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Le Petit BijouCalendar

1 bedroom, 1 bath €900–1,500 per week (Rate details)
  • Holiday rental waterfront apartment with panoramic views in historic 13th–18th century landmark building
  • Private balcony with 180-degree views of the bay of Villefranche, from the Corniche cliffs and beach, all of Cap Ferrat, out to the mouth of the bay
  • Artistic and comfortable décor features beautiful antiques, art from local artists, lighting all on dimmers, and a desk for those needing to do a little work
  • Fully equipped modern kitchen and bathrooms
  • Perfect location in a charming, quiet corner of the Old Village, within walking distance to everything
  • AC, WiFi, telephone with free international calling, Smart TV with English and French stations, stereo with Bluetooth connection, indoor and outdoor speakers
  • Five-minute walk to train station, 10-minute walk to bus, excellent public transport, beautiful coastal walks from the doorstep
Everyone says "Wow!" when they enter the apartment. You are overwhelmed by the color of the bay, the sunlight streaming in, and the bright, cheerful feeling of the apartment.
Whether sitting or laying down on the sofa or sitting at the dining table, this is the view. The buffet stores dishes plus the Smart TV (with English and French stations), stereo system with Bluetooth and inside and outside speakers.
When you live at Petit Bijou, you will always have the French doors open and live part of the time on the balcony as it constantly pulls you out into the scene. You live inside and outside, even in the winter. The electric sun awning covers the entire balcony, thereby offering you plenty of sun protection.
The living room has a dining table for four, a sofa, an armchair and footstool. From either the dining table or the sofa you have spectacular views of the bay, even when laying down reading a book. The sofa is a great place for a little nap or daydreaming away. You are mesmerized by the views.
You are looking from the dining area to the bathroom door, front door, and small hallway that leads to the bedroom. In the small hallway is a little office tucked behind the living room wall.
The little office is a comfortable place to work or a nice place to store your electronics. There is WiFi, a phone line with free international calling, plenty of outlets for your devices and a few desk supplies. Just beyond you can see the bedroom.
The bedroom has an excellent queen-sized bed with lovely, crisply ironed white linens, down pillows, and cotton blankets in summer and down duvets in the winter. There is beautiful lighting, all on dimmers, plus reading lights on both sides of the bed.
The bedroom has a lovely window that you can look out at from the bed. This is the view from the window of the pretty little square called Place du Conseil. The room has a large closet with plenty of storage for hanging and folded clothes, plus storage for suitcases.
You enter the apartment at the back of the yellow building. The apartment is on the 4th floor but because you enter in the back, quite a bit up from the waterfront, you actually enter the building on the 3rd floor so only have one flight of stairs to get into the apartment. It is a very quiet part of the old town.
Petit Bijou is located on the second floor from the top, just below our Waterfront Penthouse. It is a landmark building in Villefranche which has been painted and photographed throughout the ages, many of which are in museums.
In order to show you the panorama of the view, we had to do it in three photographs. This first is facing the beach and the cliffs, the Maritime Alps, that plunge to the sea. There is a table for two, although you can accommodate guests with two folding stools, plus there are two sun loungers.
As you turn through the 180-degree view, you are now looking at the end of the beach and the beginning of Cap Ferrat. Cap Ferrat and Cap de Nice are what form the bay. The bay is famous, through the ages, for being very protected, hence makes it an excellent place for swimming.
Turning further, you now look out to the tip of Cap Ferrat and the mouth of the bay. It is lovely at night to watch all the lights on the bay and Cap Ferrat, including the beautiful lighthouse. Just beyond the mouth of the bay, the sea is one mile deep, making the bay an important area for marine research.
The galley kitchen has one of the best views ever, plus it's adjacent to the balcony. Although small, it is very efficient and well designed. At the far end of the kitchen is the sink. We provide excellent pots and pans, knives and knife sharpeners, and all the utensils for someone who loves to cook, plus excellent storage.
Although the refrigerator is small (under counter), it does have a freezer. Plus, there is a grocery store, traitteur (deli / prepared foods), green grocer, butcher and boulangerie just 150 meters away. People here shop daily for fresh food and we hope you'll enjoy doing that too.
The kitchen includes a gas stove, electric oven, dishwasher, microwave, excellent lighting and great storage. We think you will love cooking in this kitchen and preparing meals or delicious aperitif items to enjoy on the balcony.
The spacious bathroom includes a window with one of the "best views from the loo" as our British friends say. There is a large sink with lots of counter space, a mirrored cabinet with lots of storage for toiletries and excellent lighting.
There is a soaking tub with a shower. The washing machine is also located in the bathroom. The dryer is a clothesline off the balcony — we think you'll love sun-dried laundry, just like the French ladies do.

Le Petit Bijou

1 bed, 1 bath €900–1,500 per week

Request a Reservation

Select your desired arrival date first by clicking or tapping on the calendar, then select your desired departure date. Then click the “Send Email” button to submit your resevation request to us. We will respond to your request typically within a day.

October 2024
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Map of Le Petit Bijou
Location of Le Petit Bijou is circled on the map.
Click to view in Google Maps.

About the Location

Le Petit Bijou is located on the waterfront of Villefranche, so close that you can see the fish swim in the sea below you while you sit on the balcony. It has a commanding, panoramic view of the Bay, Cap Ferrat and the stunning cliffs of Villefranche laden with beautiful gardens and villas.  You are extremely private, however, as no one can see in. It is a very romantic place, day or night, but at night it is especially romantic with the beautiful golden light from the old street lanterns that create a wonderful dancing reflection on the sea.  This building is one of the most photographed in Villefranche and appears on many postcards and in books about the area. It has also been painted many times throughout the ages including paintings that hang in museums in Paris as well as in Nice.

