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Le Beau BalconCalendar

1 bedroom, 1.5 bath €800–1,250 per week (Rate details)
  • Holiday rental with beautiful sea views, charming Old World apartment, fully remodeled and equipped in private, 600-year-old building
  • Beautiful views from the main living space and balcony of the bay, Cap Ferrat and the colorful pedestrian village as it cascades down the hillside to the sea
  • Sun-filled balcony with beautiful views and dining table for two, aperitif seating for four
  • Salon/living room includes dining and lounging area for four to six, fully equipped kitchen, office and coat closet
  • Decorated with lovely antiques, beautiful art from local artists, exquisite flooring of old cement tiles (popular at the turn of the century) high quality bed and linen, gourmet kitchen, and great lighting
  • AC in bedroom and plenty of closet space for clothes and suitcases
  • Bathroom has soaking tub with shower, plus an extra half-bath
  • WiFi, Smart TV with English and French stations, stereo with Bluetooth connection, washing machine, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, beach chairs and umbrellas
The charming view from Le Beau Balcon includes the Bay of Villefranche, Cap Ferrat and the pedestrian street of rue de May that is lined with colorful medieval buildings that cascade down to the sea. The apartment and balcony are filled with sun until late afternoon, even in the winter.
This photo is looking down the charming pedestrian street of rue de May as it descends the hillside to the waterfront. You will love looking down onto this little medieval street as it is beautiful and quite entertaining as you observe village life unfold. The balcony is well above the street below, ensuring privacy as people stroll by.
Upon entering the apartment you are struck by the views and the light streaming in the French doors that lead to the balcony. The décor is charming and very comfortable and includes lovely antiques and original artwork from local artists. The living room has a sofa, two armchairs, coffee table and reading lights.
Beautiful handmade cement floor tiles, popular 150 years ago throughout Europe (and again now), compliment the furnishings along with the original hand-made molding on the high ceilings. Two French doors lead onto the sun-filled balcony. Linen curtains and shutters provide privacy and an elegant feel, especially in the evening.
On one side of the living room area is the entertainment closet and the office. Above the entertainment closet is a painting by a local artist of the nearby village of Menton. His wife’s painting, featured over the sofa, is of an exquisite olive tree on their olive farm just over the border in Italy.
Little French doors hide an office and entertainment center. There’s a Smart TV (with English and French stations), and a music system with a Bluetooth connection. The office has a desk, bookshelves, great lighting, WiFi, a phone with free international calling, and plenty of electrical outlets for your devices.
The dining table seats four comfortably and can squeeze six. The ‘confiterie’ (food cupboard) is well equipped with with a nice assortment of tableware so you can enjoy dining or entertaining.
The kitchen has a gas stove, electric oven, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, granite countertops, plenty of storage, and very nice pots, pans and knives (sharpened regularly). It’s equipped for someone who enjoys cooking using the delicious fresh products available locally.
The hallway leads to the bedroom, bathroom, and half-bath, and has a closet for coats, market baskets and suitcase storage. There is lots of convenient storage for luggage, clothing and other items in the apartment.
The bedroom has an excellent queen-sized bed with white cotton linen, down and foam pillows, down duvets in the winter and cotton blankets in the summer, two night stands with reading lights, an antique chandelier and more original local artwork. The windows have both linen curtains and blackout curtains.
The bedroom closet includes plenty of hanging and drawer space, and shoe storage. The bedroom is directly off the hallway, and immediately to the right of it is the main bathroom.
The main bathroom has a large marble counter, excellent lighting, lots of storage for toiletries and a large mirror. The washing machine is in the bathroom, under the counter, and the dryer is a sunny clothesline, just outside the bathroom window.
The main bathroom is quite spacious and has a wonderful soaking tub with a shower, a toilet, a heated towel rack, and hooks for robes and other items.
The second bathroom off the hallway is a half-bath with a toilet, sink and a large mirror. In addition, there is a utility closet where the ironing board, iron, broom and cleaning supplies are conveniently stored.
From the balcony you have a beautiful view of the sea and the village. It's a great place to enjoy a meal or something to drink, even in the winter. At night, the view is so romantic with the beautiful lights from the boats and villas on Cap Ferrat and the glow of the Old World lanterns of the medieval village.
The balcony has a café table with two cushioned chairs. Two folding stools can be added to entertain guests. You access the balcony from the two French doors in the living room, making it easy to sit at either side of the table. There is an outdoor light for evening dining.
Le Beau Balcon is the second balcony (highest) from street level. The first balcony is our Artist’s Atelier apartment, and the top floor is our Sur le Toit apartment. The building faces the sea and is looking down the pedestrian street rue de May. These apartments are a one-minute walk down the hill to the sea. The building faces south-southeast.
The bay of Villefranche is formed by the Cap of Nice to the west, and Cap Ferrat to the east. This view is from the Cap of Nice, looking east, onto the town and bay of Villefranche and its kilometer-long sandy beach. Across the bay is Cap Ferrat, then the Bay of Beaulieu sur Mer, Monaco and Italy. It’s a great walk from the apartment to this viewpoint and only takes one hour roundtrip.

