A simply stunning, 261m2 contemporary villa commanding unrivalled views over the bay of Villefranche

Property summary

Created over three spacious levels, this fabulous villa really does represent the epitome of luxury and exclusivity, using the highest quality finishings, practical design, and with an attractive individual touch, all inspired by a desire to create a truly special and privileged environment appropriate for family living, as well as high-level entertaining and leisure.

The main living area, centred around an impressive, double-height glass atrium, opens up to provide seamless integration between inside and out, leading in a few steps from the grand salon to the infinity heated pool and private terrace, with its utterly spectacular views over the glistening Mediterranean. The professionally designed, landscaped gardens surrounding the villa extends to the specially adapted roof terrace, with its grass lawn and flowering borders, with attractive pathways, steps and hidden areas boasting citrus and olive, Provençal herbs and climbing plants, all in keeping with the age-old tradition of the Riviera grand houses.

The large, open, double aspect kitchen/dining area opens directly onto the terrace/balcony across the whole length of the room, from where the views of the bay and the sea imbue the space with a feeling of being at the top of the world. The kitchen equipment has been selected from the very best available, and the preparation and work area is large enough to cater for even the most demanding of domestic requirements, being thoughtfully laid out and practical.

The master bedroom benefits from its own private balcony, with some of the best sea views from the property, as well as spacious en-suite bathroom facilities, dressing room, and a private office/recreation area overlooking the main salon, with commanding views of the pool area and the open sea beyond.

The are a further 4-5 bedrooms, an office, and numerous storage areas. The property boasts up to-the-minute It and electrical installations – it is beautifully lit at night – and benefits from a lift (accessible from the garage) and a vast, four-car garage.

The villa itself is perched on the tip of the hill overlooking the bay of Villefranche and the Cap de Nice, just below the Napoleonic-era Fort de Mont Alban, which dominates the bay of Nice on one side, and Villefranche on the other. There are cliff-top pathways leading from below the property up to the Parc National de Mont Alban, and the fort, when fully lit up at night, provides a stunning backdrop for the villa, with the bay open before you, the fort and snow-capped mountains of the lower Alps to the side and behind. There is no other villa in Villefranche with such a magnificent combination of views. Situated at the end of an exclusive road, behind the gates of a small, elegant, gated estate, this wonderful property really does dominate the heights of Villefranche-sur-Mer – a genuine jewel in the crown.

Villefranche-sur-Mer boasts one of the most beautiful sandy beaches on the Cote d'Azur, sheltered beneath the cliff and with the most stunning views out to sea, and the old town of Villefranche, with its idylic cobbled waterfront is only a few moments away, round the bay from the beach area. Here, you will find restaurants and cafes with one of the Riviera's most stunning views - across the water to the green slopes of Cap Ferrat, and the beach below the cliffs. The Old Town itself dates from the 17th century, and is without doubt one of the most beautiful places on this coast, vibrant without being noisy, still inhabited by many locals and boasting a wealth of little shops and boutiques, cafes and restaurants, many of which are open year-round.

Villefranche Mairie, or town hall, is situated in an impressive Napoleonic fortress, which stands guard over the two main port areas of Villefranche - La Darse, with its old-school ship repairers and pleasure craft (and who's vaulted stone ateliers appeared in James Bond's Never Say Never Again) and the Port de la Sante, where you can hire boats, moored up next to the local fishermen's traditional 'pointu' - painted wooden boats. The clear azur waters of the bay, the relaxed beauty of the old town - some of the houses still bear the dates (c.1640) carved over the doorways - the elegant curve of the bay (recently proposed as a Unesco world heritage site) and the near perfect beaches with their small cafes and great summer atmosphere, make Villefranche-sur-Mer one of the most lovely places on earth.

Villefranche has a mainline railway station, which is only a few stops one direction from Monaco and Italy, and in the other, two stops from Nice Centre, where a tram can take you direct to the airport. There are excellent local buses, running throughout the day along the coast from Monaco to Antibes. For those who like to exercise on foot, there are many local walking paths around the cliffs or down at the water's edge, and access to the famous St Jean Cap Ferrat coastal path begins at the end of the beach, next to the famous villa once owned by Hollywood Great, Errol Flynn, again part of the view from the terraces of the villa.

Facing the Old Town from across the bay, is the legendary Villa Nellcote, a stunning mansion right on the water's edge that was home for a short while in the early 70s to Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones, where the band wrote one of the decade's seminal albums 'Exile on Main Street'. For generations, the world's well healed have been coming to Villefranche, to enjoy the discreet beauty and peace of this wonderful village - once you've discovered Villefranche, you'll never want to be anywhere else!