Cannes hides private villa on an island surrounded by the blue Mediterranean Sea

Legend has it that the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte would have slept one night in Sainte-Marguerite Island a few minutes away from the current hustle and bustle of the glamorous Cannes at the top of a 13th-century tower overlooking the immensity of blue nuances of the Mediterranean Sea.

True or not, the fact is that, in the 21st century, waking up in a luxurious room in the same medieval tower is a reality. The modern accommodation is one of 12 rooms in the Le Grand Jardin , unique private villa on the unknown island of south coast of france which is just ten minutes by boat from the port of Cannes.

From the energetic Croisette, an avenue filled with designer brands that annually welcomes the hottest names in the film industry to the Cannes Film Festival tourists from all over the world are unaware that, on this island on the horizon, groups of friends and families drink champagne by the pool without being seen, where discretion It is exclusivity are slogans driven by a ultra luxury tourism .

Staying in Sainte-Marguerite throughout the year was not possible until recently, as camping is prohibited as it is a territory protected by the French government. The scenario, however, changed its face last season with the silent opening of Le Grand Jardin.

But the well-kept secret has a price to match: to rent the private house only possible in its entirety, it is necessary to disburse from €150,000 for a minimum stay of one week . If you don’t want to take your own staff, you can complement with services, which involve the work of employees, house manager and chef for an additional €60 thousand, which totals €210 thousand, and which means over BRL 1 million at the current quotation .

Once booked, the villa is at your discretion. This means that there is no set time for breakfast – with chocolate croissants and smoked salmon at the table – or restrictions on the use of the pool, for example.

The service is compared to that of a yacht, where the private villa offers everything a hotel has with the comfort of being a closed property for a single group, with customized services that adapt to the customer, a type of demand that has recently emerged in more select groups.

land in sight

neighbor to Palais des Festivals , which hosts the Cannes Film Festival, and filled with opulent yachts, the port of Cannes is the departure point for the private vessel that takes guests from Le Grand Jardin to the Sainte-Marguerite island. In addition to the crossing, it is possible to reach the villa by helicopter, which lands on the green lawn helipad in the middle of the residence.

If you arrive by sea, electric Mercedes-Benz vans await guests on the reduced pier and transport guests for a seven-minute journey through the pine and eucalyptus forest. Totally silent, the vans are the only vehicles authorized by the government to transit the island, as cars and bikes are strictly prohibited.

After the route, you come to a wall with a central door that opens onto a serene reality full of well-tended gardens, works of art and renovated old buildings.

how is the villa

The 14,000 m² private villa accommodates 24 people in 12 rooms, which are divided into five different constructions, including individual chalets.

It is known that the tower and walls were erected in the 13th century , but the other rooms were raised centuries later. In recent times, the property belonged to an Indian tycoon, but was bought just over two years ago by Ultima Capital, Switzerland’s luxury real estate developer.

Thus, the exteriors were conserved, but the interiors underwent deserved improvements. In addition to having all the amenities similar to those of a hotel, the spacious rooms are equipped with padded leather headboards, marbled bathrooms, a button to activate an employee and even a smart toilet, the kind that have automatic flushing, heating and deodorizing.