THE LEGENDARY GULF OF SAINT-TROPEZ
The 12 villages around the gulf unfurl picture-postcard scenery, blue like the boundless sea, green like the Massif des Maures, gold like the islands, Les Îles d’Or. Hotspots for permanent and holiday homes, towns lively year-round, welcoming and peaceful.
Blue, like the yacht harbours in Sainte-Maxime, Saint-Tropez, Cavalaire, Port-Cogolin, and the “cité lacustre” of Port-Grimaud. Green, like the 333,450 acres comprising the Massif des Maures, its hills, vales, shrubland, streams, pines, cork oaks, olive and chestnut trees, a real playground open to the sky. Gold, like the Îles d’Or, glowing sunsets over ochre-coloured buildings, churches, castles and mills. A corner of Eden with lush vegetation, a land of sport and culture, the Gulf of Saint-Tropez can lay claim to a thousand facets, prized by an international clientele.
Hans Huygens runs the Agence Bird, with two addresses, in Sainte-Maxime and Grimaud. “In Grimaud, clients seek villas with views of the sea and Saint-Tropez, facing south, close to the Beauvallon golf-course, from 1 to 6 M €. Port-Grimaud is a magnet for fans of sailing, looking to acquire a house with a mooring : 85 m2 with a 14-m mooring costs 1.3 M €. Sainte-Maxime, a pleasant town with lots of green areas, benefits from the renown of Saint-Tropez, just 10 minutes away thanks to the ferry, operating until 2 a.m. in the high season. Semi-detached houses of 90 m2 with a garage, at around 500,000 €, behind the centre, compete with apartments.”
Hans Huygens mentions a 4-bedroomed villa in need of a revamp, in grounds of 3,000 m2 on the hills of La Nartelle, priced at 2,670,000 €. Philippe Jager of Jager Immobilier Coldwell Banker has run an agency in Grimaud for two decades, just opened another one in Sainte-Maxime, and will soon inaugurate a third in Saint-Tropez. “Sainte-Maxime is climbing the ladder. Five years ago, it had no properties worth 5 M €. They have now become more widespread. Sainte-Maxime and Cogolin draw clients wanting to live here year-round. That market sector is becoming tense due to rising interest rates, whereas clients looking for holiday homes often have the necessary funds, invest in stone, combine personal enjoyment with a long-term asset.”
The flat seaside landscape, but also the countryside, synonymous with spaciousness and privacy, are equally popular. The Provençal villa surrounded by vines is again a resounding success. Among his latest sales, Philippe Jager mentions a house of 200 m2 close to the old village of Grimaud, benefitting from a distant view of the sea, in grounds of 2,300 m2, priced at 2.75 M €, and a new property of 310 m2 in grounds of 1,700 m2 in Sainte-Maxime, acquired by a French investor aiming for seasonal rentals, for 3.6 M €. This type of property rents for 20,000 € twelve weeks per year, giving a gross rental return of 6 %. Léa Fiedler, President of the Agence Fiedler & Rosner, combining the services of villa management, conciergerie and architecture in Saint-Tropez, with 10 years’ in luxury real estate, benefits from the experience of her partner, Alex Rosner, former manager of a fund of over 1.4 billion in New York, and partnership with the Parisian law firm Alerion, specializing in the setting up of companies and international taxation. “Saint-Tropez is still a flagship destination on the global hotspot map, benefitting from French political and economic stability. During the pandemic, all properties from 2 to 5 M € found takers. Since then, Americans have made a big comeback. Many pay cash on the buoyant top end of the market. The starting-price for Saint-Tropez is now 4 to 5 M €, the cost of a house of 130 m2 with a garden of 700 m2 in the village, or a villa of 380 m2 in grounds of 3,000 m2 in Les Salins. Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez, a prestigious estate targetted by bosses of companies listed on the French CAC 40 stock market, post prices ranging from 15 to 35 M €. I just sold a property for the third time in 10 years, whose value has tripled. Our clientele is looking for the exclusive address, long-term investment, good restaurants, beautiful beaches, peacefulness, and confidentiality, offered by Saint-Tropez .”
