Villa Aurita - Beautiful Seven Bedroom Villa with Pool and sea view

Villa Aurita is absolutely stunning, the interior is beautifully decorated with lovely airy spaces, a fantastic kitchen and spacious bedrooms. One of the bedrooms has an outdoor bath which was seriously a treat! The exterior of the property is lovely and includes a firepit and pizza oven as well as a spacious lawn. I am definitely going to recommend this villa to any of my friends who wish to stay in the south of france, with the knowledge that they will have a fantastic time!

Villa Aurita is gorgeous, we adored our stay. Quiet and private location, not overlooked, which added to the overall air of exclusivity. The pictures can't convey the full impact of the knock-out vistas in the flesh. Lovely eclectic mix of furnishings. Great layout for socialising/dining indoors and out (one thing to note - you can't light the fire-pit, pictured, between July and Sept due to local fire regulations) with enough space so that a big group like ours had room to spread out. The large main living space, comprising sitting area, dining area and TV/chill-out area, is open-plan and works brilliantly. The kitchen is a joy to cook in, due to the amazing view, the quality of the fittings/appliances and the vast array of equipment provided.

We each had our own favourite ‘spots’, whether it was sun-worshipping on the roof terrace, lounging and swimming by the pool, reading under the dappled shade of the magnificent French Oak tree, taking an outdoor siesta on the cushion-strewn day bed, chatting over a cup of coffee at the marble counter in the kitchen, playing Monopoly around the living room table, or lazing decadently on one of the over-sized sofas in front of the huge flat-screen TV. My personal favourite thing to do was simply to lean on the railings of the balcony/terrace, gazing out over the idyllic pool area, past lush foliage, towards the coast. Heaven.

The part of the village within easy walking distance (Pre du Lac) is not the “chocolate-boxy” bit of Chateauneuf that you see if you search Google images – that part is actually half a mile or so further up the hill. The bit that’s only five/ten mins walk is not as picturesque, but much more convenient, with cafes/restaurants/ local shops. Le Capriccio restaurant (just at the bottom of the hill leading up to the villa), is three minute's walk and has live music outside one night a week - great fun and lots of local people to chat to, plus the pizzas were fab. There is also a fantastic butcher’s shop and a great greengrocer, both with lovely friendly staff. The nearest supermarket is a five-minute drive away for the heavy stuff (the walk back up to the villa from the shops is short, but quite steep!)

We did venture out to sample the glamour of Cannes/Antibes and the beauty of Grasse, but to be honest, Villa Aurita is so wonderful in its own right, it was always a bit of an effort to drag ourselves away! Thanks Wayne and Lucy – I envy you being able to call this place “home”!

After having had a real nice contact with Wayne before by email we weren't surprised that everything met our expectations.
We liked the rooms and decoration, our men loved the exquisite Bang & Olofsen stereo, the kids were fond of the big pool (and they used it twice though it probably only hat 10°C !!!!!) and garden, the WII and all those TVs, the those of us who can cook, marveled at the big kitchen with its gigantic stove and oven, dishwasher and equipment. There are really enough plates and glasses. We used the Weber barbecue in the garden and sat under the big tree there.
The weather wasn't too good, but it only rained once - fair enough ;D! It's a good spot to start tours to Grasse, Cannes, Nice, Antibes, Monte Carlo and in case of rain you go see the museum "Fondation Maeght" in St.-Paul-de-Vence. Supermarkets are nearby and the French were extremely polite and friendly! We didn't expect that.
As we were the first renters in 2011 we had to share one bathroom and part of the kitchen with some ants, but I'm sure they took care of it by now. You have to be aware that the apartment has no indoor connection to the house, so whoever sleeps down there has to step up to the front door or terrace and knock in the morning ;). Well, the mattrasses are French soft, you have to like that, but who sleeps in a foreign bed as well as in his own?
All in all Wayne has to be aware that we probably will come again: there's still so much to see and do :D!!!