Le Beau Balcon

1 bed, 1.5 bath €800–1,250 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.

March 2024
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Map of Le Beau Balcon
Location of Le Beau Balcon is circled on the map.
Click to view in Google Maps.

About the Location

Le Beau Balcon is on the first floor of our rue Volti building, just steps away from the charming Place de la Paix, the beach, and the waterfront quai. It is in the heart of the old town, a one or two minute walk to everything. There are only three apartments in the building, Le Beau Balcon plus our other two apartments, Sur le Toit and the Artist’s Atelier. Rue Volti, a well known pedestrian street in the village, named after our most famous local artist. Many local families live on this street and a lovely, authentic village life and culture is alive and well. The artist, Volti, lived just down the street from this apartment. He was most famous for his sculptures, especially of women. There is an excellent collection of his work at the Volti museum, displayed in a spectacular space in Villefranche’s citadel, which is absolutely worth a visit and just a 5-minute walk away.

The old town of Villefranche (all pedestrian) rises from the waterfront quai, up the hillside to Place de la Paix, an important crossroads of the village, where village life unfolds. You will find a lovely olive tree with benches all around where many locals gather and chat. You will also find the butcher, a green grocer, a boulangerie and a pharmacy. In addition, there is a café and a couple of restaurants, which offer an enjoyable spot to observe village life.

The 600 year old building has a lovely position overlooking the bay and the charming pedestrian street Rue de May, which is lined with colorful, medieval buildings and plants that cascade down the hillside to the waterfront. As you look out the window to the bay and the colorful rue de May, you can easily imagine what life was like here 200 years ago, as you are living a slice of it while here, yet in much more comfort.  You do not need a car as public transport is just steps away and everything is walking distance. Read more About Villefranche.

  • Holiday rental with beautiful sea views, charming Old World apartment, fully remodeled and equipped in private, 600-year-old building
  • Beautiful views from the main living space and balcony of the bay, Cap Ferrat and the colorful pedestrian village as it cascades down the hillside to the sea
  • Sun-filled balcony with beautiful views and dining table for two, aperitif seating for four
  • Salon/living room includes dining and lounging area for four to six, fully equipped kitchen, office and coat closet
  • Decorated with lovely antiques, beautiful art from local artists, exquisite flooring of old cement tiles (popular at the turn of the century) high quality bed and linen, gourmet kitchen, and great lighting
  • AC in bedroom and plenty of closet space for clothes and suitcases
  • Bathroom has soaking tub with shower, plus an extra half-bath
  • WiFi, Smart TV with English and French stations, stereo with Bluetooth connection, washing machine, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, beach chairs and umbrellas

About the Apartment

Le Beau Balcon is a holiday rental apartment with wonderful sea views and lots of sunshine. It has high ceilings, beautiful hand-made plaster molding (which we painstakingly preserved and are told by the craftsmen that it must be about 300-400 years old) and therefore was the ‘bourgeois’ apartment of the building. Sur le Toit was the attic and the Artist’s Atelier was the family shop as well as additional living quarters. As a result, we thought we should preserve the beautiful molding and the noble feeling of the apartment. We learned all of this from the 80-year-old man who sold us this apartment as the building was in his family for hundreds of years (they owned several in Villefranche). His great grandfather lived in this apartment.

The décor is Old World, a bit bourgeois / Louis XVI in style, yet one must remember it is a much older building than the bourgeois era so it plays bourgeois with a bit of fun and not too serious so you can relax and enjoy living in the space. We brought back an old tile that was very popular 150 years ago, called carreaux du ciment (cement tiles impregnated with a lovely decorative design and color). They were typically used in bourgeois buildings 100-150 years ago. A boutique in Paris has reintroduced these tiles. They are stunning, or at least we hope you think so. We have also collected a variety of crystal chandeliers for every room, including a unique Baccarat one in the main living room. In addition, there are lovely antiques as well as brand new pieces of furniture (sofa, bed, reading lights). And for the artwork, it is all original and most of it is from two local artists (a couple) who live here in Villefranche.

