La Marmotte
550 Route de St Paul, 06480 La Colle-sur-Loup, Alpes-Maritimes
Sleeps 6
"La Marmotte". The Main House.
The Location
"La Marmotte" is a charming, very private, superbly decorated and appointed property which fits snugly into the landscape below the renowned "village perché" (hill-top village) of St Paul in the heart of the Cote d'Azur. It is a few minutes' drive from La Colle-sur-Loup which has very adequate shopping facilities.
"La Marmotte" is surrounded by restaurants in various price ranges, many of which are listed in both the Michelin and other gastronomic guidebooks.
It is 8 kms west of Nice, a stopping-point for the T.G.V. (the super-fast train), and 15 minutes' drive from its international airport. In addition, it is just 4 kms from an entry to the A8 east-west autoroute.
The Cottage
The Setting And The Main House
"La Marmotte" comprises 2 buildings, the Main House and the Cottage, and stands in a most attractive garden of 2000 square metres (half an acre), accessed via the road leading to St Paul. Its overlooks the valley of La Colle, with distant views of the Mediterranean.
Although close to other houses, it is remarkably peaceful, especially at night.
Its entrance gates are electronically operated, and lead directly to the parking area, with an open-fronted garage for one car, and space for 2 or 3 others. A short path then descends to the north-facing front door.
- To the left of the front door is a door leading to the basement. This houses the washer/dryer, a range of gardening and other tools, a stack of firewood, and also has plenty of spare storage space.
The south-facing Terrace
The Main House
The small entrance hall has a fitted cupboard holding an ironing board and an iron, the vacuum cleaner, etc.
Straight ahead is:
The Sitting Room/Dining Area/Kitchen
- The sitting room has comfortable sofas and armchairs, a large, attractive wood-burning fireplace, a satellite TV (receiving English-language channels), video, DVD and CD players, plus a good selection of CD's, and some videos. There are books and magazines, and a number of board games. Windows face south and west.
- The dining area has a table seating 8.
- The well-equipped kitchen has a 4-ring electric hob, an oven, a microwave, 2 fridges, a deep-freeze, a dishwasher, etc.
- Wide, French windows open from the dining area onto the south-facing terrace, with a table seating 8, shaded by a blind.
The Sitting Room
The Dining Area with the south-facing Terrace in the background
To the left of the Entrance Hall are:
- A cloakroom: With a W.C.
- Bedroom 1 (the Master Bedroom): Air-conditioned. With a king-size bed, fitted cupboards, an east-facing window, and French windows opening onto a Terrace equipped with a table and 4 armchairs.
- Ensuite Bathroom 1: With a bath and a hand-held shower, a bidet, and a W.C.
To the right of the Entrance Hall are:
- Bedroom 2: With twin beds, fitted cupboards, and a window facing west.
- Ensuite Bathroom 2: With a bath and a hand-held shower, a bidet, and a W.C.
The Cottage
Situated about 10 metres west of the Main House.
- With a sofa-bed which converts to a comfortable queen-size bed, plenty of cupboard and drawer space, an east-facing window, and French windows opening onto a TERRACE equipped with a table, 2 chairs and a sun umbrella.
- Ensuite Shower Room: With a shower, and a W.C.
The Kitchen
The Garden
The colourful garden is a delight. Roses, lavender bushes, azaleas and other flowering shrubs, cypresses, lemon, olive and banana trees - and a beautifully green lawn.
High fences and hedges on 3 sides give a great feeling of security and privacy whilst, on the 4th (and south side), are splendid views of the valley below and the Mediterranean in the distance.
The most attractive, alarmed, filtered Swimming Pool measures 9 x 3 metres, with a maximum depth of 1.8 metres, and Roman steps at one end. There are a number of comfortable sun-beds.
Bedroom 1 (The Master Bedroom)
Other Facilities And Information
- Unless otherwise agreed, there shall not be more than 6 people (all over 16 years of age) staying at "La Marmotte" at any one time.
- Bed linen, bath and pool towels are provided free of charge, and will be changed each Saturday.
- Tenants will be met on arrival. They will be shown how everything works, both inside and out (including the electronically-controlled entrance gates and the house and pool alarms), and will be given the codes both for the house alarm and for opening and closing the entrance gates.
