Villa in Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Le Clos de Saint Phare details

Imagine a Villa on a point above the sea

Home description

"Provence is a country to which I am always returning, next week, next year, any day now, as soon as I can get on a train." - Elizabeth David
The Clos de Saint Phare - beautifully decorated, centrally heated with radiant floor heating, large, stone, wood burning fireplaces, gourmet kitchen, pizza oven, English library, baby grand piano, summer kitchen, two summer dining rooms, gym, pool with a view and the sea at your toes.
Do not move, drink a pastis, watch a sailboat skim over the turquoise sea, be mesmerized by the whirr of the cicadas, hum to the music floating across the pool from the summer kitchen where someone is grilling lamb chops seasoned with the rosemary you gathered on your walk, fall asleep under your book or wander to the Roman quarry and ponder the ruts made by chariots 2000 years ago.
Terraces in every direction, the sea is your garden and Marseille glitters with light at night on the horizon.  Far away in the shipping lanes, boats bound for Corsica and North Africa pass silently. 

Accommodation detail

Gates of the Clos de Saint Phare

Clos Pool Facing the Sea and South to Africa

Sleep with the calming sound of the sea

Warm and inviting grand salon with fireplace

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In the exclusive Quartier du Moulin, Le Clos de Saint Phare is available for vacation rentals year round and can comfortably accommodate 10-12 people.

In this private gated community offering a calm haven, the Clos de Saint Phare sits on a point and commands a 270° view of the sea.  The villa is a 3 minute walk to the charming Mediterranean village of Carry le Rouet with its shops, cafés, restaurants, 3 bakeries and casino.  Within the gates of the Clos, you will find ancient olive trees, stone fountains, palm trees, interior courtyards, expansive terraces, balustraded balconies, a pool facing south and a blue door that leads to the sea.

The villa offers:

• A gourmet kitchen with pizza oven
• 5 well-appointed ensuite bedrooms
• An English library, piano, Sky TV, WiFi internet
• A grand salon
• A summer kitchen
• 2 summer dining rooms and
• A gym
• The villa enjoys radiant floor heating and the grand salon and dining room have wood burning fireplaces

The villa is convenient to the Aix TGV station, Marignane Airport and 30 minutes to Aix en Provence.  It is a dream location for day trips to Arles, Avignon, the Luberon and its hilltop villages, Cassis, the calanques, Marseille and all the wonderful parts of Provence in between.

Sailboats, scuba diving shops and boat tours can be found at the port and the small train can take you to points along the coast and all the way to Marseille for a lunch of bouillabaisse.  Hiking is excellent and there are Roman and Medieval ruins to be discovered not 15 minutes away.

About the location

Carry le Rouet is on the Cote Bleue, "the western Cote d'Azur" minus the flurry of the Riviera. Carry, "The Pearl" of the Blue Coast, is best known as the village of the French film icon, Fernandel. He built his summer residence here and would come to escape the paparazzi and to fish from his boat, "Camera," share a Pastis and play Pétanque with his friends. Carry is also known for its sea urchin festival, sailing and scuba diving schools (in the second century BC, a ship ran aground in the entrance of the harbour and can now be seen at the Museum of the Roman Docks in Marseille) and the old customs walk where pirates were frequently intercepted.

The path follows the coast and makes for a lovely promenade. Notre Dame of the Assumption Chapel, built in 1353, can be found on the promontory of the Virgin. There are several restaurants clustered on the port where fresh fish and shellfish are the order of the day, but a great pizza from a wood burning oven can be enjoyed, as well, over a bottle of chilled rosé.  Farmers' Market days are Tuesday and Friday and can be found under the ancient plane trees in the village centre.

Fanning out, with Carry as your hub, you will find a quarry to the west, Martigues - the Provençal Venice, the Roman town of Arles- capital of the Camargue with its famous dancing white horses and bullfights, Nimes, Les Baux and then to the North, Avignon, the Luberon valley and to the East, Aix-en-Provence, the regional park of Sainte Baume, Cassis and its calanques for the most magical hiking and swimming and Marseille, the Chateau d'If…

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and facilities.

Activities near by

Bird Watching, Boating, Boules, Fishing, French tuition, Go karting, Golf, Gym, Hiking, Horse riding, Kayaking, Mountain biking, Photography, Rambling, Rock climbing, Sailing, Scuba Diving, Sea excursions, Shopping, Sightseeing, Snorkelling, Spa, Swimming, Tennis, Tree adventure park, Walking, Water sports, Wind Surfing, Wine tasting, Wine touring

See Activities and attractions for more information on nearby activities and places of interest.

How to get here

Directions from Marseille/Marignane Airport:

You will leave the rental car park or taxi stand and follow signs to Toutes Directions. Keep your eyes open for signs to A7 freeway/Marseille/Fos Martigues.*** You are not going to Marseille, but you are initially heading south. You will follow all signs to Fos Maartigues. You will be going in the direction of Marseille, but you will gradually move off to the right and head west to Fos Martigues and the A55 freeway. Keep your orientation to the right lane. If you get caught in the middle or left lane, you will go to Marseille! Once on the A55, you will pass signs for Gignac La Nerthe and Le Rove. You will have beautiful limestone cliffs and rock formations on your left and flatlands going off to your right. Just minutes before you exit for Carry, you will see a sort of “grain”/industrial elevator off to your right. You will exit Carry le Rouet, loop around in a clockwise manner, go under the freeway and head up a hill into the limestone cliffs. You will continue on this road (which eventually takes you down to the sea) until you see another exit sign for Carry. Exit here and follow the sign for Centre Ville.

Directions from Aix TGV Station:

You will leave the rental car park or taxi station and follow signs to Toutes Directions. Be careful coming out of the station as there is a blind spot in the road! You will turn left onto a ring road and almost immediately have to move into the right lane to exit for Vitrolles/Marignane/Marseille on the D9. You do not want to go in the direction of Aix en Provence. You will be heading west. You will see signs for Vitrolles/Marignane/Marignane Airport/Marseille and shortly thereafter, signs for Fos Martigues . Follow the signs for Fos Martigues . Signs for Marignane airport will tell you to go straight ahead. You will exit off to the right for Fos Martigues . Pay attention! This exit peels away quickly and subtly. This will take you to the A7 freeway briefly. You may now follow the previous directions for getting to Carry le Rouet from the Marignane Airport indicated by the three asterisks above!!

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and airports.