Get Your Share of the Riviera…Now!

I’m in Nice today on the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea and I’m loaded with good news!

Yesterday, I made a full price offer on an apartment in the heart of the Carré d’Or in Nice literally across the street from the apartment we called “Le Palais du Soleil.” It was an apartment we had planned to develop as a Fractional Ownership property. You may recall the story of Le Palais du Soleil #1. We cancelled the purchase the day before the signing of that property because the speakers in the ceiling of the café below reverberated music into the apartment…a real no-no from our perspective!

We’ve been searching for a replacement property ever since and it’s been very tough to find. I have very high standards for such a property of which there will be 13 owners. It has to be PERFECT. “Perfect” in my mind is a property that is highly desirable, well located, well designed, decorated, and appointed—a “jewel” that is unlike any other of its category. In Nice, what makes a property as perfect as possible is a location close to the sea and the Promenade des Anglais, a view of the sea if at all possible, usable outdoor space (balcony or terrace), good quality building with charm, elevator, air conditioning, great views, etc.

Yesterday we found it.

What’s so amazing is that this apartment has the same great location, but even better attributes: second floor with elevator; corner position with large rounded corner windows; two balconies—one north facing, the other east facing with a view of the sea; both streets are pedestrian, so while there will be people noise, there will be no traffic noise—all of which can be blocked out by the double-paned windows we will install; in a much nicer building with a beautiful lobby. I was the very first potential buyer to see it and if I had hesitated, no doubt I would have lost it…so I didn’t hesitate.

It’s a complete wreck at the moment, and that’s what I love most! We will completely change the layout of the apartment to make the best use of the views and maximize the space. It will have two bedrooms, two bathrooms and all the bells and whistles of all of our shared properties…fully equipped kitchen, air conditioning, luxurious furnishings (at the hands of Martine di Mattéo) and the ability to sleep six people with a sofa bed in the living room.

We’re going to call it Le Palais du Soleil, just like we did #1…because it will be a “palace” and it will be very, very bathed in Niçois sun! We’re hoping to start usage as early as July 2021, but if not, then in the fall or January 2023 (it all depends on how fast we can work!).

If you are interested in having a share (4 weeks of usage a year), there is no time like the present to put you on our special mailing list. Just email us now to let us know your interest. As soon as we have more information, we can lock you into a share of this incredible property!

__________

This is not the only good news we have for you today.

La Belle Terrasse, our Fractional Ownership property in Villefranche-sur-Mer is finally and officially on the market! There are only a few shares left, so now’s the time to think seriously about this beautiful property.

La Belle Terrasse is our “jewel in the crown.” It’s a one-bedroom apartment located in the Old Town of the romantic Romanesque village of Villefranche-sur-Mer Old Town with a spacious terrace on the “front row,” meaning that it’s directly overlooking the sea with nothing to obscure the view—and that view on the port and the peninsula of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is drop-dead stunning! I call it “The Million Dollar View.”

The apartment is located at 9 rue Pasteur at the end of one of the village’s primary streets, rue Poilu, on which there are lots of restaurants and amenities, parallel to the port overlooking a sweet “Place” with a working fountain, Place Conseil. The entry to the property is dated on the door in carved stone—“1789”!

If you know Villefranche-sur-Mer, then you know that with so many levels, easy access is very important. There are a minimal amount of stairs to the front door of the apartment and it is easily accessed by stretches of flat paths (for easy rolling of your suitcases) from the available parking on both the east and west sides. There’s a flat pathway from the Place du Conseil that takes you directly to the local train station (five minutes by foot) that takes you all along the coast and in the other direction, you can take the same flat street (rue Poilu) with just a few steps to the main parking lot at the entry to Villefranche-sur-Mer (five minutes by foot), so the location is ideal in a town that is normally quite challenging. It’s also just a short walk to the buses on the Basse Corniche, so you don’t need a car in order to explore the entire Riviera.

Just at the Place du Conseil, is something very obscure indeed. This is the very the beginning of rue Obscure, a hidden medieval street that runs 430 feet long under the buildings, so it looks more like a tunnel than a street. It was built in 1260 as a pathway that let the soldiers shuffle through the village with ease and it’s one of Villefranche-sur-Mer’s not-so-hidden treasures. At the other end of rue Obscure is a plaque cemented into the ground—a rendering by artist Jean Cocteau that reads:

Jean Cocteau became our inspiration for the apartment’s design and décor. It is currently under complete renovation and an update to make it just as luxurious as are all of our properties. We’re redoing the floors in a classic terrazzo, updating the kitchen, creating a new and larger bathroom, and decorating the entire apartment “haute de gamme” in classic Provençal/Côte d’Azur style.

The moment you enter, you have a view of the sea from the kitchen window, and there is another fabulous sea view from the living room/dining room. East facing with a broad expanse, the light pours in all day long, and as lovely as the apartment will be, it’s the larger-than-10-square-meter terrace where we will be sure to find you! And the terrace will be heated it so that you can use it all year long.

