The best villas in the South of France
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Much like the villages, the beaches and the food in this region, the hotels in the South of France are among some of the best and most beautiful in the world. But if you prefer to go it alone and live like a local, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region is equally well equipped to offer a private country homestay as well. In fact, renting a villa here is one of the best ways to truly get under the skin of charming towns and villages. Choose from a provincial home surrounded by lavender fields or a sprawling villa right on the French Riviera. With countless addresses available, here we round up some of the top villas in the South of France that we like the look of. For smaller stays, see our pick of the best Airbnbs in the South of France.
The Mas de Canfier, The Luberon, Provence
This breezy country house is located within the Natural Park of The Luberon and surrounded by organic olive groves. The building originally dates back to the 18th century, although only the architectural details like the honey-hued wooden beams remain – the rest has been refreshed with all-white and warm tones. All seven bedrooms come with ensuite bathrooms and air conditioning. The house has an ideal set-up for little ones, including a bedroom in the annexe apartment that can be set up with two single beds, as well as another bedroom with a separate dressing room that has a cot. There’s even a dedicated living room for kids to play in, as well as a summer living room with direct access to the garden and a winter living room with a fireplace. Nearby, the small village of Ronion has a farmers' market, while the popular town of Gordes is 10 kilometres away.
Sleeps: 14
Price: from £771 per night, 5 night minimum
Lavender Bloom, Saint-Martin-de-Castillon, Vaucluse
The smell of lavender lingers in the air outside this provincial country home. In addition to the surrounding lavender fields, the villa has an idyllic Mediterranean garden, with a cobblestone pathway leading down to a hidden terrace, outdoor lounge and swimming pool. The house is a traditional 17th-century maison, with romantic sky-blue shutters on the outside and exposed stone walls and wooden beams on the inside. There are seven spacious bedrooms, all with equally large ensuite bathrooms – some also have seating or dressing areas. Little guests will love the dormitory-style bedroom, with room for eight children to enjoy the ultimate holiday sleepover.
Sleeps: 8
Price: from £695 per night, 7 night minimum
Toulon, La Seyne-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
The shade of blue in the heated infinity pool at this beachside villa matches the blue of the Mediterranean behind it so much so that if you stand in the right spot the two blend into each other. It’s for this location alone that this villa is a standout. Behind the pool, shaded by soaring pine and olive trees, the white five-bedroom house is equally impressive. All five bedrooms come with ensuite bathrooms and leafy views of the landscape garden or the sea. In the primary bedroom is a supersized bathtub, as well as a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. Interiors are smart yet minimalist, with room for the crew to curl up on cheerful yellow sofas by the fireplace as well as let loose in the games room complete with a pool table, foosball table and arcade game.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from £1,639, 3 night minimum
Mas Milord, St Remy, Provence
Nestled within the Alpilles Mountain Range, this farmhouse has all the elements of a bucolic Provencal stay. Exposed stone walls and wooden beams are beautifully complimented with designer furniture and local artwork. This charming combination is best seen in the bedrooms, where the set-up includes a primary bedroom in its own wing, as well as another bedroom secluded in its own private studio with a lounge, kitchenette and separate entrance. Guests come together in the sprawling kitchen, where the high ceiling towers above modern appliances, granite counter tops and a large dining table. There’s also a large dining area outside amongst the lavender and wisteria, along with plenty of sun loungers by the heated swimming pool.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from £1,957, 7 night minimum
Villa Paradise, Eze Sur Mer, French Riviera
There’s something hypnotic about the jaw-dropping view from this white-on-white glassed-in villa, wedged between the rocky pinnacle of medieval Eze and the pebble beaches, which may be why French rappers and prime-time TV shows have singled it out for shoots. From the indoor/outdoor pool jutting out over the cliff, you see a glorious medley of ever-changing sea-and-sky blues and a complete sweep of the coast. The turquoise Mediterranean remains the star attraction in the open-plan kitchen, airy living room and minimalist bedrooms. There’s also a state-of-the-art fitness room where you can work out with a coach, an adjacent tennis court and a range of bespoke services, from private chefs to boat hire. Of course, it was dreamed up as a place to entertain. Villa Paradise’s unabashedly glamorous luxury sits neatly among what former Eze resident Friedrich Nietzsche found unforgettable about the site: the natural beauty of pastel pink and orange sunsets.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from about £12,600 for a one-week stay or about £1,260 per person
Villa Rosehip, Cap d’Antibes, French Riviera
From the ornate chandelier in the open-plan dining room to the vintage-style range in the kitchen and the slick wine cellar downstairs, this chic villa has an impressive mix of modern and French provincial styles. We particularly love the look of the boutique hotel-style bedrooms, each with a different vibrant wallpaper and smart ensuite bathrooms. Early risers will love the bedroom in the glass house in the garden, surrounded by curtains for privacy, and with a glass roof so you can fall asleep under the stars and wake up to bird song. In the summer, leave the French doors open and embrace outdoor living – an outdoor dining area that fits 12 and plenty of seating areas surrounding the Roman-style gardens and swimming pool.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from $2,055 per night
Le Mas En Rose, Avignon, Provence
This charming traditional farmhouse near Avignon is hard to beat for a cosy and romantic family stay. The set-up is particularly ideal if you have little ones, with the first floor including two double bedrooms (one with a bath ensuite), a twin bedroom and a children’s room with twin beds. Outside there’s plenty of room to run wild and explore, along with a child-safe saltwater pool and climbing frame with swings in the garden. While the kids entertain themselves, adults can put their feet up on the spacious outdoor lounge with a glass of local wine – there’s an impressive collection of bottles on the dining room wall. The nearby village has a couple of cafes and restaurants should you want to dine out. Otherwise, the kitchen is well-equipped to cook a French feast for the whole family.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from £2,543 for 7 nights
Villa Neptune, Théoule-sur-Mer, Cote d’Azur
This villa doesn’t just overlook the Mediterranean; it’s practically teetering on it, with the waves of Théoule-sur-Mer lapping underneath. The unique location means you can dive straight into the sea from the private steps or launch a boat from the private jetty. There are sun loungers, a jacuzzi by the water's edge, and a shaded al fresco dining area that makes the most of those stunning blue views. The house epitomises French coastal elegance – polished floors, white walls and neutral decor. All five bedrooms have private balconies overlooking the water, while some have romantic four posters or ensuite bathrooms with clawfoot bathtubs.
