French property dreams
At this château surrounded by Bergerac vineyards, you can enjoy peace and quiet, and company when you want it, writes Karen Tait
Some years ago, at college in America, far from his German home, Axel Boesch and his future wife Carole enjoyed the campus experience, being able to spend time with friends from 16 different countries while also having their own space in their rooms. It’s a concept that has stayed with them and in part led to their latest project, in France. Working as a business lawyer, a case landed on Axel’s desk helping the owners of a château in Dordogne avoid insolvency. “I solved it by buying it!” he says.
Aged 60, he was ready for retirement so decided to “put my energy into the château” instead of work. “We had the time, the money, there was no rush, we could do it as we wanted,” he says.
He and Carole have a country home in the Lot, where they often host friends and family.
At Château de Monboucher they wanted to create a space where like-minded owners could share time and interests but have the privacy of their own apartment – “the best of both worlds, calm and peace, and company if you want it”.
The result is 14 apartments ranging from 50-275m2, within a beautifully renovated château with all mod cons. In the lovely 50m 2kitchen, you can cook if you want to or bring in a private chef. The same goes for the gardens – you can simply enjoy the views or create a garden of your own within the 23 hectares. There’s also a communal wine cellar, lounge and pool.
“We’re selling a slice of French lifestyle on a silver platter,” says Axel. “It’s a no-problem product. It’s 100% renovated and everything is taken care of.” However, this isn’t one of those semi-hotel developments you may have seen. Axel wanted to keep the running costs down for owners. “There’s a concierge who takes care of the pool, grass and buildings, but you can have more if you want it, airport pick-ups, cleaning, a full fridge on arrival…” Owners also benefit f