- The Caretaker and Cleaner is Katrine Bukjak. Apart from changing bed linen and towels once a week and the "general clean" at the end of each tenancy, she is employed by the owner for 4 hours on one mid-week day. She is, for instance, also very willing to wash and iron tenants' clothes (off the premises), and will charge Euros 12 per hour for any additional hours of cleaning work, or for any other tasks carried out by her at the tenants' request.
- Katrine's husband, Andrej, is responsible for the garden, whilst a contractor looks after the Swimming Pool. Both are paid by the owner.
Bedroom 2
- Tenants should advise Anglo French Properties Ltd at the end of each rental of any losses, breakages or damages. This is in lieu of an inventory.
- There is a portable house telephone which can be used anywhere on the property. There is also Broadband/Wireless internet access.
- There are fans in Bedroom 2 and in the Cottage. (Bedroom 1 is air-conditioned).
- There is an iron, and an ironing board.
- This is very much an "all-year-round" house, and is therefore centrally heated throughout, whilst wood fires can be lit in the Sitting Room. Andrej will replenish the logs as required.
- The owner's insurance policy requires that all exterior doors are locked, that all windows and shutters are closed, and that the house alarm is set whenever tenants are away from the property.
- The House Manual is most detailed, and as well as describing how everything works (both inside and out), it lists a doctor, a dentist, an electrician, a plumber, and the pool contractor, plus other emergency and useful numbers. It also contains details (and brochures) on local events and sporting and other activities of all kinds, including markets (and the day/s of the week on which each is held), festivals, concerts, etc. There is also a list of recommended restaurants in various price ranges, plus hints on what and where to buy the local specialities.
- On the road to St. Paul (and 3 minutes' drive from the Villa) is a comfortable, reasonably priced, modern hotel called "Les Vergers de St. Paul" which could cope with any overflow from "La Marmotte", although an advance booking is essential. Tel No: 00 33 4 93 32 94 24 (or 04 93 32 94 24 if calling from France).
- There are 4 outdoor tennis courts in the La Colle-sur-Loup. Booking instructions are given in the House Manual.
- "La Marmotte" is surrounded by golf clubs, 3 of the closest 18-hole courses being Opio-Valbonne (15 minutes' drive), Biot (20 minutes), and Royal Mougins (30 minutes).
- There are, of course, innumerable beaches up and down the coast, the nearest being at Cagnes-sur-Mer (down the hill in front of the Villa). "La Neptune" (which is on this beach) has a bar and a restaurant, plus sun-beds, etc.
- Cagnes-sur-Mer has a race course which holds meetings (mainly trotting) throughout July and August.
- Many of the world-renowned scent factories in Grasse encourage visits and on-the-spot purchases, as do the glass-makers in Biot.
- One of France's most important modern art museums is the nearby Fondation Maeght. Don't miss the chapel in Vence which Matisse designed and decorated. There are a vast number of other cultural attractions throughout the Cote d'Azur - Nice, for instance, has more museums and art galleries than any French city other than Paris, and also has an Opera House, as well as hosting many other musical events.
Bedroom 1's ensuite Bathroom
- There are a number of semi-tropical gardens on the Cote d'Azur that are open to the public. Particularly recommended is the "Eprussi" at Cap-Ferrat, a Rothschild villa and garden.
- Whilst a tourist trap in summer, the "village perché" of St Paul is known as the "jewel of the Nice countryside", and boasts "La Colombe d'Or", a restaurant whose walls are packed with original works by "local" artists including Chagall, Dufy, Matisse, Picasso and Bonnard - the impoverished young artists sometimes exchanged their paintings for a square meal!
- Two events of world importance each year are the Cannes Film Festival (mid-May) and, in the Film Festival's last week, the Monaco Grand Prix (motor racing, of course!).
The Cottage's sofa-bed
The Rents In 2008
| Month | Price |
|---|---|
| April | £1,320 per week |
| May, June & September | £1,870 per week |
| July & August | £2,750 per week |
| All other available months | £1,320 per week |
| Easter & Christmas | £2,500 per week |
Unless otherwise agreed, all lets (excluding those at Christmas and Easter) will be for a minimum of 2 weeks, and will begin and end on a Saturday.
Tenants should arrive between 4 pm and 6 pm on the commencement day, and should leave before 10 am on the agreed day of departure.
The Terrace, looking west.
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.
The Booking And Security Deposit
A Booking and Security Deposit of £350 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, and (c) 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.
