much the luxurious pool and the nice veranda with the long wooden table in the shade of a high tree. The kitchen is well equipped and we cooked there every day. The caretakers were very helpful all the time. We´ve spend a wonderful time there, sat every evening outside and drank wine. We also went almost every day to have a dip in the see. The place is very nice and suits people who like privacy and families with children.
The real holiday experience
While entering the house the first time, I thought ' this is old' but after a good look it changed to ' a family actually has lived in it'. There were a huge number of books; French but also English and American literature and fiction. The kitchen had everything you need to be a chef. Everything was in this house what you need to make it a real house not only for a holiday stay as I was used of the normal holiday rentals.
Furthermore, the house is spacious with high ceilings and big windows and therefore cool even in warmer days, since the winds can play in it.
The garden is big and my dog could roam around in it and play with balls etc.
The swimming pool is big enough to have some nice exercise in it and the water lovely fresh and cool on a hot summers day. It's so private that you could sunbath naked if you feel like it.
The wifi is fast and I used the home phone to call for free to any other home phone in the world.
I must not forget to mention our own 'boulanger' bakery just a minute walk downhill with every day fresh 'baguettes et pains' for the real French feeling breakfast on the terrace.
There are plenty of nice hikes close by and the 'Bandol Classic' which starts nearly from the house, is the most beautiful walk and so are 'les sentiers du Littoral' the paths at the coast a good challenge.
It will be clear now that the two weeks spent in the house were perfect and it was hard to say good-bye to it.
Ideal base both for relaxing and for exploring the delights of Provence and the Mediterranean
The house has an easygoing charm enhanced by those almond and olive trees with fragrant rosemary and thyme there to be plucked for your favourite Provençal recipes. One problem: because of the breathtaking views over the sea with an ever-changing magical light at breakfast, lunch and dinner, you may find it hard to leave the terrace or the swimming pool. But you should tear youself away, for the nearby hillside rambles and to explore the great Bandol vineyard hinterland. If, like us, you enjoy country markets, our favourites, besides Bandol itself, were at St Cyr and Sanary.
Beautiful location, this family was very happy here
It's been a long time since my family (husband, daughter, mother, and I) stayed here--it was in 2000--but we loved every minute of it. My daughter lived in the pool for the entire two weeks of our stay. We had the upper level but made friends instantly with both sets of people who rented the flat below us. Because we got lost coming in, we were too late to shop for food, and our downstairs neighbors kindly invited us to dinner with them. We enjoyed walking to the small farm stand below the house and picking out warm-from-the-vine tomatoes for our daily salads. Shopping for food at the Bandol markets and shops was a dream come true for me, and we also visited the Calanques often. It was so easy to drive to other villages, too--we spent a day in Aix, roamed around the entire area, and ate many spectacular lunches at beachside restaurants. The home itself was quirky, but it a way we loved--the old olive tree just about reaching into the master bedroom, the tiniest washing machine I've ever seen (but it worked and we used it almost every day; it was lovely to hang the wash out on the line and find it dry in no time, thanks to the hot dry air.) My daughter (who was 10 at the time) and I took ALL of the recommended walks around the villa--amazing views from each one. We also took several boat tours of the area, each one more beautiful than the next. We loved having breakfast on the patio and looking out at the sea while we planned our day. One of our favorite places to visit was nearby Cassis with its charming harbor. I would definitely return if I could ever afford the airfare from Boston!
This Place Is A Dump!!
There is a reason the owner has posted only one blurry photo of the interior of the house and none of the exterior! The place is VERY sub par.This was my first time using VRBO and I guess I expected, at the very least, honesty about the (sorry) state of this property. In an email to me, the owner described the house as "well appointed." This could not have been further from the truth. What was not disclosed to me prior to renting is that that minimal investment has been made in the upkeep of the house in over 40 years. Small plants are growing out of the roof tiles by the front door and years of dust coats the outside stucco (it probably hasn’t been painted in 20 years). The inside is dank, depressing and cluttered like old Grandma Betty's house (complete with cobwebs and cracked spines on an old record collection). The property is approx. 100 meters from a major road, so deep into the night you will hear the loud rumble of trucks driving by, and even worse, the piercing screech of scooters tearing down the road. There is no air-conditioning, so you must sleep with the windows open and toss-n-turn in the heat and noise. It was SO bad that we wanted to leave after the first night, but suffered through three since we had fully paid for the week. The furniture has been there since the 60s, including a filthy box spring, a gold velvet headboard, and a lumpy mattress with a piece of plywood underneath (for "spinal health" I was told)! Every chair in the place is dirty, torn or has cigarette burns. There was even an attempt to camouflage one of the old couches with an orange tablecloth "throw." I only wish I could attach photos to this review! When I complained to the owner that the conditions were unacceptable, I was told I was getting an "authentic Provencal experience." When we arrived the caretakers informed us that 20% of our deposit would be withheld for cleaning. Though I do not have a problem with this in theory, I believe any extra charges should have been disclosed in advance. In spite of this, we thoroughly cleaned prior to departure...even washed the sheets. The owner neglected to leave us the passcode to the wifi so we had no internet access. I requested a full refund of unused days (since I felt conditions had been grossly misrepresented). The owner did send me a small refund, which I guess was better than nothing. My advice: keep searching on the internet. You can find a MUCH nicer place than this to spend your vacation in Southern France.
Charming Provencal Accomodations!
My wife, a friend, and I stayed in this home in the Fall of 2007. Enjoyed the home and the area tremendously!
Dealing with the owner and caretaker was painless.
I cannot disagree more with the previous (negative) review. Home was not 'new' but wasn't expecting it to be. We had such a marvelous time there that my wife turned to me and remarked, "I could easily imagine living here!" I couldn't agree more!
BTW, my French is 'tres peu' at best and we had no problems communicating with caretaker! Maybe the other reviewer just had a bad attitude...
I hope that we can return and stay there again!
Map
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Rates & Availability
Bandol House Rental Rates
Owner's Cancellation Policy
- Available
- Unavailable
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