The back of the apartment looks onto Place du Conseil, on rue du Poilu, where you enter the building. The Place has a charming double staircase that goes around a bench and small fountain, that serves cool potable water, where local people and visitors passing by stop for a rest and a drink.  Rue du Poilu is a convenient location and one of the principal pedestrian streets in the Old Town. About 200 meters from the apartment you will find several restaurants, a variety of shops including a grocery store, an excellent Italian traitteur and a boulangerie. However, this end of rue du Poilu, is all residential so very quiet yet close to everything. From the front door of the building you can go one direction to the shops and bus stop or the other direction to the train station, beach and a number of lovely coastal paths that including the walk to Beaulieu sur Mer or St. Jean Cap Ferrat.  You enter the building on the 3rd floor, therefore there is only one flight of stairs to Le Petit Bijou, one of which is inside the apartment.  Read more About Villefranche on our page about the village and area.

  • Holiday rental waterfront apartment with panoramic views in historic 13th–18th century landmark building
  • Private balcony with 180-degree views of the bay of Villefranche, from the Corniche cliffs and beach, all of Cap Ferrat, out to the mouth of the bay
  • Artistic and comfortable décor features beautiful antiques, art from local artists, lighting all on dimmers, and a desk for those needing to do a little work
  • Fully equipped modern kitchen and bathrooms
  • Perfect location in a charming, quiet corner of the Old Village, within walking distance to everything
  • AC, WiFi, telephone with free international calling, Smart TV with English and French stations, stereo with Bluetooth connection, indoor and outdoor speakers
  • Five-minute walk to train station, 10-minute walk to bus, excellent public transport, beautiful coastal walks from the doorstep

About the Apartment

This apartment’s location is truly a jewel, hence “Le Petit Bijou” (the little jewel). Your eyes are constantly drawn out to sea and the scene on the bay. In the morning, you are greeted by sparkling bright light and the sounds and sights of the village waking up, playing, or working on this very beautiful and special waterfront. In the evening, the dancing lights on the water and the surf’s gentle sounds sweep you into a relaxing and romantic mood.

The furnishings and design of the apartment are all done with this in mind — to relax, enjoy, recover and renew. The art featured in the apartment is from one of Villefranche’s finest painters and includes wonderful scenes of Villefranche. There are antiques from brocante markets and my secret stashes. The floor is a modern copy of a style of floor popular over 150 years ago — called the Spanish Tapis. Basically it is a tile rug within the tile floor — made popular in the Mediterranean by the Spanish over 150 years ago. The sofa is very comfortable and pulls you into kicking up your heels to read a book, take a little a nap or just gaze out at the beautiful view. The view from sitting or laying on the sofa is fabulous, and the sounds of the water and rocking boats is so peaceful. This is truly a couple’s romantic escape.

The front of the apartment — balcony, living, dining areas, kitchen and bathroom — overlooks the waterfront and opens to your panoramic view of the bay, beach, Corniche cliffs, and Cap Ferrat. The back of the apartment — the bedroom — looks out onto the intimate little square with the lion fountain. At night, if you like to sleep with the windows open, you’ll enjoy the sounds of the fountain and of the sea lapping the shores, lulling you into a peaceful sleep.

Apartment Amenities

Living, Dining, & Modern Kitchen

The main room offers living dining and kitchen areas and two sets of French doors, one on each end of the room, that open onto the balcony.

The living room seats four comfortably, although some of our guests have had eight people for aperitifs — hard to believe but we have been invited and can attest. There is also a comfortable reading chair and foot stool. We hope you enjoy the pretty lighting, all on dimmers. It is complimented by good reading lights as well. There is a small desk / front hall table at the little front hall of the apartment where you can set up your laptop and enjoy a view of the bay while working away. The WiFi and phone are located at the desk area. In the buffet, where the dishes are located, is also a Smart TV, DVD player and stereo with Bluetooth so you can connect your music and play it through our inside and outside speaker system.

The dining table can seat four, and has two comfortable, cushioned armchairs. While eating inside, you can enjoy the lovely views of the bay. Two additional armchairs and cushions can be added from the balcony (or you can take them from the exterior hallway where you entered the apartment) to accommodate four people for dining. The cozy kitchen has a great view, is fully equipped and designed for someone who loves to cook. It has a gas stove, oven, dishwasher, deep sink, and equipped with excellent pots, pans and various utensils for cooking. Dishware is for six, plus a nice variety of serving dishes, champagne bucket, wine and champagne glasses. We have tried to think of everything you could want to enjoy cooking and entertaining while at home on the Riviera. And if we forgot anything, just let us know and we will do our best to provide it.

Bedroom & Bathroom

The queen bed is of a very high quality and has excellent pillows and linen. There are two bedside tables with reading lights, plus pretty art and decorative lighting to create a lovely mood. There is a large closet with hanging and shelf storage. There is AC for the bedroom directly over the bedroom door thereby cooling the room but not blowing directly on your head. Bedside tables with halogen reading lights on both sides of the bed, and a large built-in closet. The lovely French window with an ornate grill and beautiful wooden shutters opens onto the charming Place du Conseil.

The bathroom has a lovely soaking bathtub with shower, a sink with a large marble countertop, large mirrored vanity with lots of storage, and a “loo with the best view” (a toilet with probably one of the best views in the world) overlooking the sea, beach and pedestrian scenes along the quai. There is also a washing machine in the bathroom. Clothes drying is via the balcony clothesline or a hanging rack.

Balcony

There is a dining table with two comfortable armchairs and cushions. There are two folding stools you can rest your feet on or use to accommodate additional guests. And there are two sun lounging chairs. You will not want to leave this balcony or the apartment. It is such a comfortable place to hang out, chill and be rejuvenated.