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Beachfront Bliss

Studio Apartment
  • Waterfront vacation rental, newly remodeled studio apartment with large, spacious balcony and panoramic views of the bay of Villefranche, Cap Ferrat and the Old Town of Villefranche
  • Unobstructed view of the entire beach, Bay of Villefranche and Cap Ferrat
  • Sun-drenched balcony includes lounging furniture, dining table and electric sun awning
  • Very well designed space with fully equipped kitchenette and bathroom
  • WiFi, air conditioning, Smart TV with English and French stations, washing machine, and all the amenities you would want
  • Lovely private garden entrance at the back of the apartment building
  • Quiet, calm and private, yet in the midst of it all
  • The ultimate place to relax and enjoy the beach — “Riviera in a Nutshell”
When you open the door, this is the view that greets you, the bright blue sea of constantly changing colors and texture and sun streaming through the apartment all day long (there is a sun awning for protection), and AC if you feel too hot but most people love the sea breeze.
The swivel / reclining chairs with cushioned foot stools are incredibly comfortable! It's a perfect place to read or stare out to sea while enjoying a coffee or glass of wine, and maybe even a nap! Double sliding glass doors disappear into the wall so the inside and outside terrace become one space. This is the ultimate Zen place. Stress melts away within minutes.
The large balcony is very spacious (5 meters). The dining table can accommodate two or four people, and there are two comfortable folding chairs. There are also two sun loungers.
The kitchenette is very well designed even for someone who loves to cook. It has an induction cooktop with a vent hood that exhausts to the exterior, an oven, the largest under-counter refrigerator made, plenty of storage for dishes and food, excellent knives, and lots of counter space especially given it is a small kitchen. And what a view while you cook away!
The large built-in armoire is very efficient. There is an armoire-lit (Murphy bed) and two closets and drawers on either side for plenty of clothes storage plus a dressing mirror. The Murphy bed is a real bed with a box spring and thick mattress. It is easy to open and close thanks to an hydraulic hinge.
When open, the double bed has storage for your personal items (phone, book, etc.), plus reading lights and four down pillows and two firmer reading pillows. You don't need to unmake the bed in order to close it, just leave all the linens in place and close the bed with the easy-to-operate hydraulic hinge.
When sitting or laying in bed you can see the sea and also the TV. The Smart TV has English and French stations, plus you can log into your own Netflix or other accounts and easily connect your devices as well. The inside dining / coffee table is the perfect height for enjoying a meal while relaxing in the super comfortable swivel chairs.
The 5-meter-long terrace has room for two lounging chairs plus the dining table. It is bathed in sunlight most of the day, even in winter (until 3:30 pm). There is a sun awning when you want a bit of sun protection. There are two armchairs for the dining table and two folding chairs for friends.
The bathroom has a stall shower with a spacious niche for soap and shampoo. The sink includes a cabinet with excellent storage for toiletries and a lighted mirror.
The bathroom has a window facing the back garden, an exhaust fan and a heated towel rack. There is additional storage for toiletries and towels. It is small but very well designed.
Mornings are always calm and very special. You will love to swim when you first wake up. You’ll become addicted, even if you aren’t a swimmer. Try it once and you'll be hooked. (Notice the swimmers in the sea.) This view is looking out over Cap Ferrat and the entrance to the bay.
Viewed from the waterfront, Beachfront Bliss's balcony is the second down from the top floor on the right side of the photo, adjacent to the enclosed terrace with pillars. Entry is to the right of the building around the back, through a garden.
This view is from the beach looking at the building where Beachfront Bliss is located (to the left of the pine trees). You can see that it is literally at the entrance to the beach. It is an excellent location, walking distance to everything, and just steps from the train station.
Here you see the full length of the beach of Villefranche. It is one kilometer long and the faces south, as does Beachfront Bliss. It is also stunning at night with the beautiful street lights reflecting on the sea.
Villefranche's beach is so lovely. I especially love it in the mornings as it is quiet and calm, the sea is generally still like a lake and the water's crystal clear. You'll feel very safe on the beach or when swimming and you will be in awe of the beauty.
A night view from Beachfront Bliss of the lights on Cap Ferrat and the pretty boats lit up on the bay. It is truly mesmerizing. You'll enjoy long, lingering evenings with an aperitif, winter or summer, while staring out to the bay.
The crystal clear waters are stunning. In the morning you will enjoy seeing fish looking for their breakfast while you take a morning swim. The bay is nearly always glassy calm, and one kilometer wide — the perfect place to swim.
A local village festival at Mardi Gras is called the Bataille des Fleurs (Battle of the Flowers). The local fishing boats decorate their boats with wonderful flower arrangements and then parade in front of the quai where visitors wait for them to throw flowers at them. It is a beautiful site and a charming festival.

