French Riviera

Fantasy Villa in Mougins: Estate of the Day

It's no exaggeration to say that the grand Villa L'Imperiale fulfills every fantasy of a lavish French manor.

Built in 1980 and totally renovated, this magnificent villa has almost three and one-half acres of landscaped gardens with sweeping views of the countryside. Located in Mougins, a snap five miles north of Cannes, it is totally removed in spirit and sensibility from the chaos of the French Riviera port. Mougins, which has preserved some of its medieval walls, is serene and quiet yet boasts some great restaurants where chefs like Alain Ducaisse got his start. No wonder Picasso spent the last 12 years of his life here.

The villa is perched on a hilltop within a gated community in what is widely considered the most desirable and prestigious residential area of Mougins. Along with seven bedrooms, new kitchen, gym, and guest quarters, the property also has an attractive screening room. The large pool, pool-house, and outdoor dining area fit in seamlessly in the manicured gardens.

Admittedly, the French owner, who is selling because of relocation, is a Napoleon "fanatic." In a private Napoleon museum next to the wine cellar, he displays original and authenticated helmets, swords, rifles, and documents as well as many paintings from the Napoleonic era. Details at estatenetfrance.com.

Gallery: Villa L'Imperiale in Mougins

Tags: Cannes, estate, Estate of the Day, French Riviera, Mougins, Picasso, villa

Fairy Tale Castle on the French Riviera, Estate of the Day

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

A medieval stone castle in Bar sur Loup combines the best of both world's: an impressive historic structure with stunning gardens and the glam life of Nice and Cannes nearby. A snap 35 minutes from the Nice International Airport and you're in the postcard perfect 18th century village of Bar sur Loup, known as the "town of orange trees." The current owner of this castle must sell as he is moving to Hong Kong. Just five years ago, he found the property in terrible shape, fell in love with it, and painstakingly restored virtually every centimeter. All five bedroom suites, several living rooms with working fireplaces, a study, and hobby room are all in pristine condition. The owner even reclaimed materials from other French chateaux to be sure that no "foreign" or inappropriate materials interfered with the building's integrity. Most appealing, in particular, are the pool and pool house. Add to that a wine cellar, caretaker's cottage and parking for ten cars. The original castle dates back to the early 18th century but its gardens surrounded by olive and fruit trees, rose bushes, and jasmine appear to be much older. The price is €5,900,000. Details at estatenetfrance.com.

Tags: buying a chateau, chateau sales, estate of the day, france real estate, french real estate, French Riviera, Provence

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Edith Piaf's Riviera Retreat, Estate of the Day

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Edith Piaf did not lead "La Vie en Rose." One of France's greatest popular singers, she died at only 49 in 1963 at her hilltop villa in Plascassier on the French Riviera. She had suffered many injuries and the death in a tragic accident of her lover. It could be that in her last days she found solace and comfort in her beautiful house and gardens.

That home and its manicured gardens are now for sale for 6,890,000 euros. The seller is a successful business executive whose children attend the nearby international school in Mougins less than five miles away. The owner has done extensive work on the house, especially on the gardens. The kitchen is totally updated and attractively modern. The living room is spacious with a traditional fireplace as you would expect in a house almost 200 years old. The master bedroom suite has a private terrace and is linked to a large study. In total, the house has seven bedrooms each with it own bathroom. A pool and pool house, tennis court, summer kitchen, garages and a large caretaker's house dot the property. For details: www.estatenetfrance.com.

Tags: edith piaf, estate of the day, france real estate, french riviera, Mougins, Plascassier

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Villa Living On the French Riviera

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

If you're thinking of buying a villa in the south of France, one that is beyond beautiful, where you could conceivably live year round, send your kids to good schools, and still be about a half hour (22k) from the airport, one of the properties offered for sale by Estate Net France SARL might fill the bill.
This real estate company specializes in upscale properties on the French Riviera. Their properties are not just in Cannes, but also St. Tropez, Grasses, and Mougins. In fact, they cover the waterfront from Monaco to the northeast to Frejus and St. Raphael in the south.

The villa in Cannes has six bedrooms each with its own bath, a pool and poolhouse, Jacuzzi, massage room, hammam, gym and three- car garage. It has been recently renovated in a contemporary style. Even the garden and terrace have been redone. For staff, there's an independent "guardian's" apartment. The price is €18,000,000. The company only deals in sales, not rentals, which are fully described on its website www.estatenetfrance.com. For details, you may want to call the company's office in Mougins at 33-(0) 497 793 220.