Sleeps: 10
Price: from £6,833 for 7 nights
Tom ClaerenVilla Ama Pampelonne, Saint-Tropez, French Riviera
What puts this low-slung villa a cut above the multitudes of swoon-worthy holiday homes near St Tropez has everything to do with art. It’s owned by a renowned European collector, so the walls and 108,000 square-foot garden area are filled with astonishing museum-quality contemporary works from Jeff Koons, Richard Serra and Damien Hirst, rivalled only by the enchanting unbroken vistas of Pampelonne Bay. With a staff of four on hand, limo service and a heli-pad for quick getaways, you may still prefer to lounge on a sunbed by the heated pool or take the wooded path to the beach, a five-minute walk to Le Club 55. The sleek modern interiors of the seven bedrooms – which includes one kids’ room with three beds, plus two bedrooms in the guesthouse – are uncluttered and unpretentiously elegant. In keeping with the spirit of the place, there’s an extensive gym for toned-body maintenance and, best of all, a hi-tech open-air cinema with a giant screen that springs magically from the ground.
Sleeps: 14
Price: from about £50,750 for a one-week stay, or about £3,625 per person
Etienne BoulangerL'Étoile des Baux, Baux, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
A rare mix between eye-catching contemporary architecture, ancient stone walls, mosaic-tiled floors and warm Provençal tones, this eight-bedroom house faces a craggy limestone cliff and the impressive medieval Citadel of les Baux-de-Provence. Surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and the Alpilles mountain range, the villa’s lush grounds and pool-with-a-view are just part of the draw. The owners’ hospitality vision goes beyond deep comfort, fine linens and fragrant natural bath products to include bespoke touches. The house manager knows every nook and cranny of the area, and you can roll up to a nearby restaurant in the Mehari four-seat electric golf cart. There’s an in-house mini-grocery shelf stocked with the best locally sourced nibbles, an honesty bar with access to a wine cellar of regional vintages, and enough to keep you busy day and night: a mini-theatre and outdoor cinema with surround sound, a fitness room, and nearby tennis and golf clubs. Kids will love the two luminous garden suites carved out of the rock and embedded with sea-shell fossils.
Sleeps: 16
Price: from about £11,850 for a one-week stay, or about £740 per person
Villa Garoupe, Cap d’Antibes, French Riviera
Set on the small curve of powdery sand that is Garoupe Beach on the Cap d’Antibes and immortalised in F Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night, this former Fortiess beach-club-turned-villa is a one-of-a-kind architectural concept. It's a sprawling waterfront property with a shaded dining terrace and living area, a sundeck with retro-style beach cabins, a heated plunge pool and a private pontoon. Nothing rivals the tumble out of bed into the turquoise shallows location. This was a glittery hotspot in its heyday – Edith Piaf held her engagement party here, figures such as JFK and Churchill would drop in for a swim, and trendsetting Twenties couple Sara and Gerald Murphy hosted picnics for Picasso, Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway. There's also a cosy kids' bedroom in an under-the-roof space and an extensive concierge service, while the minimalist constraints still add up to a breezy yacht-like feel, making Villa Garoupe the perfect spot for a Mediterranean holiday without ever having to leave the shore.
Sleeps: eight
Price: from about £12,600 for a one-week stay, or about £1,575 per person
Les Confines, St Remy, Provence
At this stately 18th-century bastide – the former home of architect and landscape-designer couple Bruno and Dominique Lafourcade – guests are catapulted into deep Provence: the three-storey lime-washed ochre façade and green shutters and the beautifully structured gardens ablaze with bright blooms, rare plants, wisteria and topiary hedges, seem timeless, as if this tranquil 20-acre property, built from scratch, had been there for centuries. A spiral staircase leads to a look-out platform on a towering plane tree, a mini summer cottage sits next to the orchard and two pools are set within the gardens. Inside the comfortable manor house, bedrooms are furnished with pretty canopy beds and clawfoot tubs in the bathrooms. Downstairs, the well-equipped country kitchen has everything you need to whip up a ratatouille, or you can hire a local chef for a Provençal feast served on the long marble tables of the outdoor dining terrace.
Sleeps: 20
Price: from about £14,000 for a one-week stay, or about £700 per person