| LOU PIN DEI SACE,
ENGASPATY, SEILLANS, PROVENCE |
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| THE VILLAGE: SEILLANS |
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Seillans is a small, quite unspoilt eleventh century village nestling in the foot-hills of the Haut-Var. It is, however, very accessible to the coast and Nice Airport: about 45/50 minutes drive from the airport if you take the quick A8 route, perhaps 15 minutes longer if you choose to come via Grasse. The coast is some 35 minutes away at Frejus (ideal for anyone bringing their own car down on the train), it takes 35 - 40 minutes to get to Cannes.
The village has a population of 1,600 people, with high, winding medieval streets. There is a good variety of restaurants. A small cluster of shops include a pharmacy, a boulangerie, a small cafe bar (The Bar Charlot) and a news agent and tobacconist with all the international papers. A medium-sized, but very well-stocked supermarket is at the bottom of Seillans hill. A branch of the Credit Agricole opens two afternoons a week. However, there is a 24- hour cash machine outside the post office opposite the bank.
Twenty minutes to one side of Seillans brings you to Bargemon, about 10 minutes the other way takes you to Fayence which is rather larger than Seillans and supports a morning market on three days a week. There is another, much larger, supermarket at Fayence ( Super U ), at the bottom of the hill, and one of the best boulangeries in the Haut Var, La Gourmadine.
"Foodies" will have a wonderful time in the area as there are no end of good to excellent restaurants within easy reach of the house.We are very lucky that Seillans itself has three excellent restaurants, completely different in style.
Les Deux Rocs is at the top of the village; high quality cooking served on the outside terrace when the weather is warm. La Gloire de Mon Pere is very much a family restaurant with tables and chairs set up around the village fountain,under high shady trees.Chez Hugo has a bistro feel with an excellent menu ( Hugo used to have a very successful gastro-pub in England). In addition, the Bar Charlot, at bottom of the village, does superb simple lunches, excellent value.
There are two very good vineyards five minutes drive away: the prize-winning Val D’Iris and Domaine des Selves, who will happily fill your 5 litre plastic containers with its best rose.
We have a number of recreational facilities around our village. There are three good tennis courts, with a small bar; you can reserve a court in advance. Fayence has a world-famous glider school, the thermals are quite special. The little airport has an excellent very good restaurant.
Apart from the nearness of the coast there is a most beautiful inland lake 15 minutes away, the Lac de St. Cassien. It is about 5 miles long with exceptional clear-water bathing; you can choose your own secluded beach in the pine trees. Boats and pedalos are easily hired but the area is so spacious that there seemed lots of space on a hot July Sunday last year when we were last there with our grand-children..
A fantastic golf complex, Terre Blanche, is situated between us and the lake, it has two 18 -hole courses. The five star hotel there has excellent food; with a wonderful setting looking up at some of the perched villages it’s a great place to have cocktails. Another nearby golf course is at Le Muy, about 20/25 minutes from the house. |
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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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