Beachfront Bliss

studio, 1 bath

This apartment is available for long term rental

Map of Beachfront Bliss
Location of Beachfront Bliss is circled on the map.
Click to view in Google Maps.

About the Location

Beachfront Bliss enjoys a commanding position on the bay with panoramic waterfront views.  Just behind the building are the cliffs of Villefranche that plunge to the sea, creating the magnificent bay of Villefranche (now nominated to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Villefranche, its bay and Old Town, are one of the most photographed sites on the French Riviera and featured in many movies. Beachfront Bliss is located on the second floor of a lovely art deco style building at the entrance to the main beach of Villefranche called Plage des Mariniers. One of the things you will love the most while living at Beachfront Bliss is sitting in the super comfortable lounging chairs and staring at the infinity-like view of the sea — it’s hard to go out for the day.  The beach is one of the best places in the world to swim or enjoy a walk along the one-kilometer-long beach road which also leads to various stunning coastal walks to neighboring villages, including St. Jean Cap Ferrat and Beaulieu sur Mer, where you can enjoy their daily fresh market, wonderful food shops, restaurants, bars, and cafés.  Then, with all your purchases, you take the train back (just a 2-minute ride) and you are home.  Located behind and above the building is the train station of Villefranche which is very convenient. (Trains are electric, therefore quiet, you really don’t hear any train noise).  Beachfront Bliss is a very convenient location.

To walk to the heart of the Old Town it is a 3-minute walk along the waterfront quai where you find numerous restaurants, a boulangerie, grocery store, butcher, fresh market and numerous cafés / bars, and newspaper stand.  Beachfront Bliss is a quiet location although in the summer there is a fun summer buzz of beach activity as you are literally next to the beach.  You do not need a car as you can walk to everything and public transport is really convenient.

  • Waterfront vacation rental, newly remodeled studio apartment with large, spacious balcony and panoramic views of the bay of Villefranche, Cap Ferrat and the Old Town of Villefranche
  • Unobstructed view of the entire beach, Bay of Villefranche and Cap Ferrat
  • Sun-drenched balcony includes lounging furniture, dining table and electric sun awning
  • Very well designed space with fully equipped kitchenette and bathroom
  • WiFi, air conditioning, Smart TV with English and French stations, washing machine, and all the amenities you would want
  • Lovely private garden entrance at the back of the apartment building
  • Quiet, calm and private, yet in the midst of it all
  • The ultimate place to relax and enjoy the beach — “Riviera in a Nutshell”

About the Apartment

Beachfront Bliss is a charming, studio apartment with a spacious sea-facing balcony right on the beach of Villefranche. The apartment and balcony face south so receive sun all day. This apartment is all about being on the water. The double sliding glass doors slide completely into the wall so that the entire apartment feels like a large terrace right on the sea. The close-up, panoramic views of the bay are captivating day and night, especially with the beautiful street lights that cast their golden yellow light across the water. One is struck by the crystal clear waters and the different colors in the sea: turquoise, emerald green, dark blue, light blue and also by the spectacular fuchsia bougainvillea that lines the beautiful limestone wall that encircles the 1-kilometer-long beach. It is an intimate setting given the proximity to the sea, yet also expansive as there is nothing blocking panoramic view.

This is a perfect apartment for people who love the water as you cannot escape it — the sounds of the waves and the changing light are with you all the time. It is beautiful, restorative, relaxing, and regenerates the body and mind. “A great escape, the stress left my body within five minutes of sitting down and staring at the sea.” “Riviera in a nutshell.” — those are some of the statements we hear about Beachfront Bliss. Whether looking for a romantic beach holiday, a restorative relaxing break, or a month or two to work on a personal project, Beachfront Bliss is a special little escape, a perfect place to enjoy sunshine and a healthy lifestyle. And, because you are literally about 30 paces from the beach, when you wake up and see the crystal clear, glassy sea, you will want to go jump right in, maybe even before a morning coffee and then come home and sit on the balcony and enjoy a coffee and relaxing morning. If you do it once, you’ll be addicted.