Gallery: A Villa In Cannes

Tags: estate of the day, French Riviera, luxury real estate, South of France, villa in Cannes, villa sales

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Jay-Z and Beyonce Charter $40 Milllion Superyacht

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Celebrity Shopping

Add another famous couple to The Classicist's list of superstars (including Madonna and Brangelina) sunning themselves on superyachts this summer: Jay-Z and Beyoncé. R&B's royal couple have been cruising on the French Riviera on a $40 million superyacht, the London Daily Mail reports. The pair, who earned an estimated $150 million between them last year, are chartering the 180-ft. Altitude (above), built by Italy's Benetti yachts in 2003, for $370,000 a week. The yacht can accommodate 14 guests in 6 cabins. The vast split-level owner's apartment has his and hers white marble bathrooms, a separate study and a private 180º raised observation lounge with spectacular views forward. A sun deck features a huge spa pool complete with wetbar and a well equipped gymnasium. The yacht is also available for sale at about $40 million.

Gallery: Jay-Z and Beyonce's Superyacht Charter

Tags: Benetti yachts, Beyoncé, celebrity, French Riviera, Jay-Z, Madonna, marble, superyacht, yacht, yacht charter

Muse-Inspired Hotel Opens In St. Tropez

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Great ladies inspired the Muse Hôtel De Luxe, the first of YTL Hotel's global expansion, opening in Saint-Tropez, France this week. The new hotel is comprised of 15 suites, 10 with pools, most overlooking the terraced gardens. Each suite is named after one of the muses the hotel has been dedicated to such as 'Edith', after Edith Piaf, 'Catherine', after Catherine Deneuve and 'Lauren' after Lauren Bacall. The suites have their own decor but each has cool stone floors and mamorino wall finishes. Suites have oversized showers and plasma screen televisions. The guest services include Bentley shuttles to the beaches and sun-butlers to apply sunscreen.The hotel includes the restaurant 'M', inspired by the Slow Food philosophy, where executive chef Nicolas Le Tourmelin and consultant chef Clement Bruno of Chez Bruno preside over an exclusive truffle menu. The menu also offers such tempting fare as Royal King Crab Thermidor style, Red Mullet Tart with Aubergine Caviar and Baby Mozzarella, Scottish Beef 'Aberdeen Angus' Fillet with Red Wine Reduction and Sea Bass Baked in a Crust of Salt or Flambéed with Thyme. The bar at Muse has views over the sunken pool and gardens. The bar offers alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and and healthy smoothies and non-alcoholic cocktails such as carrot cleansers, fresh fruit juices and presses for detoxing during the day. At dusk, a range of signature cocktails and aperitifs are served with creative canapés. Rooms start at 350 euros.

Tags: france, french riviera, hotel opening, muse hotel, muse hotel de luxe, saint-tropez

Celebrate the Economic Recovery with Ten Days in the Riviera

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

Times were a little hard last year, and probably the only way to show that your unconquerable soul remains in tact is to get seven of your friends and €100,000 ($140,000 U.S.) together for a ten-day tour of the French Riviera, seven of them spent on a 100-foot yacht. No, really, anything less that that and there could still be some doubts...

The escapade, organized by Montreal's Pure Entertainment Group, begins somewhere in Western Europe, where you and your fellow sailors will be flown in a private jet to Nice. From there it's all high living: seven-day cruise (the pictured yacht is one of the fleet), two nights in Monte Carlo at the Hotel De Paris and four bottles of Dom on arrival, a two-hour massage for each person to put vigor in your legs again, and dinner at Alain Ducasse's Louis XV.

Travel dates are open from April 1 to September 1, 2010, and operators are probably standing by to take your booking. There might be easier ways to show you've turned it all around, but the words "French Riviera" are known to work rather well.

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Tags: france, french riviera, monte carlo, pure entertainment, pure entertainment group, riviera, yacht

It's Official: Mikhail Prokhorov Loses $55 Million Villa Leopolda Deposit

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Poor Mikhail Prokhorov. Last month we reported that the metals magnate had been replaced as Russia's richest man by Vladimir Lisin, and now languishes in second place. Now a court in Nice has just ruled that the oligarch must forfeit the $55 million deposit he put down for the magnificent $750 million Villa Leopolda (above) on the French Riviera in 2008 before backing out of the deal, the London Daily Mail reports. Prokhorov signed a sales agreement for the Villa, and French law stipulates that purchasers lose their deposits if they pull out after such an agreement has been executed. The magistrate also ordered Prokhorov to pay the Villa's owner Lily Safra an additional $1.5 million penalty. Safra says she will donate all the money to ten charities, including almost $1.5 million for neuroscience research at King's College London and Imperial College London. "By transforming the deposit into an act of giving I would like to encourage all who can do so to support medical research and other humanitarian causes," she declared. On the plus side for Prokhorov, he's still worth a cool $17.85 billion.

