Villa Ophelie

A well-known architect created the cubist design of this sleek Californian-style house situated on a hillside just outside Carqueiranne. Nearly every room and outside space celebrates the spectacular views of the azure Mediterranean beyond and there is a secret upstairs spot in the house where you may well feel you are actually at sea! Villa Ophelie is about a twenty minute walk downhill to a lovely  beach in a small cove well protected from the wind.

The kitchen-diner opens out to an al-fresco dining terrace while the living room has an enormous angled bay window to maximise the sea views - a giant TV screen transforms this space into a cinema at night. The occupants of each of the five en-suite bedrooms will just want to lie back and gaze at the changing colours of the sea and sky as dawn breaks or as the stars appear at night.

The interior of the house is fully air conditioned but outdoors is definitely a spot for sun lovers. When you need to cool off, the elegant infinity pool and tempting hot tub are both set on the expansive wooden terrace with vast views over the sea and surrounding hills. Refreshed, try out the boules court before making a pizza in the summer kitchen.

Carqueiranne has a range of beaches and sunny coves for swimming and summer watersports including snorkelling, windsurfing, kitesurfing, kayaking and sailing. The little town has shops, restaurants, cafés and pretty parks and gardens in which to pleasantly while away the time.  

This is the perfect location for visiting historic Hyères, the maritime city of Toulon and even glitzy Saint-Tropez, not forgetting some of the picturesque towns and villages along the coast and inland. From the southern end of the Giens peninsula, take a ferry to the glorious Îles d’Hyères or book a vineyard tour and discover why the region is so famous for its wine.  

The whole area is a paradise for lovers of outdoor activities with golf, tennis and mountain biking available as well as the huge range of watersports. There are plenty of hiking opportunities in the glorious landscapes of the Massif de Colle Noir, Paradis Mountains, Saint-Baume National Park and the Janas Forest.