Apartment Amenities

Although a small studio of 25 square meters (about 270 square feet), with a large balcony (another 7 square meters), the apartment is really well designed, even for cooking, and has everything you need. Everywhere you sit or lay down, you can see the sea. I grew up around boats and learned how to use every centimeter of space in the most efficient way, and I think we got the design right on the new remodel of Beachfront Bliss (newly remodeled Winter 2020). We hope you think so too.

When you enter the apartment, you are immediately struck by the view: the proximity and expanse. The large sliding glass door opening (just over 2.3 meters in size, about 7 feet wide), dominates the room and brings in the balcony and bay. The sliding glass door fully ‘disappears’ into the wall, so you feel as though you are sitting on the edge of the sea while sitting at the dining table on the balcony. The location of the apartment, on the 2nd floor of a well-known seafront building, is just the right height to appear at sea level so that when you open the front door, you feel as though you step from the tile floors right into the sea.

There is an inside dining table with large swivel reclining armchairs and padded foot stools — maybe the most comfortable lounge chairs you have ever sat in. They are perfect for relaxing with a coffee or glass of wine, reading a book, watching TV, taking a nap, daydreaming, or dining. We found a perfect dining table that is just the right height so you can also pull these comfortable chairs up to the table and be at the right height to enjoy a meal. Alternatively, there is a very nice dining table on the balcony with two armchairs and two additional chairs for guests. No matter what position you are in, you can always see the bay. The balcony also includes two reclining sun chairs.

The kitchenette will surprise you with how well equipped and designed it is and how enjoyable it is to cook in. There is a lot of counter space, especially for a small apartment, plus a buffet just next to the kitchen to provide additional counter space. The antique buffet is also well designed to store all the various dishes you will want to enjoy using while making and serving meals. There is a two-burner induction cooktop, a ventilation hood with light that vents to the outside, an oven (not a microwave but a proper oven), and the largest under-counter refrigerator that exists. The counters are made of a lovely stone and there is a slightly raised back shelf that holds the coffee maker, kettle, dish rack for drying dishes, toaster and other items so they’re not cluttering your main workspace. Like I said, you’ll really enjoy this kitchen and be impressed with how well it functions.

In addition, there is a large flatscreen TV with English and French stations that you can watch from the dining area or while sitting or laying in bed. There is a dresser for storage of your personal items and plenty of space and plugs for hooking up your laptop or phones. We also have an excellent music system where you can connect your devices via Bluetooth. Lastly, we have excellent heating in the winter.

Bedroom & Bathroom

For sleeping, there is an “armoire lit,” in English a “Murphy bed.” But unlike the Murphy beds of the past, the new ones are extremely comfortable and actually real beds on a special hydraulic hinge that open and close easily. The bed is easy to pull down and includes four down pillows and two firm reading pillows, a night stand, and two reading lights. While sitting or laying in bed, you can see the sea. When you are done sleeping, you simply make the bed and close it. The hinge does all the lifting. We receive so many comments about how comfortable the bed is. There is plenty of storage including two closets on either side of the bed for hanging clothes and drawers for other items.

The bathroom, albeit small, is also really well designed and features a good-sized stall shower and lots of convenient storage for bathroom items, including hooks and racks for your towels, bathing suits and robes. There is also a window to the garden and an exhaust fan that exhausts to the outside (so many don’t!)

Entrance

You enter Beachfront Bliss from the back of the building, through a gate accessed from the waterfront quai, which is private to this building. Once through the gate, you are on a path that leads through a lovely garden and to the various apartments of this 1950s-style building. It is a lovely entrance. Each apartment has its own private outside entrance. Next to the front door of Beachfront Bliss is a closet where you will find the washing machine, iron and ironing board, broom, etc. There is also a cupboard next to this where you can store your suitcases. And just a few steps away is our private beach storage room where we keep beach chairs and umbrellas for our guests to use.