It is no surprise that the Mediterranean coast of France is one of the most
popular locations for British homebuyers purchasing abroad. Not only is
there a good climate, great beaches and excellent transportation links, but
local people have also become well-versed in how best to deal with
expatriates and visitors.
It was the English aristocracy who first settled around Cannes more than a
hundred years ago as a way of escaping the awful British winter. It is now
as much a place to escape the awful British summer. The French have learnt
to expect the unexpected. I was in a restaurant in Antibes last summer when
an Englishman at a table next to mine announced to the waiter that he needed
a towel after dinner. “I’m going for a dip,” he declared. “Pas de problème
,” replied the waiter.
The rest of the diners averted their eyes as the Englishman stripped naked and
paddled off into the bay of Antibes. When he emerged, the waiter greeted him
with a large towel and a brandy. Try that on the Costa del Sol. You are more
likely to get assaulted by red-faced lager louts.
The only problem with the south of France is that everybody knows about it.
Even the Russians, and they have so much money that the best places are now
absurdly expensive. Monaco, Nice, Cannes, St Tropez: the great names now
come with even greater prices and menus in Russian. Not a place for a family
holiday; even the price of a couple of ice creams will make you shiver.
St Tropez is no longer just beach huts and a romantic port; it’s Nikki Beach
and bling, even if some of its original charm remains if you visit out of
season. The planners have done their best to keep the Mediterranean coast
relatively free of development — there is nothing of the ghastliness of the
Costa del Sol.
In fact, some of the new developments on the Med are very good: one of my
favourites is Le Roc near St Tropez. It has a golf course and five-star
hotel, and the resort is gated, so you can leave your house and find the
furniture still there when you return six months later. Further west, the
developments get dodgier; in fact the closer you get to Spain, the more like
Spain it gets.
According to the Fédération Nationale de l’Immobilier (National Federation of
Estate Agents), house prices in France have risen by an average of 54% since
1997. The first quarter of this year has seen a slowdown everywhere except
along the Mediterranean coast. This region saw a 10.3% rise during the first
quarter of 2006 — compared with a 9.3% rise for the same period in 2005.
Predictions remain bullish.
“As soon as the sun starts shining and the visitors arrive, things get busy,”
says Tony Tidswell, a Languedoc-based property consultant who runs the
website www.francevoila.com. “I predict prices will continue to stay high
and we may even see some slight increases during the coming months.”
Some areas will never lose their cachet, and new money has pushed prices
beyond even the reach of some English aristocrats. As a rule, the smart
money is moving west, but once you’re the other side of Marseilles the
coastline is flatter and less interesting, although the sandy beaches do
compensate. As do the lower prices. After an extensive tour of the coast, we
have come up with six places that still have an authentic feel to them, with
not a Russian oligarch in sight.
Sanary-sur-Mer
The town probably hasn’t changed much since the writers Sybille Bedford and
Aldous Huxley hung out there in the 1930s. It has escaped much of the
British influx to France, as it was traditionally full of Germans. Not the
“first on the sun-lounger” type, but the literary kind. When Hitler came to
power, Sanary became the capital of German literature in exile, with Thomas
Mann its most notable resident. It is accessible, just off the motorway and
within easy reach of airports at Marseilles, Toulon and Nice.
According to Christian Gambarutti, who runs the Agence Gambarutti in Sanary,
the Brits prefer to be in British ghettos such as Le Lavandou, a few miles
up the road towards St Tropez. “The handful who have bought here have chosen
properties around the expensive area of Portisol,” he says.
A decent-sized house in Sanary costs about £500,000, with small flats with a
sea view starting at £200,000. It is not a cheap place to buy but is the
most charming and unspoilt town on the French coast. Though like anywhere in
Provence, it is best avoided in August.
Cassis
Cassi, as the locals pronounce it, is almost as charming as Sanary and shares,
according to a local restaurateur, a great literary tradition. “We have lots
of intellectuals here,” he told me, although he struggled to name any of
them.
Cassis has one big disadvantage. Like St Tropez, you can only reach it from
one windy road, so getting to and from town during July and August is
difficult without a helicopter. It does, however, have a charming old-style
port similar to that at Sanary. Traditional fishing boats mix with yachts
and the waves crash against the lighthouse. Prices are a little lower than
in Sanary due to the road problem. Villas start at about £400,000, while a
flat in town with a sea view will set you back £150,000.
