Turn-key holiday homes in Picasso country: picture perfect Saint-Paul de Vence offers convenient property with an artistic edge in the South of France

Like Picasso, fall for the light, the culture and cuisine in your hilltop South of France bolt hole.
Medieval beauty: hilltop village of Saint-Paul de Vence, a favourite with artists and film stars
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Cathy Hawker27 May 2019

Beautiful, medieval Saint-Paul de Vence, the hilltop village 20 minutes from Nice airport, is where Provençal views come with a unique artistic history.

The special light that floods the South of France attracted many artists over the years and Saint-Paul was a particular favourite of Picasso, Chagall and Matisse, regulars there from the Twenties.

They befriended Paul Roux who ran the local inn, the Colombe d’Or, and he in turn would let them pay board and lodgings with their pictures.

The Roux family still run the Colombe d’Or and those paintings still hang on the stone walls.

Idyllic: charming Saint-Paul de Vence is just 20 minutes from Nice airport and its Provençal hilltop views are legendary
Alamy Stock Photo

Visitors who come to stay or eat on the blissful garden terrace can play spot-the-maestro among the masterpieces.

Saint-Paul: an arty escape with turnkey homes

Saint-Paul’s reputation for hospitality and art continues at Toile Blanche, another local boutique hotel. Dany and Nadine Leroy bought an 1890’s Provençal farmhouse 15 years ago and now their three sons run it as a hotel and restaurant, showcasing the family’s own love of art and sculpture.

This summer after four years of planning, they will redevelop part of the hotel to add facilities and create a total of 20 rooms and suites, all for sale freehold through France’s furnished non-professional lettings scheme.

This allows owners to offset various costs against rental earnings and reclaim the 20 per cent VAT on the purchase.

Owners pay £330,000 to £450,000 for a fully furnished studio or one-bedroom suite of 484sq ft to 753sq ft, sleeping up to four adults, in a new extension opening in May 2021.

They must join the rental pool when they are not using their home, receiving a guaranteed yield of up to 3.8 per cent net with limited personal use or a variable yield with unlimited use.

£330,000-£450,000: studios and one-bedroom suites at Toile Blanche (sphereestates.com)

“The South of France is one of the most in-demand places for a holiday home for its beauty and as an established market, but buyers have become much more practical,” says Oliver Pugh of selling agents Sphere Estates.

“They like the proximity to the airport and the coast that Saint-Paul offers but big villas demand a great deal of work and money in maintenance.

“Buying at Toile Blanche is a true turnkey experience. Owners can relax as soon as they arrive, with the hotel managing the upkeep and rentals.” Five buyers have already signed up, all frequent hotel guests.

The new rooms will be built down the green sloping site, some with plunge pools and some with views from the terrace up to Saint-Paul on the hilltop. Design will be light and modern with earthy colours and natural materials; green roofs serve as the vegetable garden.

Team Toile Blanche: Nicolas, Gregory and Gilles Leroy, with Gregory’s wife Caroline

Toile Blanche’s restaurant is a local favourite, and a tapas bar, deli, wellness centre and art studio and gallery will be added.

“Saint-Paul remains an artistic place and art has always been the soul of our hotel,” says Nicolas Leroy. “Running this hotel is a family passion. We are open 50 weeks of the year with people still swimming in the pool in late October. It’s a beautiful setting but also very private with personal service.”

Village homes in Saint-Paul

Artists, film stars and celebrities, Roger Moore and Mick Jagger among them, came to Saint-Paul over the years, says Alex Balkin of Savills France.

“Saint-Paul is historic and beautiful with plenty of galleries and great restaurants. It is accessible and green, well-placed for the motorway, close to Nice and Cannes and not too far from Monaco,” he adds.

The typical Saint-Paul property is an old stone Provençal house, often beautifully refurbished with reclaimed materials. Expect to pay from £760,000 for a 2,690sq ft villa with good views.

The ideal home is away from the road, has views of the hilltop village or the sea and is within walking distance of local shops, says Alex Balkin of Savills France.

From £850,000: for a three-bedroom flat at Le Jardin des Arts near Saint-Paul de Vence. Through Savills

Le Jardin des Arts is a rare apartment scheme for sale through Savills. The 18 homes are in extensive gardens and start from £850,000 for three bedrooms.

The contemporary, low-level scheme has a communal pool, sea views from wide terraces and underground parking.

Saint-Paul de Vence: address book

Foundation Maeght Works by Giacometti, Chagall and Miró are among those housed in a Sixties building designed by Catalan architect Josep Lluís Sert. It’s a beautiful setting for one of Europe’s largest collections of 20th-century art.

Guided Tours

Saint-Paul’s excellent tourist office provides several tours. Discover more about Marc Chagall’s work or tour the ramparts, chapel and medieval belltower that make up six listed monuments in the village.

Marvel at the artworks or relax on the sun-drenched terrace before having a glass of wine at the bar where Picasso was a regular.

Shopping

Saint-Paul’s cobbled streets are lined with art galleries but it’s the local produce that’s most worth bringing home, including truffle-infused salt, Provençal wines and oils. Maison Brémond is a good place to start.

Day trips

Saint-Paul de Vence, just 20 minutes from Nice airport, is 25 minutes from Antibes and 40 from Monaco. Other day-trip destinations include Tourrettes-sur-Loup, Grasse, Mougins and Èze.

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