Cote d Azur holiday cottage

This 19th century property is traditionally furnished and locally sourced materials have been used where possible; Provençal fabrics for soft furnishings, locally produced tiles for the pool area and stones from the surrounding region for the dry stone walls. The beautiful garden, which is full of a wide variety of plants including fruit trees, is maintained by a local man and watered from a well. The property is ideally situated; the garden provides an oasis of peace in a lively town; but it is easy to walk to local shops and the famous restaurant ‘La Bastide Saint Antoine’ is just 1km away. The owner will be happy to give information on where to buy organic food, non-touristic places to visit, walks, recycling points for paper, plastic and glass etc. Kitchen waste (uncooked) may be added to the composter in the garden.

Grasse has an excellent public transport system; there is free parking at the railway station from which there are regular connections to Cannes and towns along the coast, and there are bus services to Nice and Cannes, as well as many of the smaller villages. The owner can advise on opportunities to explore without using the car all the time.

The area is perfect for art enthusiasts; the medieval village of St Paul de Vence was made famous by artists such as Bonnard and Picasso, and is home to the Maeght Foundation with its superb modern art collection. Many contemporary artists are attracted to the region, so there is always a variety of exhibitions to go and see. There are some examples of local art on display in the house.

Grasse is famous for its perfume industry, and a guided tour of one of the perfume factories is highly recommended in order to appreciate the history and importance of perfume manufacture in the town. Other aspects of the town’s history are covered in a series of guided themed visits - the Tourist Information Office has further details.

There are several easy walks starting in the hills above Grasse which offer magnificent views over the Cote d’Azur, from Mandelieu to the Baie des Anges at Nice. Also there are several hikes in the nearby countryside of the ‘Pays de Grasse’ - itineraries are available from the Tourist Information Office.

Summer visitors can participate in various local festivals, including ‘La Fête du Jasmin’ which takes place during the first weekend of August. There are parades, battles of flowers and the crowning of Miss Jasmine. ‘Bio Grasse’ is a vast market of Organic products which takes place in September.

We support a range of charities and projects in France and worldwide which provide aid to vulnerable communities and habitats, e.g. ASSOHUMA, a French charity which organises trips taking humanitarian and medical aid to women in Afghanistan and families in remote Sénégal; Shared Interest, a co-operative lending society which provides funding for Third World producers.

Our office in Devon is in a redundant agricultural building which we re-built using reclaimed, traditional materials. We support the Devon Wildlife Trust and we have nest boxes and feeding stations in the office grounds to encourage the birds. Our water for the office comes from a spring and is pumped by a water-powered ram. We do not produce a paper brochure; our bookings and enquiries are handled by email and all our office paper and printing cartridges are re-cycled. Our shredded documents go on the compost heap.