17th century estate with swimming pool and AC

This traditional bastide - built during the reign of Louis XIV - is one of a select group of gorgeous estates that embellish the wide vale of Cote de Provence wine country on the northern flank of the verdant Besillon. Here a beautifully maintained bike path winds through the vineyards, affording countless opportunities of wine-tasting, flower gathering, and photography.

The estate is situated 7 minutes from the idyllic town of Cotignac, recently designated one of the most beautiful villages of France. Under the dappled shade of high plane trees, the picturesque village center is a perfect place to dine, have an afternoon coffee and stroll the shops. The beautiful waters of Sillans-de-Cascade and the famous, moss-covered fountains of Barjols are at an equal distance. All three villages, charming and quintessentially provençal, host weekly farmers and/or artisans markets.

A scenic, thirty-minute drive to the north is the spectacular Lac Saint Croix, a perfect location to spend a day at the beach or on the water; here along the southern shore you will find pretty, service-oriented French villages. At its eastern end, and not to be missed, is the stunning Gorges du Verdon. And just to the north of Lac Saint Croix, rises that plateau which boasts the most broad and simply other-worldly, fields of perfume lavender.

A little further afield, at just over an hour from the estate, are the towns of St Tropez and Aix-en-Provence.