Sète
Thierry Cazin, who runs the Abessan estate agency, says the coastal town of
Sète in the Languedoc is as good an investment as you’re likely to find on
the French coast. “It is easily accessible, only 25 minutes from Montpellier
airport, and has a very pretty centre and sandy beaches,” he says.
Sète is France’s principal fishing port on the Mediterranean so if it is an
authentic town you’re looking for, this could be it. There is nothing poncy
about Sète. It is not as picturesque as Sanary or Cassis, but it has a
rustic charm. Locals call it the Venice of the Languedoc, which is an
exaggeration, even if there is plenty of water. The best place to buy is on
Mont Saint-Clair, which rises 183m above the town and has views towards the
Med, the Pyrenees, the Cevennes and the Thau lagoon. Property prices on the
peak are about 20% higher than they are in the town. Cazin has a five-bed
villa for sale with a garden of just under half an acre for £555,000.
Marseillan-Ville
Just down the road from Sète is Marseillan-Ville. It is like St Tropez
probably looked before Brigitte Bardot decided to grace the beach there. It
is staggeringly pretty, with one of the most unspoiled ports in France. You
can while away many an afternoon at the Château du Port restaurant, drinking
wine and watching the boats go by. Do not confuse it with Marseillan Plage,
which is worse than Margate.
There is a beautiful stretch of beach that stretches 4 miles to Sète.
Marseillan is only 40 minutes from Montpellier airport. There is also a
nearby train station at Agde. “It’s the perfect place to buy a holiday
home,” says Alex Charles, who runs www.creme-de-languedoc.com, a website
dedicated to the region. “And with effective marketing you can easily rent
out property. Expect to pay about £110,000 for a two-bedroom apartment and
£137,000 for a three-bedroom villa.”
Bages
The worst thing about Bages is finding it, especially with a grumpy husband in
tow who is late for lunch. Lunch is how I first discovered this gem just
outside the city of Narbonne. It is home to a fabulous restaurant, Le
Portanel, and one of the most beautiful places in the Languedoc region.
Not strictly speaking on the Mediterranean coast, it is actually on the Etang
de Bages et de Sigean, a lagoon that runs into the Med. A nature reserve
filled with pink flamingos and fishing boats, it is a paradise for walkers;
you can wander along the beaches for hours practically undisturbed. Bages
and the equally stunning neighbouring village of Peyriac-de-Mer are not only
undiscovered by the Brits, most French people have yet to find them. Prices
are not cheap. A three-bedroom townhouse with 1,076sq ft of living space is
on the market with Orpi Lagarrigue for £214,500. Properties with a view of
the lagoon rarely come on the market, but if you’re not in a hurry you might
get lucky.
To get there, head off the A9 motorway at exit 38, towards Plaisance, an
industrial zone. Just after the zone, pick up the D105 to a different world.
Collioure
Collioure in French Catalonia is known as the city of painters and has
attracted some of the best, including Matisse. There is evidence of art all
around; from the Les Templiers bar where painters swap their work for beer,
to the Fauvism coast walk.
Collioure is relatively easy to reach, with regular flights to Perpignan and,
just over the border in Spain, Gerona. “The market remains buoyant,” says
Neil Hitchen of www.collioureproperty.com. “Prices start at £105,000 for a
one-bed flat. You’ll pay about £158,000 for a two-bed flat with garden in
the old town.”
On the market
In Sète, this three-bedroom villa has a guest flat, swimming pool and half an
acre of gardens. It is on the market with Latitudes (020 8951 5155,
www.latitudes.co.uk) for £575,000
Ten minutes from the beach in Collioure, this four-bedroom villa with a pool
is a 20-minute drive to Perpignan airport. For sale with Francophiles (01622
688 165, www.francophiles.co.uk) for £430,000
A three-bedroom villa near Cassis, 15 minutes from the sea, is for sale for
£390,000 with Francophiles, 01622 688 165, www.francophiles.co.uk. The
home’s furniture is available for an additional £6,850
A three-bed house in the harbour town of Marseillan, with two living rooms, a
kitchen and a garage, is for sale for £180,400 through Mer et Campagne
Immobilier, 00 33 467 623 806, www.123immo.fr
Abessan, 00 33 467 300 001, www.abessan.fr; Agence Gambarutti, 00 33 494
760 616; Orpi Lagarrigue, www.orpi-lagarrigue.com