Tags: France, French Riviera, FrenchRiviera, Lily Safra, LilySafra, Mikhail Prokhorov, MikhailProkhorov, Russia, Russian billionaire, Russian oligarch, RussianBillionaire, RussianOligarch, South of France, SouthOfFrance, Villa Leopolda, VillaLeopolda

Villa Shamballa, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Last week we covered the Wall Street Journal's mention of a luxury villa on the French Riviera. Now we are zooming in for a closer look. Villa Shamballa is in the town of Cap,D'Ail a seaside resort town in southeastern France that borders Monaco. The contemporary style villa was completed last year and spreads over 9,300 square feet. It has ten bedrooms, two terraces, a stone guest house and a wine cave. The home's hillside location delivers incredible views of the Mediterranean Sea. The home was built by retired real estate developer Jean-Claude Rahn and his wife Ursula Neuerberg, of the German cigarette manufacturer Haus Neuerburg and the home has been visited by celebrities including Prince Albert of Monaco, Claudia Schiffer, Michael Shumerer. The home is listed at 38.5 million euros.

Gallery: Villa Shamballa

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Tags: cap dali, CapDali, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, french riviera, FrenchRiviera, villa shamballa, VillaShamballa

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Villa Leopolda Now Worth Only $40 Million?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

Villa Leopolda in Cap Ferrat (above), once the world's most expensive estate with a $750 million pricetag, may now only be worth $40 - $50 million thanks to plunging prices in the wake of the global recession, according to Sotheby's International Realty CEO Alexander V. G. Kraft. "For trophy properties it used to be a question of how much someone was willing to pay," Kraft tells the London Telegraph. "They would come quietly onto the market – they would be marketed under the table. This system really has totally collapsed. Buyers willing to pay anything like those sums just don't exist anymore." The paper says "panic sales" are on the rise in the ritzy area.

As we wrote about back in February, Russia's richest man Mikhail Prokhorov had reportedly agreed to purchase the Villa for $750 million but later backed out of the deal, forfeiting a $55 million deposit. The estate has not been re-listed. "Prices are coming more in line with the rest of the market," Kraft declares. "Trophy properties will be more in line with 'normal luxury properties' – about 20 to 30 million [euros]." Peter Ilovsky, director of Sotheby's International Realty in Cap Ferrat, says they're still good investments however. "Owning a property in Cap Ferrat is like having a Picasso," he tells the paper. "It's certainly better than placing the money in a Swiss bank."

Tags: Cap Ferrat, CapFerrat, French Riviera, FrenchRiviera, Mikhail Prokhorov, MikhailProkhorov, oligarch, Sothebys, Villa Leopolda, VillaLeopolda

Russia's Richest Man Backs Out on $750 Million Mansion

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

It seems that Russia's new richest man, Mikhail Prokhorov, may not have been telling the whole truth when he denied buying the world's most expensive house, the $750 million Villa Leopolda (above) on the French Riviera, last year. Back in August we reported that the metals magnate was the mysterious purchaser of the eye-popping property, but Prokhorov, who's worth $14.1 billion, protested his innocence, saying he declined to do business in France because of a mix-up with some prostitutes and the French police. Now the London Times reports that Prokhorov signed a contract on the property and paid a $55 million deposit, but wants to back out of the deal.

Prokhorov reportedly lost $7 billion in the economic crisis but has fared better than fellow oligarch Roman Abramovich. Prokhorov will likely face a legal battle over the deposit, which is non-refundable under French law, with the Villa's seller Lily Safra. "Lily is adamant that she's not handing the deposit back," a source close to the deal tells the London Daily Mail. "Mr. Prokhorov, in turn, claims that property prices have collapsed since August, and the figures originally discussed were unreasonable. He wants out, and he wants his money back." We expect Prokhorov, founder of a new magazine for snobs, will likely issue another denial this time as well.

Tags: France, French Riviera, FrenchRiviera, Lily Safra, LilySafra, Mikhail Prokhorov, MikhailProkhorov, Roman Abramovich, RomanAbramovich, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Snobs, Villa Leopolda, VillaLeopolda

The Classicist: A Toast to F. Scott Fitzgerald

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, The Classicist

Drinking, if done well and stylishly, can lead to literary inspiration. Or at least not impede it too much. Take that great chronicler of wealth and society F. Scott Fitzgerald, for instance, whose 112th birthday is about to be celebrated; some of his best work was clearly done under the influence. Just look at Tender Is the Night (1934). Of course the intemperate author, left entirely to his own devices, might have been less poetical in his consumption of alcohol and thereby rendered a less perfect work of art. But his great friends, patrons and mentors Gerald and Sara Murphy, upon whom Tender Is the Night is based, showed him how to do the thing properly.

