In the last five years, a growing number of traditional holiday homes in Cote d'Azur have been taken by Russians, Chinese and Indian entrepreneurs with virtually limitless funds and a tendency for blatant show-off. Many of these newcomers have come to riches within the past ten years, and are much more boisterous and uninhibited, leaving a most unbecoming impression on the old inhabitants of Cote d.Azur.
The traditional European holiday home-owners have been leaving the coast in great numbers, taking huge amounts of money with them, and they are now on the lookout for more quiet and secluded places to live. Some have sold their old premises to the newcomers, or have just decided not to invest in a holiday home in Cote d'Azur as it no longer lives up to their requirements.
Areas such as Luberon and Les Alpilles are generally sought after and especially the picturesque village of Eygalieres in Les Alpilles has attracted much of the old money. French families and other Europeans who through generations have enjoyed holidays in Cote d'Azur are now buying massively in Provence. Some are simply exchanging their old residence in Cote d'Azur with a new and better one in Les Alpilles.
The Royal family of Monaco has for many years been holidaying in the area, and the American actor couple Angelina Jolie and Brat Pitt are seriously in the market for a property in Eygalieres. There is now a serious tendency amongst the otherwise highly profiled celebrities to turn their presence down when they are 'off-screen', and a place like Eygalieres is just the place for some much needed peace and quiet.
In Eygalieres, approximately 80 % of all properties that are put up for sale are bought by Europeans who want to make the village their home for the summer. They go for the ambiance, the surroundings, the excellent food and wine, as well as the hospitable locals, all next to none.
A group of Swiss investors who have identified the need for new holiday homes to fulfil this need has contracted with the Danish businessman, repeat entrepreneur and developer Bjorn Stiedl to construct and design unique holiday homes in the Eygalieres City centre.
Bjorn Stiedl is going to design modern and neo-Provencal homes fully furnished and fitted to ensure the high design quality standards throughout. The homes will be designed with the discerning executive in mind, having ample place to house both family and friends, while being both cosy and discreet.
The holiday homes will be designed so that the interior layout and materials will supplement and accentuate the garden and surroundings beyond. All materials will be of the highest standard, mixing classic Provencal wood and stone with modern materials as well.
Bjorn Stiedl explains; 'It is a great opportunity for us to create the kind of neo-Provencal holiday home that we would want for ourselves; it should have the perfect mix of the ideal location, great surroundings, and a luxury that lives up the expectations of executives and other discerning clients.'
By:John Kash
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