Provençal Towns & Villages
The beautiful hilltop villages of Grimaud, Gassin and Ramatuelle are within a 30-minute drive (Grimaud is a 10 minute drive). Each have charming little winding streets to explore, fabulous restaurants and panoramic views. Plan de la Tour is another village 20 minutes drive away. Not as famous as the other villages but equally picturesque.
St Tropez feels like it’s hardly changed since the days of Brigitte Bardot although I suspect the superyachts in the harbour are much larger! Lose yourself in the backstreets as you come across chic boutiques, little squares, bars and restaurants. People watching from restaurants on the harbour is a must!
La Garde-Freinet
A 6 minute stroll from the villa takes you into the picturesque ancient village of La Garde-Freinet where there is a charming twice weekly market.
There are numerous restaurants, bars, a boulangerie, a butcher, a traiteur selling homemade quiches, patés etc, two little supermarkets selling wonderful fresh fruit & veg and local produce such as truffles. There are also art galleries, gift shops, a fantastic pharmacy, 2 doctors and a post office .
Our favourite shop is the wine shop! It is run by Hervé and his son Roman who are full of great advice on interesting wines from near and far and often do tastings accompanied by bread and their delicious local cheeses that they also sell.
We love sitting at cafes in the main street watching the world go by.
There is a thriving local community with festivals, dance shows, theatre productions etc laid on in the summer and the famous chestnut festival in the Autumn.
Watching the locals play pétanque on the village boule pitch is a favourite past-time.
