Pretty villa with pool in tranquil countryside near the beaches of St Tropez

This cosy Provençal villa sleeps 7, and sits in 2.5 ha of land surrounded by olives, vines and cork oak trees. The house faces south, and has stunning views over farmland to the soft wooded hills beyond. You can sit on the terrace and watch the birds of prey circle overhead, listen to the crickets, and watch the sun go down with a cool glass of Rose, and feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere. Yet you are only 12 km from the beaches of St Tropez.

We have furnished the house with natural materials where possible, so wooden furniture, cotton bed linen, feather duvets, wooden handled cutlery and kitchen equipment, white china, and generally as few plastic and other man made materials as possible. We want the house to have a natural, romantic, away from it all feel, so if you are looking for an all singing all dancing St. Tropez villa, this is not for you. There is no TV, no outside speakers or garden or pool lights, nor is there a Jacuzzi, perfectly manicured and sprinkled lawn, no microwave, coffee pod machine, air conditioning (but fans and windows on both sides or more of every room) and the like. This is how we, and our many repeat guests, like it.

The garden is large and on many levels, and because we do not use harsh chemicals, we have lots of birds, butterflies and other native wildlife. The fields around us belong to our neighbouring wine farmer, and you can buy the excellent wine “Le Clos Servien” grown in these fields from ‘Le Hameau’ the hamlet below us, or in our favourite organic and local produce grocery shop: Le Halle de Grimaud which is a 10 minute drive from the house. This, together with the small ‘Intermarche’ next door, supplies almost everything we need. There are also two huge hypermarkets nearby: Leclerc in Cogolin, and Geant Casino in La Foux on the way to St Tropez, as well as many other specialist food shops and markets in the area.

The house is small and cosy, and sleeps 7 in two double rooms, one twin bedded room with balcony, and a single room. There is a bathroom with a roll top bath en-suite in the master bedroom, and the second double bedroom has its own ensuite with stone surrounded bath tub. There is also a separate WC inside the house. The third bathroom with tiled shower and WC is accessible from the outside. There is also an outside shower for alfresco bathing. There is a fireplace on the terrace for evening BBQ (except in the summer when BBQ's are not permitted by the local authority, when we use an electric griddle). There is a large pool with 2 pool alarms, surrounded by a large Mediterranean style garden and with views to the countryside beyond. Like most pools in this area, our pool is unheated, but which in summer is the perfect temperature for swimming.

The 2.5 hectare garden is enclosed by electric fence (to keep out the wild boar) and is very tranquil and private. It has a rustic feel, and you will see many types of birds and insects - especially butterflies, and at night, beautiful moths. If you are lucky, you will see a wild tortoise, and you will definitely see the geckos which scamper up and down the house walls at night catching insects.

The last 300 meters of the road leading to the house is rustic; it is not scary, but quite bumpy and rutted in places. It is not suitable for a low slung sports car, but otherwise is fine as long as you take it slowly for the last part.

Please note that the house is only available for stays of 1 week or more.

La Garde Freinet: La Garde Freinet is a remarkably unspoilt medieval hilltop village. It has twice weekly markets and and great local family run shops and restaurants. The village sits at the base of the Massif des Maures mountains and above the village is the Fort de Freinet from which you can walk on a stunning two hour journey through the mountains back to the house. You will see views of the snow covered Southern Alps in one direction, and the Bay of St. Tropez on the other. You will pass the Romanesque Chapelle de Notre Dame de Miramer high above the fields and farms below, and often you will be the only person around surrounded only by the bare rocks and the wild plants of the Garrigue. In the other direction from the house is the hilltop medieval village of Grimaud which also has great views, good restaurants and a local flea market. In October, the annual Chestnut festival in La Garde Freinet is a popular local event with music and stalls selling chestnut themed produce as well as hog roasts.

Beaches: The nearest beach is Port Grimaud about 10km away. From here you can also take a ferry to St. Tropez which is not only a great way to beat the traffic, but also to see the many huge and sometimes beautiful yachts in the bay. The beaches of St. Tropez, like Pamplonne, are busy and glamorous with great beach side restaurants such as the famous Club 55 where the stars like to be seen having lunch. You might prefer the quieter coves near Croix Valmer like Gigaro Plage and Dauphin Plage where the water is fresher, and the restaurants more relaxed and reasonable than on Pamplonne.

Activities, sports and sightseeing: There are quite a few golf courses nearby, and tennis near Grimaud. There is horse riding in the village of Hameau de la Tourre 1km from the house, and of course, on the beaches you can rent boats, windsurfers and go water skiing. For older children and teenagers the go-kart track near the Geant Casino supermarket is very popular. For younger children there is Aqualand.

There are also numerous local caves and châteaux where you can sample the excellent local wines.

The local town of Cogolin, whilst less idyllic than Grimaud and La Garde Freinet has many useful shops, banks, supermarkets and also a weekly market.

The Gorge de Verdon is about an hour’s drive to the North. In this amazing nature reserve you can do canoeing, rock climbing, white river rafting or just take in the incredible geological features and breath taking scenery.

About 35 min drive also to the North is the perfectly preserved Cistercian monastery of Le Thoronet which was founded in 1120.