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Three Nice Days in Nice; One Day in Gray Paree

A line of chaise bleues in Nice

I had a quick trip to Nice last week to meet with Martine di Mattéo, our illustrious Interior Designer; her architect, Nicole Champagnol and their contractor Raphael Drotter. As the TGV sped along the tracks at about 200 miles per hour, I barely noticed the yellow color of the grape vines in the countryside fields, so engrossed I was answering emails on my laptop, plugged in and connected to the train’s WiFi. I was on a three day mission.

The yellow color of the grape vines in the countryside fields on the way to Nice by train

The renovation team, based in Paris, is working on two of our clients’ properties in Nice, the reason they had come down, too. Added to their list of projects is now my own fractional ownership property, the one I call “Le Palais du Soleil.”

They were very, very busy all three days working on our clients’ projects: a penthouse with an 86m2 terrace a block from the sea and a three-bedroom on the Promenade des Anglais with an incomparable view of the Baie des Anges. But, they took a bit of time from their chocker block schedule to meet with me at mine. I needed their thumbs up before proceeding to sign the pre-sale agreement…just to be sure…absolutely sure.

If you follow our Nouvellettres®, then you might recall the story about how, the day before the signing on a property for the same purpose with the same name, I discovered that the café under the apartment had speakers in its ceiling on the upper level that played continual music from early morning till late at night. The music, while not at all offensive, could be heard in the apartment…faintly, but heard, nonetheless. When the French doors to the outside were open, the music was obscured, but when the doors were closed, it was quite obvious. There was almost a bit of vibration. When we asked, the café management explained that the music could get even louder at certain times. As a result of the finding, I was devastated and cancelled the purchase. (You can read all about it here)

The building in which the future fractional Property, Le Palais du Soleil, is located

That was mid June of this year. From that moment on, my search team has been scouring Nice for a good replacement, not an easy task. 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.

This time we thought they found it, and by sheer chance, just across the street from the first one! In fact, from this new second apartment, you have a direct view on the windows of the first apartment! It’s almost a joke, but the views are much better.

View from the balcony of the future fractional property in Nice, Le Palais du Soleil

This apartment has the same great location, and 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.

It seems it had been abandoned for many years. It’s a complete wreck at the moment, and that’s what we all love most! But, I also needed to know from the team if what I want to accomplish is doable: It’s 54 square meters, and it must have two bedrooms, two bathrooms and all the bells and whistles of all of our shared properties…a fully equipped kitchen, air conditioning, luxurious furnishings and the ability to sleep six people with a sofa bed in the living room. It will need a complete change of the floor plan of the apartment to make the best use of the views and maximize the space.

View from the balcony of the future fractional property in Nice, Le Palais du Soleil

Together we visited it and Nicole spent one morning taking detailed measurements. Martine, Nicole and Raphael all gave it a big thumbs up and confirmed that the property could be the jewel I imagine, so I proceeded to sign the pre-sale agreement on Friday morning with the hopes of closing at year’s end! We’re going to call it Le Palais du Soleil, just like we did property #1…because it will be a “palace” and it will be very, very bathed in Niçois sun!

We’re planning to start usage of the shares as early as July 2022. 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 of your interest. As soon as we have more information, we can lock you into a share of this incredible property! For more information about fractional ownership, visit our website.

I had just these three short, but very intense days in Nice. Fortunately I was able to sneak in a walk along the Promenade des Anglais, sit in one of the iconic “chaise bleue” for a few moments and meditate while staring at the blue, blue sea. Then, I walked up to the train station to catch the 3:53 p.m. train to “Gray Paree.”

While having a coffee at a kiosk just outside the station, with a half-hour to kill, I paid no attention to what was going on around me. The station was shut tight, police were guarding the doors as an anti-vaccination protest came swarming into the Place. I was oblivious, until a woman came up to me and asked me a question about it. Fortunately, there was a way around to the tracks and with my ticket, I was admitted to the tracks and was able to board the train. We arrived in Paris Saturday night just perfectly on time, as it usually is.

Protesters in Nice protesting covid vacination mandates

Paris was grayer than ever on Sunday—like living in a cloud—and that made it a perfect day to visit the Atelier des Lumières, a former foundry in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Developed by Culturespaces, the same organization that operates the Carrières des Lumières in Les Baux Provence, it is an immersive digital exhibition using thousands of images of digitized works of art, broadcast in very high resolution via fiber optics and set in motion to the rhythm of music. With 140 video projectors and a spatialized sound system, this unique multimedia equipment covers 3,300m² of floor to ceiling space, with walls rising up to 10 meters.

The exterior for the Gaudi Atleier des Lumieres

Gaudi at the Atelier des Lumieres

The current exhibition is of Dalí’s works and Gaudí’s, on until January 2nd…so don’t delay in scheduling your visit. Within the foundry, you are free to wander anywhere, but my preferred spot is the large wall on the left after you enter. There are times you feel as if you’re inside the artist’s canvas. There is simply nothing not to love about it…especially when outside the walls, life is gray and inside it’s a rainbow of color.

Photo of Dali at the Atelier des Lumieres

Dali at the Atelier des Lumieres

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Normally I’d be ordering up an expensive French turkey (about 80€), but this year I’m letting Breakfast in America do the cooking. You could, too…if any tables are left! Book now!

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds bundled up in NiceAdrian Leeds
The Adrian Leeds Group®

Photo of an apartment for sale on rue Poitu in ParisP.S. Be sure to read Wednesday’s Nouvellettre® when we reveal a Perfect Pied-à-Terre on rue de Poitou in the 3rd arrondissement—one bedroom, 33m2, designed and decorated by Martine di Mattéo with hand-laid tile by Véronique Husson—priced for sale at just 480,000€…or email us now for more information.

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