| LOU PIN DEI SACE,
ENGASPATY, SEILLANS, PROVENCE |
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| THE MAIN HOUSE |
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The main house is outside the village, five minutes or so by car. It is quite secluded, but not isolated. The aspect from the two main terraces, one from the entrance to the main lounge, the other from the terrace surrounding the swimming pool, is of unblemished forest land, with mountains in the distance. The access road, or lane, from the village is very quiet. The house cannot be seen from a car on this lane!
It was built over 300 years ago on a piece of land (the property is 2.6 acres) well-chosen by the "ancients". The house is sheltered from the mistral and yet always has a gentle breeze. There are two wells, you can see the dome of one in the photographs, the second dates from Roman times, it is just behind the bamboo. This indicates that the property has its own micro-climate and that the land is ideal for olive trees and there are many on the terraces. The mature age of the trees is indicative of the mild winters.
The house itself is on three levels;
The ground floor consists of one large lounge, with a great deal of sitting space. The original, large open fire-place is at one end (there are a number of electric heaters for any cold weather renters). There is a colour TV and DVD connected to satellite allowing access to UK terrestrial stations as well as countless channels from all over Europe. We have been building up a DVD library, available to our renters. At the other end there is a dining table and eight chairs.
Several years ago we completed several building projects: the renovation of the entire ground floor and a complete renewal of the kitchen as well as the addition of an outdoor summer kitchen and boule court.
Building the summer kitchen was the equivalent of adding a new small house to the property. The structure is set on a terrace at one side of the house; it contains a sitting area with a large fireplace for Spring or Autumn evenings - ideal for a pre-dinner drink. Adjacent to this is the barbecue/ dining area with a large antique marble table seating twelve people. The barbecue is gas-fired; we have just installed a new top of the range model.
On one side of the barbecue there is a fridge and a second dish-washer; on the other two storage cupboards and an old stone sink, with two bowls. We have designed the whole thing with integral lighting so you can enjoy a long summer’s evening sitting out-side. At either end there is a speaker connected to the sound system in the house (there are a further pair of speakers in the inside kitchen).
On the house side of the summer kitchen structure we have a utility-room with clothes washer and drier as well as a third fridge-freezer which we use for ice cream,water,beer and wine freeing up the other two fridges for food. On the far side we have constructed a boule court. There are several sets of boules in the store room at the back of the summer kitchen. The late afternoon and early evening are the ideal time to play as the sun gradually sets. The views from that terrace are some of the best on the property; the long wide wall on one side of the court is perfect to put down your glass when your turn comes up……….
On the first floor you'll find three of the four bed-rooms. Two of these are double-bedded, the third is a twin. One of the double-bedded rooms has a door opening onto a sun balcony, and has its own bathroom en suite which we have added to the house. It has both a bath-tub and a separate large shower- we’ve put in an old bath we found locally and then had re-enameled with a basin to match. When you lounge in the bath you will see the wonderful blue sky on both sides of the bathroom.
The first floor also has a separate WC, and a bathroom next to it. Adjacent to the bedroom over-looking the swimming pool is a further bathroom again with an old French bath and separate shower. At the same time we created a new entrance door and staircase leading straight down to the swimming pool without going through the house.
The fourth bed-room is on its own under the roof of the house, it is twin-bedded but quite large enough for two adults. Each bed-room has its own cupboard space, with original wooden doors.
Linen and towels are provided; the linen is either beautiful cotton or lovely old French linen.
The running of the property is-coordinated by Valery le Forestier with the help of her husband Jacques, they are fluent English speakers. Nadine Gitton does the cleaning and can come in during you stay. They all live in Seillans and make sure that the house is immaculately prepared for each rental.
They can be quickly on hand to attend to any unexpected
problems………..
For those traditionalists who prefer a charcoal barbecue there is a second built- in one, with its own chimney, by the side of the kitchen door. |
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SCOTT & DENISE
MARSHALL, 44 PERRYN ROAD, LONDON W3 7NA
Tel: 020 8743 1669 Fax: 020 8740 7342 E-mail:
deniseseillans@yahoo.co.uk |
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