The kitchen is on this main level as you enter, leading directly to the terrace. It will be fully equipped with absolutely everything you need to cook gourmet meals—all while gazing out the window to see the aqua blue sea below. Also on this level, just as you enter, is the toilet with a sink as is a washer/dryer and lots of storage.

Down just eight steps to the right takes you to the living room/dining room, bathroom and bedroom. The living room has a floor-to-ceiling window on the sea and a complete mirrored wall behind the sofa bed allows you to have non-stop views of the sea while you’re lounging, watching TV or dining inside.

The large and spacious bathroom is just to the right as you enter the salon, with a luxury shower, double sink, towel warmer and great make-up lighting.

Just further on is the bedroom, also large and spacious, with a floor-to-ceiling closet that will house more than you’d ever need. There is a dresser and a queen size bed that can separate to twins for those who prefer sleeping apart. The window in the bedroom overlooks Place Conseil, the charming Villefranche-sur-Mer buildings, and when open, you can hear the trickle of the fountain in the Place. Just below that window of the yellow stuccoed building is a fuchsia Bougainvillea that will put a smile on your face every time you pass through the Place and when you see it from the window.

SPECIAL NOTE: The apartment is currently under complete renovation and refurbishment. Some of what we project here may or may not be realized as we humbly require flexibility in making the final appointments. But, we can promise and assure you that the apartment will be renovated and decorated to the ultimate luxury and thoughtfulness at the hands of our illustrious Interior Architect and Designer, Christina Collier.

My personal goal is to provide you with the best possible Fractional Ownership property on the market—something you can love owning and using, that you will have for many years and then later easily resell or be proud to leave to your kids. You’ll find the price of the shares to be very reasonable—a lot less than others on the market, simply because we don’t have to overcharge to make ends meet. The prices are:

Shares 1 through 4: €69,700
Shares 5 through 9: €73,700
Shares 10 through 13: €77,700

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT TIERED PRICING: The first group of shares are always priced the lowest. They get more expensive as they are sold out and become less and less available. At this writing Shares 1 through 9 are already spoken for. Th at means the few shares left are at the highest price—€77,700…but that’s still a big bargain for a property of this caliber.

The shares will be sold on a first-come/first-serve basis. When you make your request, you will receive a letter of commitment to sign and access to all supporting documentation.

This is fractional ownership’s smartest usage calendar; proven by the success it has had with other properties on market we developed. Occupancy for the 13 owners begins on Thursday and ends on Thursday, in two-week intervals, 26 weeks apart. Each year, the rotation moves forward by 10 weeks to allow for a full mix of seasons. Owners may trade weeks with other owners as they like throughout the year and it’s easy to plan as the calendar is set for the next 13 years. Owners who wish to have four weeks consecutive usage, may choose a share adjacent to another owner with the same request. By trading weeks between them, each can have four weeks consecutive usage. Calendar may be altered by a unanimous owners’ vote. You choose your share letter when you make your share purchase.

The owners will share all of the annual costs of operating the property, which means spreading the costs thinly among them. They will all have a voice and share the responsibilities, making this virtually hassle-free. Annual dues are currently estimated at 990€ the first year and reduced the following years due to some first-time costs. In addition, there will be a small reserve fund of 385€ for future repairs and replacement as well as a security deposit of 1,500€ held on account.

Planned Amenities Specific to La Belle Terrasse:

• 1st floor (7 steps), European
• Large covered heated terrace with expansive sea view
• Bright, east-facing windows overlooking the sea and south-facing window overlooking Place Conseil

Kitchen:

• Combination oven and microwave
• Four burner stove
• Dishwasher
• Full-size refrigerator with freezer
• Toaster
• Nespresso coffee machine
• Complete array of kitchenware (all cooking utensils, dinner, and tableware, serving pieces)

Living Room/Dining Room:

• Round dining table that seats four
• Double sofa bed
• Flat-screen TV
• Air-conditioning

Bedroom:

• Queen-size bed that can be made as twins
• Large floor-to-ceiling closet with hanging space and drawers and dresser
• Bedside night tables
• Air-conditioning

Independent bathroom:

• Large shower with glass door
• Double sink and vanity mirror
• Heated towel rack
• Medicine cabinet
• Powder Room: Toilet, mirror, and sink

Other:

• Combination washer/dryer
• Hair dryer
• Iron, and ironing board
• Plenty of bed linens, hand, bath, and kitchen towels
• Private telephone line with answering machine
• Long-distance telephone service to 100+ countries, including US and Canada
• WiFi internet access
• TV channels including BBC World, CNN International, and Aljazeera • International
• Non-smoking
• No pets allowed

For more information visit our website. To reserve your share, email us IMMEDIATELY. (The shares will not last long!)

A bientôt