Simon Barnes’ Property Scrapbook Archives | Page 5 of 5

St Tropez – luxury living on the French Riviera

Treasure seekers, H. Barnes & Co have been hoarding some of the finest luxury rental properties in St Tropez – an authentic gem glittering on the Cote d’Azur. A long standing affinity and personal connection with this dazzling town has led to H. Barnes & Co establishing an exclusive local alliance with a like-minded property partner to source and secure the perfect holiday property for their clients in St Tropez.

History

Up until the beginning of the 20th Century, St Tropez was neither glitzy nor glamorous, but an authentic and typical French fishing village, located on the Cote d’Azur or ‘French Riviera’ in one of the loveliest coastal settings imaginable.

It was not until the 1950’s through the 60’s and 70’s that it began to attract a ‘rich rock and roll’ crowd, which today continues with many celebrities and millionaires owning second homes in the old town and surrounding villages and holidaying here through the summer. Famous names such as Brigitte Bardot, Mick Jagger and Gunter Sachs have helped to raise the town’s profile and create an ‘exclusive’ feel.

St Tropez today

As this ‘jet set’ crowd poured in, it created a demand for more stylish amenities and many entrepreneurs and business people spotted an opportunity to profit from the influx of money and spending power. This saw some of the most iconic beach restaurants, clubs and hotels becoming established – Club 55 beach restaurant (established in 1955) , Chateau de la Messardier , Les Caves du Roy nightclub . Aside from some of the best beach clubs and restaurants in St Tropez, the convenience of the town and the beaches only seven minutes from the town centre make it very unique compared with Ibiza or Mallorca and incredibly convenient as a relaxing destination.

Today St Tropez offers something for everything and is one of the most popular European holiday and second home destinations.

Josh Buckley at H. Barnes & Co has been going to St Tropez for many years and has close family ties with the place, highlights that, “Behind the glitz and the glamour which people think St Tropez is all about, the town has a very different persona. It is a place rich in history and French Provencal culture, that appeals to all the senses ranging from food and wine, architecture, sailing and of course luxury real estate.”

by Simon Barnes

Great French Food on the Bank of the Thames

The sparkling new residential development at Albion Riverside is a luxury tower built on what was once bleak neglected waste ground with a tiny water inlet on the banks of the River Thames.

Although this six bedroom swanky apartment does boast an 18ft sleek minimalist white kitchen, with a separate laundry and utility room and acclimatised wine room, it’s not a cook’s kitchen, far more of a party pad with acres of entertaining space.

Fortunately, whoever buys the place, will live near some culinary gems who can do all the cooking – delightful restaurants offering great food and atmosphere.

Augustine Kitchen

The Augustine Kitchen is a mere 0.6 miles away, headed up by Michelin Star winning chef Franck Raymond, who earned two stars while in Geneva as Head Chef at Le Marignac before running his own restaurant in Evian. On moving to London, Raymond was Head Chef at Mon Plaisir in Covent Garden, has worked at Marco Pierre White’s Oak Room and the Titanic, and been Head Pastry Chef at Kensington Palace.

Augustine Kitchen is French family inspired restaurant that seats just 45 offering an intimate and convivial atmosphere. Wine is carefully chosen to reflect the dishes that use the best local and authentic ingredients and produce are inspired by the Evian region from where proprietor, Franck Raymond hails, having named the restaurant after his beloved grandmother.

Interesting and most importantly appetising charcuterie comes from Monsieur Colliard and a fourth generation fisherman, Monsieur Anyhy sur Leman supplies this authentic restaurant with the best catch of the day. Some of the signature dishes include: fillet of sea bream bouillabaisse; slow cooked pork shank with flageolets and sage jus and roast duck magret with spicy poached pear and timut pepper sauce.

Desserts will include: Dark chocolate mousse with chocolate and caramel sauce and passion fruit sorbet; Coconut floating island with lime and vanilla custard and rice pudding, pink pralines and pistachio. Augustine Kitchen also offers a tempting tapas menu in the bar with delights such as: black pudding and apple tartelette; duck rillettes and Reblochon and bacon gougères.

Website: http://www.augustine-kitchen.co.uk/

Twitter: @AugustineSW11

by Simon Barnes

London’s bridges and luxury developments

London’s bridges make an important statement along the River Thames, and define the importance of the river for the capital’s livelihood dating back to Roman times. Fast forward to the present day and new developments are punctuating the river bank from east to west, construction is moving at a frenetic pace and city riverside apartments can trade for millions of pounds – such is the value of a river view looking out across the London skyline.

Albion Riverside

Standing proud and majestically between Albert Bridge and Battersea Bridge is the landmark building Albion Riverside. H.Barnes & Co and joint agents Knight Frank estate agents have just brought a spectacular six bedroom apartment at Albion Riverside to market for a whopping £12m.

The building Albion Riverside was originally designed for Hutchison Whampoa Property by multi award winning architects Foster & Partners. The development is a combination of four luxury flats and extends to a very impressive 6,000 square feet of lateral space flooded with natural light through the floor to ceiling windows. A large wraparound balcony provides dramatic views of the River Thames and the London cityscape. [Read more…]

by Simon Barnes

Mayfair Property – under the radar?

It may seem a strange thing to say but many people looking to buy property in prime central London do not consider Mayfair among their preferred buying locations. Of course, everyone knows Mayfair, or at least have heard of it; if only because it is the most expensive ‘property’ in the UK version of the Monopoly game.

It actually takes some persuading to convince buyers that Mayfair property is worthy of their consideration. Why is this?

Maybe because

It is a small area with a relatively small number of properties, at least compared to other central London prime areas
It is perceived as an area full if expensive shops and trendy boutiques rather than a residential area
It is not ‘Belgravia’ – the favoured location for many UK and overseas buyers
It has lots of offices and lacks ‘atmosphere’ or community life, particularly in the evenings
There cannot be any variety in such a small area with so many other functions

In fact, in recent years buyers have returned to Mayfair, many considering numbers 1-4 on this list as positive benefits rather than negative factors; and when they do look at Mayfair, they find that it offers a much wider variety of properties than, for example the popular garden squares of Belgravia.

Why buyers are beginning to choose Mayfair Property

For those in the know, Mayfair property offers many benefits with buyers liking that it is quiet (especially in the evenings and weekends), it is compact and residents can walk everywhere, and it has the best restaurants and is close to London’s best theatres.

Most important, what suits some buyers is that it has a lower profile, is more discreet and, despite what many believe, is still (relatively speaking) ‘under the radar’.

History

St Tropez today

Augustine Kitchen

Albion Riverside

Why buyers are beginning to choose Mayfair Property

Contact H. Barnes & Co – Tel: 020 7499 3434