French property dreams
One stunning villa or two luxury apartments? Ruth Wood falls in love with a flexible property that enjoys spectacular views over the Gard countryside
Some homes have nice views. Others have beautiful views. But this luxury villa in the Gard department of southern France is literally on another level. On a clear day, you can see the distant Pyrénées from the contemporary property, which sits above a village near the ancient city of Nîmes.
Thanks to its southwestern exposure, the five-bedroom home basks in Mediterranean light from sunrise till sunset, making it the perfect place to entertain and enjoy the good life. It’s the kind of backdrop you can imagine stealing the show in a James Bond movie, though the 180-degree vista of vineyards and villages is more view to a thrill than View to a Kill.
A tantalising feature of this property is that it could easily be divided into two distinct dwellings, each with parking space at the right level, independent disability-friendly access and a terrace with stunning views.
Currently, the main living space is on the first floor; a large lounge-diner and well equipped kitchen leading onto a covered terrace offering sunshine, shade and plenty of space for alfresco dining. There’s a master suite and second ensuite bedroom on this level as well as a large laundry room.
You can either take the internal or external staircase down to the ground floor where there are a further three ensuite bedrooms and a second open-plan living space with kitchen. This could either belong to an independent apartment or continue to serve as a spare kitchen for the villa so that you can nip in from the terrace and easily whip up refreshments to enjoy beside the pool.
There’s a large garage and car port on this level as well as a wine cellar and utility rooms.
Wrapping round the villa on three sides are 1,634m2 of mature gar