You will enjoy the balcony a lot, winter or summer. It gets sun most of the day and from its privileged location you not only have beautiful, charming views but also can observe the life below you on the street which is delightful.

Apartment Amenities

After entering the apartment on rue Volti, there is an entry hall where directly in front of you is a flight of stairs that leads to Le Beau Balcon. You open the apartment door and you are in the main room. You are immediately struck with the bright light and high ceilings with beautiful antique molding.

The main room has a wonderful view of the sea and the colorful Old World buildings and terracotta rooftops that cascade down to the sea, and Cap Ferrat, with villa Rothschild sitting right on the top, all lit up like an ornament at night. It is a much sought-after view and a very artistic one.

This apartment has two large French doors and two windows, both in the front and the back of the apartment, and therefore receives wonderful sunlight throughout the day. In the morning, the sunlight streams over the balcony into the living room / dining area; in the afternoon it shines into the bedroom and master bath. Two French doors lead out to the new balcony which is five meters long and one meter wide, with a dining table and chairs for two, and folding stools to accommodate guests for an aperitif. As the balcony is in full sun most of the day, it will be filled with flowers and herbs. You can enjoy breakfast and lunch throughout the year on the balcony, and in the warmest months (at least five months of the year) also dinner, although even during more months with a light sweater on. With the boulangerie just steps away, running out in the morning to get fresh croissants to have with your coffee is very easy to do. Some folks even make the quick trip (having just woken up) nearly in their bed clothes.

The main living space includes a lounging area with a sofa that can seat three and is perfect for taking a nap, two armchairs, a coffee table and two side tables. Also, there are good reading lights. To one side of the lounging area is one of the French doors leading to the balcony. A large Louis XVI mirror hangs between the two French doors and reflects the chandelier, making an especially lovely scene at night. And under the mirror is a good sized marble shelf to use as a bar.

There is also a round, antique dining table that can seat four, although you can squeeze six. There is a lovely antique ‘confiterie’ (food cupboard) that we use for dishes. And there is an antique hall table and mirror which are very convenient for keeping your keys or phone. There is beautiful art throughout the room and a wonderful antique Baccarat crystal chandelier. All lighting is on dimmers.

Tucked away in a corner, yet with a wonderful view and next to the other French door leading to the balcony, is the office, really a small closet, so you can close it off when you don’t want to see it any longer. It is equipped with a phone, WiFi, and plenty of electrical outlets. Next to the office, also tucked into another closet, is a Smart TV, stereo, and DVD player. The stereo has a Bluetooth connection so you can connect your device and play your music.

The kitchen includes a full-sized refrigerator, gas stove with one electric burner and an electric oven, microwave, dishwasher and beautiful granite countertops. The kitchen is very well equipped for someone who loves to cook, including sharp knives!

In the hallway that leads to the bedroom, bathroom, and half-bath is a coat closet. And above the exterior hallway (the building’s hallway) is a closet accessed by this apartment only, for storage of suitcases and other large items.

Bedroom & Bathrooms

The bedroom includes a great bed from Lit de France. We only buy our beds from them. It is a queen-sized bed (160 x 200 cm). Beds are equipped with very nice white cotton linen, which we personally launder and iron in our own laundry facility. There are night stands on both sides of the bed with excellent reading lights. We have tried to design the storage to be very practical as well as nice looking, so there is plenty of hanging space, drawer space, shoe space, and place for ‘stuff.’ There is a full-sized dressing mirror behind the bedroom door, delightful art throughout, a beautiful chandelier and a lovely white linen curtain on the window. The window faces rue Volti and receives great afternoon sunlight. Traditional shutters on the French windows provide privacy at night.

The bathroom is just off the bedroom and features a nice soaking tub / shower combination, a large sink with marble countertops, and plenty of counter space and storage in the cabinets. It has a big, well lit mirror over the large counter and sink area, which is great for doing make-up and getting ready for the day. There is a large French window, also with lovely linen curtains and the traditional shutters for privacy, and a toilet with a douchette (a flexible hose with a little spray nozzle for washing after using the toilet — like a bidet).

Off the hallway is also a half-bath that includes a toilet, sink, and a utility closet.

We have the necessary modern amenities: washing machine, clothes drying line (just like the French ladies do, using a clothesline just outside your French window — and you will love how fresh your laundry smells), ironing board, iron, central heating, hair dryer, dishwasher, etc. The apartment has no air conditioning, however, we do provide fans, and with windows on both sides of the apartment and generally cool evenings our guests find it very comfortable even in the height of summer. We try and ensure that each apartment is fully equipped so it feels like your home away from home, and if anything is missing we’re here on-site to take care of it.