The sweet scent of pine fills the senses as you drive along the Corniche, the Mediterranean caressing the shore on one side, and villas draped in magenta bougainvillea on the other. Leaving the church tower and boat-laden marina of Sainte Maxime behind, head north for eleven kilometres to Les Issambres. Take the mountain road, signposted Col de Bougnon, which climbs up from San Peire towards the Medieval town of Roquebrune-sur-Argens. Here wild Sangliers roam in the arid landscape.
Les Hauts des Issambres looks down over the town, a gated community of privately-owned apartments where I have my holiday home. When the domaine was built in 1989, my parents could not resist the temptation of exchanging their camping holiday lifestyle for a one-bedroom, ground floor apartment with terrace overlooking the Gulf of St. Tropez. Back then they paid the equivalent of 35,000 Euros. A recent valuation quoted between 150,000-160,000 Euros. The area has certainly grown in popularity in the past thirty years, largely with French, English and European visitors seduced by the lifestyle, and new domaines and villas have sprung up on the surrounding hillsides. Many of the apartments are let during high season, when my place would fetch a weekly rental of 500-600 Euros. I prefer to visit in the cooler months of May/June and September, avoiding the tourists who descend in July and August. The domaine is beautifully kept by a team of gardeners, and two outdoor pools offer privacy and sunbathing away from popular sandy beaches. I love to climb the stone steps leading to the infinity pool at the end of the day and watch the sun setting over the bay. My neighbours regularly drive down from Le Pas de Calais in the North, and we enjoy a Pastis at cocktail-hour and watch the swifts dart and dive, catching their supper on the wing as the cicadas chirp.
HOME RUN
Buying a property in France requires time and patience. There are many local Immobiliers to help you look for vacation home rentals, villas or apartments. I have used Leonie Lelievre in San Peire, as well as Inter Agence, located on the coast road towards St. Aygulf. Both provided a property valuation when I inherited the apartment in 2018. A Notaire will handle the legal work when buying a property, or writing a Will (advisable as under French Inheritance law, it is the children and not the spouse who inherit). You will need to set up a local bank account, and relevant direct debits to cover the property’s maintenance fees, insurance, utilities and taxes. I am a French-speaker, but if you are not fluent in the language, the Notaire will arrange translation services for you. The Succession process on my apartment took eighteen monthsto complete as it also involved a U.K.lawyer – my father’s place of permanent residence.
Les Issambres is well-positioned to explore the Cote d’Azur. The airport in Nice is only 63 kilometres along the A8 autoroute. I rent a car at the airport for ease of travel, but there are trains running directly from Nice to St. Raphael. The TGV runs from Paris to Avignon in two-and-a-half hours, where you can connect to St. Raphael. For accommodation in Les Issambres, I recommend Hotel Le Provencal, a comfortable 4-star hotel on the seafront where room prices are reasonable. (In 2015, a double room cost 130 Euros a night). The best way to sightsee and avoid the traffic on the coast road is with Les Bateaux Verts which depart from the marina in Les Issambres, and can take you to all the main coastal towns and ports.
MARKET VALUES
Knowing the market schedule is a must as neighbouring towns come alive with vendors selling local wares. It is best to arrive early to secure parking. By 09.00am on a Monday, I am already tucking into morning coffee and croissant in my local village of San Peire, where the main road between the Patisserie and the beach is lined with stalls.Many of the same vendors attend other markets, and you soon get to know who has the best produce at the best price. One honey vendor in San Peire even displays a bee frame with live bees. You can taste the lavender honeys while the cacophony of market life buzzes around. I like to buy my Provencal soaps here – 6 for 5 Euros. Visit Vanessa at her boutique La Cabane Boheme, selling Boho-style dresses and kaftans. There’s a great Marche de Broquantes on Fridays where I find eclectic pieces to adorn my apartment or even take home! San Peire has a Tabac which sells English newspapers, a pharmacy, and La Tarte Tropezienne, where tasting this delicious cream gateau is de rigeur! There are two supermarkets, the Petit Casino and the Spar, both with a good selection of wine! Most visits, I get my hair done by Marthe, who used to do my mother’s hair at her salon, L’Hair du Temps in the Place San Peire.
PARADISE FOUND
My little corner of paradise is Cap Mail, owned by friends Eric & Annie, who left Paris many years ago to run this chic beachside restaurant with its Plage Privee. I rent a matelas for the day, laze under a parasol then, sand still between my toes, savour an exquisite lunch gazing out at the sailboats.
On Tuesdays & Saturdays I take the boat to St. Tropez, where the outdoor market in Place des Lices is one of the best I have experienced anywhere. Its amazing how inviting everything seems under the Mediterranean sun. After a stroll past the super yachts, and a brief pause for morning coffee at Le Clem, I visit a few of my favourite stalls. One displays brightly coloured wool scarves at only 5 Euros each; another offers excellent deals on leather bags and purses; and a lady next to the newspaper kiosk has a gorgeous selection of table and bed linens. For lunch, I wind my way back up the street Aire du Chemin at the far end of the market and check the Plat du Jour on the board outside L’Olive, or carry on to La Ponche Hotel Restaurant on Rue des Remparts – famous from the film ‘And God Created Woman’ (1956) starring Brigitte Bardot. Lunch is pricey but reminds me of my mother who loved eating here, with its glamorous ambiance under a large terrace awning facing the sea.
Wednesday it’s off to the historic Roman town of Frejus, and a smaller market set in ancient cobbled streets surrounding the impressively restored Cathedral. The Rue des Artistes has an artist supplies shop, Riquet Beaux Arts Encadrements at very good prices. My husband likes to paint when he joins me on holiday, setting up his easel in the shade of the terrace at the apartment. The artist’s palette is mimicked by the ever-abundant and colourful displays of fruits and vegetables. So too the spice stalls, and Frejus has my favourite, run by a father and son. I stock up on Herbes de Provence, Estragon (good with pork or chicken), and Cous Cous spices.
TO THE MAXIME
Thursday finds me in Ste. Maxime, where I stop for coffee at Cafe de France on the front – THE place to people-watch. This market’s impressive cheese stall has an overwhelming array of soft, hard and strong-smelling Provencal produce. The streets brim with enticing bistros and cafes. A couple of my favourites include Restaurant La Reserve with its prime location on Place Victor Hugo opposite the Port. Corinne and her chef husband used to host my parents, and I like to carry on a family tradition. Alternatively, try Le Carillon situated behind the church on Rue Jean Aicard, and enjoy pizza the French way, cooked in wood-fired ovens. For fashion, I love browsing at Lili K on Place des Sarrasins where I find great deals from Paris designers at affordable prices. Meet Fabienne at her bijou store Kacao on Rue Gambetta,or Sophie at Coin Sud on the corner of the market square. Then wander up Rue d’Alsace, where you will find L’Art A Part, an alluring home-decor store.
Venturing further afield, Les Issambres is not far from anywhere on the French Riviera. Drive North to the pretty hilltop village of Mougins with its famous Restaurant L’Amandier, or Saint-Paul-de-Vence with its well-known La Colombe d’Or restaurant, or foray into the hills behind Nice to Grasse and tempt yourself at the perfumery of ‘Fragonard’. Drive South beyond Port Grimaud, and the coast road will take you past the perched village of Gassin with its exceptional views, then on to Bormes-les-Mimosas, one of the most beautiful villages in this part of France. In fact, a lovely oil painting of this place now hangs in my apartment!
