Villas with sea views, from Nice to Menton

Basking in sunshine all year round and blessed with luxuriant vegetation, the Mediterranean coast winding its way from Nice to Menton offers an idyllic backcloth. Since the “Belle Époque”, artists and crowned heads have come here to recharge their batteries and admire the most enchanting views of the Riviera shores. Nowadays, the lucky few benefit from these magnificent surroundings from the terraces of luxury villas and high-class apartments.

The property market in this part of the Côte d’Azur proposes numerous homes with high-end appointments, such as sumptuous villas enjoying views of the Mediterranean. These properties meet the expectations of a very wealthy foreign clientele, aware that this type of second residence in this part of the world is a blue-chip investment.

Ideally located between the Principality of Monaco and the Italian border, the region around Menton benefits from a mild climate, easy access to both the sea and mountains, and a rich cultural and architectural heritage. Over the past few months, the property market on the French Riviera has been picking up and, according to Lionel Da Silva, director of the Immocial Transaction de Menton agency : “There are now lots of villas up for sale”. Italian owners, obliged to sell due to a modification in taxes on properties owned abroad, have adapted to current market prices. Buyers, mostly from other regions of France, can now find some desirable properties, such as a villa of 150 m2 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, which “while not on the seafront, enjoys a magnificent view”. On offer at 2,120,000 €, it has all the qualities of an ideal holiday home : high-end appointments, facing south with a panoramic view of the sea from its large terrace, a swimming pool, garage etc. Likewise, a 1 bedroomed apartment of 65 m2 in a palace in the centre of Menton offers a lovely open view of the coast. Up for sale at 349,000 €, the appointments of the residence and the property itself meet the requirements of investors who, according to Lionel Da Silva, are looking for “turnkey” properties, ie. without any refurbishment to be done.

Further west, the communes of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Èze-Bord-de-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Villefranche-sur-Mer are all wonderful places to live. The rose and ochre façades of villas overlooking the sparkling sea still act as a magnet on members of a well-heeled, cosmopolitan elite. The Agence Bristol in Beaulieu-sur-Mer has specialized in sales of properties in this “Golden Triangle” for almost a century. Its manageress, Evelyne Quenardel-Petoin, explains that “the micro-market for luxury villas enjoying views of the sea - and, if possible, close to the shore - is still as alluring as it always was for foreign clients”. In particular, there is “strong demand for “Belle Époque” properties with sea views, on Boulevard Edouard VII or the Petite Afrique neighbourhood in Beaulieu-sur Mer”. Offering enchanting views of the bay and Cap Ferrat, luxury villas in Villefranche-sur-Mer are also highly sought-after, as demonstrated by one contemporary property of 250 m2 proposing a sweeping view of the seafront and high-quality appointments, priced at 4,290,000 €. The view is just as stunning from the terrace of a spacious and charming 1950’s villa in Èze-Bord-de-Mer. On offer at 4,200,000 €, this property of 350 m2 with a very lovely garden, and closer to the Principality of Monaco, is bound to be of interest to foreign buyers. As Evelyne Quenardel-Petoin points out : “Luxury properties are now safe havens for investors, especially those from Europe”.

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