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LE VIEUX MOULIN |
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BETWEEN GRASSE AND CABRIS, FRANCE
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Park your car inside the electronic gates and stroll up the palm-lined driveway to Le Vieux Moulin, an impressive stone manor house and mill set in three acres of mature olive groves. Views from the infinity swimming pool, on an upper terrace behind the house, stretch across wooded hills and valleys as far south as Cannes. A pergola runs along the front of the house, providing shade for outdoor meals; and an open-air pool house has been stylishly furnished for lazy days. The main house has been carefully restored and well-decorated in a pretty, Provençal style by the Dutch owners and brochure photographs do not do the house justice. It is light and roomy, with lime-washed beams and terracotta floors, and the swimming pool - with its sharp lines and lofty views - is sensational. There are two living rooms and five bedrooms, although one is very basic with two bunkbeds for children (the owners call it the 'sardine room').
Grasse, the setting for Patrick Süskind's novel Perfume, is 4.5km away. The surrounding factories produce three-quarters of the world's commercial fragrances: there are tours (and a Musée de la Parfumerie), should you be interested. The medieval centre is a bit grubby, but the vegetable and flower market is one of the best in the region. The finest restaurant in Grasse is La Bastide St-Antoine, just outside town in an ancient farmhouse owned by two-Michelin-star chef Jacques Chibois. The village of Cabris, suspended on the steep edge of a promontory 5km from the villa, is everything Grasse is not: calm, classy and classically good-looking. There are stunning views from the top of the village, and a few good restaurants, including Le Petit Prince and Le Vieux Château.
SLEEPS
Eight adults and four children (no toddlers)
PRICE
£5,995-£6,190 per week, including maid service; only available July-August
CONTACT
Balfour France (020 8878 9955; www.balfourfrance.com)
FLY
EasyJet (0870 600 000; www.easyJet.com) to Nice (33km away)
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