Mediterranean Villas & Lifestyle

L'Escalet, Ramatuelle: why people rent and buy villas beside one of Saint-Tropez's most unspoilt beaches

The Tattooed Villa: Jean Cocteau's Secret Masterpiece in Cap-Ferrat

In 1950, Jean Cocteau arrived at a newly built villa above the sea at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat for what was meant to be a week's stay. He stayed for months — and spent the next twelve years covering its walls and ceilings with mythological murals painted directly onto the plaster. The result was Villa Santo Sospir, the 'tattooed villa': one of the most remarkable private interiors on the Riviera, and a gathering place for Picasso, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, and a generation of artists and writers who passed through its rooms.

Les Hauts de Saint Paul : A Guide to the Domaine

Perched above the medieval village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Les Hauts de Saint Paul is one of the Côte d'Azur's most coveted addresses — a place where Provençal light, stone, and silence conspire to slow time. To rent here is to inhabit a world apart: private, refined, and quietly extraordinary.

Sinopolis, Gassin: a gated hillside domaine above Saint-Tropez

Sinopolis is a private gated domaine in Gassin, five to ten minutes from Saint-Tropez, with open views over the Gulf and easy access to Pampelonne beach. Home to the five-star Althoff Villa Belrose hotel, it offers generous plots, strong privacy, and high-season rental appeal in equal measure.

Château de la Garoupe, Cap d'Antibes: the story of a 1907 seaside estate and its gardens

In 1907, Lord Aberconway bought four acres at the tip of Cap d'Antibes and commissioned the English architect Ernest George to build a villa with a long half-moon-windowed façade. The story of Château de la Garoupe, its celebrated gardens running down to the sea, and the travelling journalist who added a floor to it.

Château de la Croë, Cap d'Antibes: the story of a Riviera landmark

Nestled on the prestigious Cap d'Antibes, the Château de la Croë has a storied history spanning royalty, glamour, and tragedy. Built in 1927 by architect Armand Albert Rateau, this magnificent Victorian-style estate on a 7-hectare seafront plot counted among its residents the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Greek shipowner Stavros Niarchos before a devastating fire in 1970. Today, it is undergoing a remarkable renovation to restore its original grandeur.

Le Point de Saint Hospice - Real Estate on Cap Ferrat's Quiet Tip

At the eastern tip of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat lies Saint-Hospice — a quieter, more contemplative promontory widely regarded as the most exclusive address on the French Riviera. Home to Paloma Beach and a handful of the most private estates in the world, it is a place where properties rarely come to market and history runs deep.

Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez: a private domaine on the Cap Saint-Pierre peninsula

Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez is a prestigious gated estate on the Cap Saint-Pierre peninsula, spanning 110 hectares with around 300 private properties. With 24-hour security, private beach access, and prices ranging from €7 million to over €120 million, it is widely considered Saint-Tropez's most exclusive address.

Château Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: the history of a Venetian neo-Gothic waterfront estate on Saint-Hospice

Villa La Mauresque Saint Jean Cap Ferrat

Villa La Mauresque on the Cap Ferrat peninsula has lived two distinct lives: first as a Moorish retreat built by missionary Major Félix Charmetant around 1900, then as the reimagined modernist home of Somerset Maugham, whose legendary interwar guest list included Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Noël Coward. When Maugham returned after the war to find bullet holes in the facade and the wine cellar stripped bare, the Gauguins and Picassos were somehow untouched. A history of survival, transformation, and a name that outlasts the buildings that bore it.

Cap Ferrat: The Riviera's Most Guarded Real Estate Market

Villa Les Cèdres: The Story Behind Cap Ferrat's Most Famous Estate

Villa Les Cèdres on the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula is one of the most storied estates on the French Riviera. Built in 1830, transformed into a world-class botanical garden under the Marnier-Lapostolle family, and sold in 2019 for a reported €200 million, it remains the most celebrated private residence on the Côte d'Azur.