How do you find a place to live in France…. I wondered. Friends directed me to VRBO {Villa Rental By Owner}, which is where I found Villa Spirita. There are many similar sites, another one I used was called Holiday Lettings. It’s a great concept, linking owners and renters directly. After entering your criteria {location, # of rooms/beds, personal preferences, etc.} you are presented with a {hopefully long} list of options to peruse.
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We loved our stay at Villa Spirita. We had the full second floor, which included 2 bedrooms, baths, and ample living quarters for our {current} family of three. Equally important was the fact that it had very high ceilings, and sets of French doors {including one in each of the bedrooms} and double windows that let in all of that marvelous Mediterranean light. The pretty blue shutters were a plus as well.
It was built during La Belle Époque, or the “beautiful era” {1890 thru 1914}. This was a period of optimism for France, when they were enjoying a period of peace and prosperity. Many advancements were made in technology, sciences and the arts during these years.In the South of France, and particularly in Beaulieu~sur~mer, developing architecture reflected the spirit of lavish creativity that was prevalent at this time. Craftsmen were creating beautiful homes, sleek in design, and airy, with high ceilings. The sleekness was contrasted with ornate moldings, iron gates and balconies and many homes had flower painted friezes. Colors of the sunset washed the exteriors, shades of pink, rose, coral and gold, oftentimes with contrasting colored shutters. Many of the architects were Italian. Here is a quote from the current owners about Villa Spirita “One of the first villas to be built in Beaulieu sur mer ~ built by an Italian who was building some of the fabulous villas in the area for Russian Grand Dukes and other European Royalty. It is named after his wife Spirita Busi. It was subsequently sold to Oliver Gerard, a film director from Paris, married to a god-daughter of Queen Victoria.”
The furnishings were classic and casual and I loved the marble fireplaces. This one is in the living room.
This fireplace is in the master bedroom, I bought these gardenia plants to add some greenery to the space.
I loved this fireplace feature, a metal sliding door that can be closed during the summer, so you don’t have to stare at the ashy insides of the fireplace.
In my searches for places to live, I needed to consider a mix of family criteria. My husband “needs” water. I must say, he was quite content yacht-spotting from the marble balconies of Villa Spirita.
My daughter desires accommodations that are aesthetically pleasing, like her own room and a view: {CHECK!}
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| View from Villa Spirita, B~sur~mer, where the Alps meet the sea. |
Pour moi? My priority was to have “a village” where I could immerse myself in French culture, a place I could walk regularly and easily, to do my errands while practicing my french and getting to know the locals. I also wanted a decent kitchen where I could make a nice meal out of the things I bought from the village vendors. At Villa Spirita were were all happy.
There’s an ancient Roman path along the backside of the apartment that allowed us to walk to town in about 5 minutes. There we could have coffee, visit the fresh market in the square, go to the butcher, pasta maker, boulongeries, garden shop, florists, gourmet food shops, a supermarket, restaurants, hair salons and hardware stores. Even with all of this retail, Beaulieu~sur-mer still has a very small village feel. If we walked in the other direction on this path, we could hike up to the base of the Alps and beyond.
From morning to night, our stay at Villa Spirita was a beautiful era for our family. HERE’s the link, just in case this description floats your boat and you’re thinking of a getaway in this fabulous section of the South of France {but check with me first, will you? I’m hoping to hang my hat there again someday!;}
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| Sunrise, Villa Spirita, Beaulieu~sur~mer |
There are numerous rental agencies in this area. While I dealt directly with the owners initially, their local agent was my contact during our stay. Brigitte works for an agency that represents properties in what is called the “golden triangle”, the “communes” of Beaulieu~sur~mer, Villafranche~sur~mer and St. Jean Cap Ferrat. If Villa Spirita is full or doesn’t quite fit your needs click on her name above to contact her.
Hi, Emily ~
As mentioned before, we are all living vicariously through you 🙂 Wonderful apartment! Love the marble fireplaces, etc. Thanks for your tips on finding rentals. Most valuable, indeed.
xoxo
Loi
aaahhhhh ….. enjoying your posts darling… relish every moment… xx
Nice post…!!
I also love this beautiful apartment,this is so beautiful or so glad to click in this site….Thanks for this kind of interesting sharing..!!
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