The beautiful, rich and clever Murphys, central figures of expatriate social and cultural life of the Jazz Age in France, held court at their villa on the French Riviera in Antibes - this was long before the Russian billionaires arrived, before there even was such a thing in fact - and dispensed cocktails at the dazzling dinner parties immortalized in the book. Gerald tried to limit his guests' consumption of same in order to prevent the gatherings from devolving into total inebriation, though Fitzgerald usually managed to down more than his fair share. This often led to breakages, shouting matches and even suicide attempts, proving Murphy right.

The Fitzgeralds of course, were legendary boozers. When they later lived in shabby gentility in Great Neck, Long Island, they would drive back and forth to Manhattan for binges in a second-hand Rolls-Royce. Their houseboy would frequently find them passed out on the lawn in the morning, the car more or less in the driveway. For Murphy, however, drink-making was a stylish ritual imparted by his father, owner of the Mark Cross luxury goods company.

Tags: Antibes, Cary Grant, CaryGrant, Cocktails, f. scott fitzgerald, F.ScottFitzgerald, France, French Riviera, FrenchRiviera, Gerald and Sara Murphy, GeraldAndSaraMurphy, Gin, Jazz Age, JazzAge, Mark Cross, MarkCross, Rolls-Royce, Summer drinks, SummerDrinks, Tender is the Night, TenderIsTheNight, The Philadelphia Story, ThePhiladelphiaStory, Whitney Museum, WhitneyMuseum

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Mystery Buyer of World's Most Expensive House Revealed

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The mysterious billionaire who just bought the world's most expensive house - the $750 million Villa Leopolda (above) on the French Riviera - is none other than controversial Russian precious metals mogul Mikhail Prokhorov, the AFP reports. Luxist readers may remember Prokhorov as the over-the-top tycoon who announced plans in April to spend $150 million launching a magazine for snobs in Russia, called simply Snob. Prokhorov is ranked as the 24th richest man in the world with a $22 billion fortune. Some earlier reports had erroneously identified the villa's buyer as Roman Abramovich. Last year Prokhorov was briefly detained during an investigation into a suspected prostitution ring at the ritzy ski resort he frequents in the French Alps.

Tags: French Riviera, FrenchRiviera, La Leopolda, LaLeopolda, Magazines, Mikhail Prokhorov, MikhailProkhorov, prostitution ring, ProstitutionRing, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Snobs, Villa Leopolda, VillaLeopolda

R�sidence Sup�rieur "Extreme Luxury" Concept

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Real Estate Developments

Financial whiz turned "lifestyle designer" Richard Nilsson apparently felt that plain old luxury had lost its luster, so he decided to focus on "extreme luxury." When he was running a business empire Nilsson was only able to take one week off per year, so for his first project he came up with the "Résidence Supérieur" concept as an ultimate retreat where vacationing moguls and movie stars could pack as much luxury and privacy into their vacation as possible, cost be damned.

The first RS is the Villa Oxygene in Cannes on the French Riviera. In addition to ultra-luxe surroundings, it includes exotic sports cars, a private jet and helicopter, yacht, butler, chef, bodyguards and basically anything else you could wish for. Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria recently shot an ice cream commercial there, and Nilsson is now planning other equally outrageous outposts. See the gallery for pix.

Gallery: Residence Superieur

The villa's Lamborghini and Wiesmann roadster

Tags: Cannes, Eva Longoria, EvaLongoria, French Riviera, FrenchRiviera, Lamborghini Gallardo, LamborghiniGallardo, Residence Superieur, ResidenceSuperieur, Richard Nilsson, RichardNilsson, Villa Oxygene, VillaOxygene

Riviera's Famed Proven�al Hotel to Re-Open as Apts.

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

A famed Art Deco hotel on the Côte d'Azur that's been derelict since 1973 is being turned into a luxury apartment building catering to the bon ton. Developer Cyril Dennis is relaunching Le Provençal, on the border between Juan-les-Pins and Cap d'Antibes, where the likes of Coco Chanel, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald once frolicked.

The London Telegraph reports that Dennis is transforming the 45,000-sq.ft. beachside property, built in 1925, into 56 luxury units with 360-degree views, indoor / outdoor pools, private gardens, Porsche kitchens, marble floors, Turkish baths and aquariums. He describes the Provençal as "the last jewel in the Cap d'Antibes," an area where top-drawer villas now go for over $200 million thanks to an influx of superrich oligarchs such as Roman Abramovich.

Gallery: Le ProvenÃ§al