Le Baou
Quartier Val d'Infer, R.N. 98, 83230 Bormes-les-Mimosas, Var
Sleeps 15 (including children and babies)
The Location and Setting
"Le Baou" is a 150-year-old Provencal 'bastide' (country house) which was purchased in 1986 by its English owners, and has since been totally restructured and redecorated - both inside and out.
The village of La Môle is 4 kms away - it has fairly basic shopping facilities including a bakery, a mini supermarket selling English newspapers, and 2 or 3 unpretentious restaurants, one of which, the Auberge de la Môle, is widely respected. The much more sophisticated and enchanting "village perché" (hilltop village) of Bormes-les-Mimosas is 11 kms, whilst the bustling small town of Cogolin is 14 kms, boasting a lively, twice-weekly open-air market, and a state-of-the-art supermarket with marvellous fish and cheese counters, and an excellent delicatessen selling cold and ready-to-heat dishes.
"Le Baou" is set in 9 hectares (20 acres) in a lovely valley, and is surrounded by the breathtaking, totally unspoilt, forested hills of the national park of the Massif des Maures. Vineyard follows vineyard in the valley itself, all suffused with the scents and colours of pine and oak, lavender, jasmine, eucalyptus and oleander.
The Main Terrace. Looking west
This stunning property is 14 kms from the Mediterranean coast, and 20 minutes from both the nearest beach (Le Rayol/Canadel-sur-Mer) as well as from St Tropez and Port Grimaud. (Journeys at peak hours in the height of summer can take considerably longer, though!). These are also lots of family-friendly beaches surrounding nearby Le Lavandou.
The airport of Hyères (with some international flights) is 30 minutes' drive, and the major international airport of Nice is 90 minutes. There is a private airfield between La Môle and Cogolin. The super-fast train, the TGV, stops at Toulon.
The House
A 250-metre drive leads off the N98 (which runs between Bormes-les-Mimosas and Cogolin). It passes through a small wood which separates the road from the property, crosses a ford (dry except in heavy winter rains), and after skirting a 4-hectare vineyard (producing both white and red wines), ascends to the south-facing house.
There is masses of parking to the east of the house, including 4 covered spaces.
The Dining Room with the Sitting Room in the background
The 3-storey Main House comprises:
Ground Floor
- The south-facing entrance doors open into the terracotta-tiled HALL, at the rear of which is the staircase ascending to the 2 upper floors.
On the left of the Hall is:
- The spacious (and very comfortable) Sitting Room/Dining Room. With a wood-burning fireplace, and windows and French doors on 3 sides. There is a large-screen satellite TV, and a video and a DVD player.
The dining table seats 14.
To the right of the Hall is:
- The large, very well-equipped Kitchen with a breakfast table, a 4-burner gas hob, 2 ovens, a large hot plate (ideal for 'woks'), a fridge, a dishwasher, an espresso coffee maker etc.
- Off the kitchen is the Larder, with a second fridge (equipped with a deepfreeze and an icemaker).
The Sitting Room
Also on the right is:
- A Cloakroom with a W.C.
- The Utility Room. With 2 clothes-washing machines, a tumble dryer, an ice cream-making machine, an iron and an ironing board.
First Floor
Off the Landing are:
- The Master Bedroom (Bedroom 1). With a 5'6" double bed, and windows on 2 sides.
- A separate Dressing Room.
- An en-suite Bathroom (Bathroom 1). With a bath, a walk-in shower, a W.C., and windows on 2 sides.
The Master Bedroom
- Bedroom 2. With a 6'6" bed which can be split into two 3'3" singles, and windows looking south.
- Bedroom 3. With a 3' single bed, and a window looking south.
- Bathroom 2. With a bath, a bidet, a W.C., and windows on 2 sides.
- Bedroom 4. With a 5' double bed, and windows on 2 sides.
- En-suite Bathroom 3. With a bath and a W.C.
The Master Bedroom's en-suite Bathroom
Second Floor
Off the landing are:
- Bedroom 5. With a 6'6" bed which can be split into two 3'3'' singles, and windows on 2 sides.
- En-suite Bathroom 4. With a bath, a bidet, a W.C., and a north-facing window.
- A small Room with a child's bed.
- Bedroom 6. With a 5' double bed, and windows on 2 sides.
- En-suite Bathroom 5. With a bath, a bidet, and a W.C.
Bedroom 5
The Annexe
Adjacent to the Main House, and comprising:
- Bedroom 7. With a 5' double bed.
- Shower Room 1. With a shower and a W.C.
- Bedroom 8. With a 5' double bed.
- Ensuite Shower Room 2. With a shower and a W.C.
The owner is a professional photographer and the building to the left of the Annexe is his private studio.
Lunching on the Main Terrace. With the Swimming Pool in the background
The Garden and its Surroundings
On the wide, gravelled Terrace in front of the main door is a dining table seating 14, shaded by a lime and a mulberry tree. There are also a couple of comfortable seating areas and a pretty fountain, as well as a gas-fired barbecue-on-wheels.
Beyond this Terrace is an English-style walled garden, bursting with colour. To its west is the filtered, alarmed swimming pool, measuring 12 x 6 metres, 2 metres at the deep end, and 1.4 metres at its shallow end where there are Roman steps.
The pool can be heated at a cost of £120 per week (see "THE BOOKING AND SECURITY DEPOSIT" below). This shouldn't be necessary in July or August, nor perhaps in some of the other warmer months.
N.B. Please switch on the pool alarm when the pool is not in use - it is activated by the average weight of a baby (or heavier) entering the water
There are many comfortable sun beds, and 2 large sun umbrellas.
