With its sweeping views, pretty neighbouring villages and local characters aplenty, our Bon Vivant revels in his new Lacoste retreat in the picturesque Luberon Valley
It’s more than a decade since I owned property in France and used it as a holiday destination. Our house was in the Dordogne region, a three-hour drive from Bordeaux airport. Nowadays there are flights to nearby airports but back then it was a bit of a schlep.
In those days, France always seemed to be wet and shut - at least when we visited. Even so I often regret selling that lovely big farmhouse. Its divine terrace overlooked a deep wooded valley, on top of which sat a medieval village that was lit up in the evenings, providing our own son et lumière.
We sold up after a few years and moved on. We had our reasons: it always seemed to be raining, the temperature fell to -6ºC one festive season, and getting to the little twiceweekly market in Le Bugue meant getting up at a most inordinate hour, particularly since we were on holiday. Apart from that there was very little retail therapy to be had and that is not good news for this designer-bag addict.
All is different now, I believe. The locals have finally woken up to the benefits of residential, year-round tourism and the Dordogne has become one of the property hotspots in France, full of lively cafés and restaurants - not to mention the wine. Of course, it still rains.
So the suggestion of a return to France and the purchase of a holiday home was initially met with a sideways glance from me. Nevertheless, we arrived in the south of Provence, perched atop Lacoste, one of the most beautiful villages in the Luberon valley, surrounded by cherry trees, vineyards and poppies.
Here, prices are way above those of the Dordogne; they are on par with the Côte d’Azur and even, I’m told, some areas of Paris. I have to say that Pascal, our friendly local estate agent, didn’t have to work too hard to sell us this peach of a house.
We bought the former property of leading British playwright Sir Tom Stoppard. In his office, in this very house, he worked on some of his latest material, right up to the moment we arrived. I have to admit, I often make mention of the fact that my kitchen was designed by an Oscarwinning playwright.
Our views take in the whole of the Luberon valley. You can easily lose a day gazing down from the pool into that stunning Provencal scene of vineyards, lavender fields and cherry orchards.
Our home is just below the château, famous for having previously belonged to the muchmaligned Marquis de Sade. The building is now further famous for being owned by France’s leading couturier, designer and businessman, Monsieur Pierre Cardin, a man who is causing a minor French revolution in the village.
Cardin, who is 86 and still travelling the globe, has not only made himself a perfectly respectable maisonette carved out of the ancient ruins of the château, but has injected much needed redevelopment cash into what could only be called a dying village.
And it is this that has been angering the locals over their glasses of red. In effect he has been doing wonders by buying and refurbishing old houses. He’s opening a small hotel later this year in place of the tacky Café de Sade; he has relaunched the bakery and opened a small general store, and built a new café out of a dilapidated house. Added to this, the château is now lit so, once again, I have my own personal son et lumière towering just above my guest room every evening.
Better still, I can buy Cardin’s famous Maxim’s de Paris products; coffee, chocolates, foie gras and champagne are available in the local wine shop he has opened. At this point you might be thinking, could it be any more perfect? Yes, dear reader. Cardin has also revamped the local newsagent which now stocks a range of glossy magazines as well as The Daily Telegraph, printed in Paris and delivered in time for your morning coffee - a must for any Brit expat.
Cardin says he has only benevolent reasons for becoming involved in Lacoste. He wants to make the village into a centre for art and crafts, and bring life back into the village. He already stages a highly successful summer music festival attracting top names, many of whom are his personal friends, from the world of opera and music.
Some of the older locals are disapproving of Cardin, saying that he has inflated prices by paying over the odds for houses in the village. Lucky them, I say. Besides, a recent poll gave him full backing from the villagers, so what had been TV news in France has now rather died down.
One of Cardin’s chief supporters in Lacoste is Irishman, Finn MacEoin, a true gentleman of the Irish school of charm that has permeated the globe. It was Finn who adopted us on our first walk of discovery through the village one quiet Sunday, saying that if we ever bought a property here (how did he know?) he would be happy to look after it. So here he is, part of the family, and for all intents and purposes the unofficial Mayor of Lacoste.
Finn, along with his wife Caron, looks after the house and gardens, and acts as a guide to the many tourists who tread the cobbled alleyways in summer. You see they are utterly beguiled, mouths wide open as they listen to his tales of the Marquis de Sade.
I spend my time in Lacoste staring at that magnificent view and visiting the local villages of Bonnieux, Ménerbes and Lourmarin with their lively shops and street markets open throughout the year. At least once a week I go to my favourite local restaurant, Le Fournil in Bonnieux, owned and operated by Guy Malbec and Jean- Christophe Lèche. It offers a good local French menu expertly served by Khalid, my favourite waiter of all time. I also enjoy Café Véranda in Ménerbes which also houses an interior design shop where you can buy dish towels and other linens. Here, the charming Laurent and his team serve up a delightful international menu, and on cool winter evenings - which always seem to arrive by surprise in the Luberon - there is a welcoming roaring fire.
About an hour away is chic Saint- Rémy-de-Provence where lots of Parisians have their summer homes. Its Wednesday market has abundant shopping opportunities. While there, take a look at the paintings of Thierry Mysius at La Galerie. The artist will surely go far with his dramatic paintings of the interiors of Art Deco New York apartments and beach houses. There are plenty of restaurants here but I recommend taking the short drive out of town to Le Château des Alpilles where, in the summer, an alfresco lunch under the pine trees is just perfect.
JIM DUNN’s second book, Very Private and Public Relations, was published in April 2008, and his first book, Successful Public Relations, initially published in 1992, is still in print. Both are published by Thorogood, www.thorogoodpublishing.co.uk
Jim Dunn’s house in Lacoste is available to rent throughout the year. It has four double ensuite rooms including a large master suite with its own private terrace and drawing room. The house, which is not suitable for young children, also has a sauna and pool.
Contact Jim Dunn directly on: +44 7775 532 236
LOVELY LADY
I’ve just met the most marvellous lady. I hope that she will not mind me discussing her vital statistics. She’s 127 tons, carries a crew of three or four to attend to your every wish, and sleeps eight.
She is of course a yacht, the Atlantic Lady (1991), and she’s what I would call a gentleman’s yacht. In other words she’s a serious ship and not one of your usual gin palaces, of which there are many plying the holiday playgrounds of the Mediterranean. This lady has style, elegance and sophistication. Captain Tim Harris is the man in charge, then there’s Simon the chef and all the usual team to serve the food and look after the cabins. Fitted with marble bathrooms ensuite, the cabins are very comfortable and just like hotel bedrooms; two have twin beds and one has bunk beds and is ideal for kids. The master stateroom has a double bed with good reading lights and pure cotton sheets.
The vessel is based on the island of Mallorca and available all year round, but really her season starts at Easter and continues until October when the weather in the Med is often still glorious. www.atlanticlady.com
JIM DUNN’s second book, Very Private and Public Relations, was published in April 2008, and his first book, Successful Public Relations, initially published in 1992, is still in print. Both are published by Thorogood, www.thorogoodpublishing.co.uk