The lawn lying behind the walled garden gives way to a vineyard, beyond which is the forest, climbing to a hill-top in the middle distance.
Other Facilities And Information
- Unless otherwise agreed, there should not be more than 15 people (including children and babies) staying in the House and its Annexe at any one time.
- Tenants will be met on arrival, and will be shown how everything works.
- Bed linen, bath and pool towels are provided free of charge, and will be changed on a weekly basis.
Looking South
- Tenants should advise Anglo French Properties Ltd at the end of each rental of any breakages, losses or damages. This is in lieu of an inventory.
- Mme Armelle Allart is the cleaner, and she and her deputy are employed by the owners for 4 hours per day on 3 days per week. They should be paid direct by tenants @ Euros 12 per hour for any additional hours of work agreed with either or both of them.
Silvain Allart (Mme Allart's son) lives in a cottage about 100 metres from the Main House. He is paid by the owners, and looks after the land around the property as well as the swimming pool. He is also the caretaker, gardener, general handyman, and mechanic. - As long as sufficient notice is given, a part-time cook and/or a babysitter can probably be arranged. His/her/their/ wage/s would be the tenants' responsibility, and, if requested, would be ascertained prior to the commencement of the tenancy.
- This is an all-year-round house, and is centrally heated throughout. The logs for the fire in the Sitting Room will be replenished by Sylvain as required.
- There are fans in all the Bedrooms.
- There are telephones in several rooms.
- There is Broadband/Wireless internet access.
- The house has an alarm system. It can be set should the tenants so request (Mme Allart will show them how to do so).
Whether or not the alarm is set, the owners' insurance policy requires that all windows are closed and all outside doors are locked whenever tenants are away from the property.
The Kitchen
- There are 2 cots (with mattresses and bedding), and a high chair.
- There are plenty of English-language books, some board games and playing cards, and a small collection of DVD's.
- There is a "boules"-playing area, plus the "boules" themselves.
- The House has a most useful Information Folder which contains the telephone numbers of a doctor, a dentist, the emergency services etc.
This Information Folder also contains details of the local markets (and the day/s of the week on which each is held), local shops and their specialities (pottery and Provencal fabrics spring immediately to mind), recommended restaurants in various price ranges, and the many cultural and sporting events and activities taking place in the surrounding area. - There is a Tourist Office in the main square in Cogolin which also provides much useful advice and information.
- The nearest 18-hole golf course is 20 minutes' drive (Golf de Valcros-Hyères), whilst, among others, there is a 9-hole course near St Tropez, and an 18-hole championship course 45 minutes to the north west (Barbaroux). Full detail are to be found in the Information Folder.
- There are 5 all-weather tennis courts in Bormes-les-Mimosas, plus a number of courts in Grimaud. Booking is essential in summer - details are given in the Information Folder.
A corner of the Rose Garden
- Bicycles can be hired in Cogolin.
- Woodland walks abound - see in the Information Book.
- The nearest beach is at Le Rayol/Canadel-sur-Mer. A longer, sandier beach (and preferred by "Le Baou's" owners) is close to Cavalaire-sur-Mer.
Other beaches can be found along the coast on either side of Lavandou.
St Tropez's world-famous beaches speak for themselves. - A visit to St Tropez itself is a virtual 'must', especially on Tuesday and/or Saturday mornings when it holds its outdoor market - one of the best in the region. N.B. leave for St Tropez early in the morning in order to avoid crowded roads.
- There are many other highly photogenic villages and small towns in the area. Bormes-les-Mimosas, Gassin, Ramatuelle and Grimaud to name just a few.
- A visit to elegant, sophisticated Aix-en-Provence (1½ hours' drive) is thoroughly recommended. It's a university city alive with outdoor cafés, restaurants and art galleries, as well as with museums, concert halls and opera houses.
- The Cisterian Abbaye du Thoronet is well worth a visit, as is the Roman town of Hyères, and the gardens at Rayol Canadel. (There are brochures in the information folder).
- There are ferry services from Le Lavandou to the Mediterranean Isles d'Hyères (Porquerolles being the largest of them).
- There are masses of excellent local vineyards, many of which encourage tastings and on-the-spot purchases. See the Information Book.
- There are nearby riding stables. See the Information Book.
Looking north towards the hills of the national park, the Massif des Maures
The Rents In 2008
| Month | Price |
|---|---|
| May and June | £4,050 per week |
| July and August | £5,500 per week |
Unless otherwise agreed, all lets will begin and end on a Saturday, and will be for a minimum of one week (other than in August when the minimum period will be 2 weeks). Tenants are required to arrive between 4 pm and 6 pm on the commencement day, and to leave by 10 am on the agreed day of departure. They will be met on arrival at "Le Baou".
The Deposit
A deposit of 25% of the rent will be payable to Anglo French Properties Ltd on signing the Rental Agreement, with the balance to be paid 6 weeks prior to the commencement of the tenancy.
Bedroom 2
The Booking And Security Deposit
A Booking and Security Deposit of £500 will also be payable to Anglo French Properties Ltd on signing this Rental Agreement. This will secure the booking and will cover (a) the cost of telephone calls made during the tenancy, (b) the cost of replacing/making good any losses, breakages and/or damages incurred during the rental, (c) pool heating if required (see "THE GARDEN AND ITS SURROUNDINGS" above), and (d) any exceptional cleaning work which may be required at the end of the tenancy. It will be refunded (less any deductions as outlined above) within 8 weeks of the tenancy's conclusion.
