CANNES/MOUGINS - Exceptional Château with Beautiful Private Domain to Rent

Overlooking the bay of Cannes, Mandelieu, and the Esterel mountain range, this magnificent property, embedded in a beautifully manicured 5 hectare parc and 15 hectares of forest, offers a beautiful sea view from all terraces, living spaces and suites.

The château of approximately 1,400 m² was originally built as a monastery by the monks of the isles of Lerins, and converted to an aristocratic Riviera villa by sir Edwin Lutyens in 1912. Lutyens is considered one of the greatest British architects who ever lived, responsible for the viceroy’s palace in New Delhi, the British embassy in Washington and Cenotaph at Whitehall. Private residences by his hand outside of the UK are extremely rare. The château was acquired by the Baron of Wolverton after the First World War, and served as the Riviera holiday house of that family for many decades. In the 1980's and 1990's, it was the headquarters of MIP/MIDEM, and hosted countless movie stars and celebrity parties.

Today, the château presents itself completely renovated, upgraded to the most modern standard, with state-of-the-art domotic, air conditioning, wifi and security. It boasts generous entertainment spaces, 3 master suites, and a variety of additional guest/staff quarters.

The 500m2 Ground Floor hosts the 80m2 « Grand Salon », 60m2 «smoking room & bar», 50m2 library, 50m2 dining room, and a culinary tract with a professional kitchen, pantry, wine tasting/storage, etc.

The 3 magnificent master suites in the South Wing each offer a living room, private terrace, and 1-2 bed rooms, boasting sea views from every room.

— Master Suite 1 offers a 50m2 terrace and 80m2 indoor living space, split into a living room, dressing, bed room, bath room and separate WC

— Master Suite 2 offers a 30m2 terrace and 70m2 of indoor living space, split into a living room, bed room, bath room and separate WC. This suite can also be combined with the generous 35m2 guest bed room/bath room, to form a 120m2, 2-bedroom suite.

— Master Suite 3 offers a 30m2 terrace, and 60m2 indoor living space, split into a living room, fully equipped hidden kitchen, bed room and bath room. This suite can also be combined with the romantic 25m2 tower bedroom, offering a panoramic view over the entire property, bed room and en-suite bath room, to form a 85m2, 2-bedroom suite.

The North Wing offers another 4 luxury Garden View guest rooms with en-suite marble bath rooms, 1 staff bed room for use by the tenant, as well as a fitness area, and living space for the live-in chef and housekeepers offered by the château itself. The property also features a charming log cabin, luxuriously appointed as guest room, and, as an optional extra, there is another potential staff apartment in the separate gate house.

The Château occupies the south half of a hill overlooking the bay of Cannes/Mandelieu, with 15 hectares of forest, olive grove and vegetable garden providing a privacy buffer zone, encircling the 5-hectare private parc that forms the heart of the property. The woodlands and most of the parc of the property are classified as a nature reserve for its outstanding natural beauty.

The private parc dates back to the times of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll, offering stunning old trees and different zones for different purposes throughout the day and the seasons.

— The main terrace of the château offers (in-)formal dining locations for different situations – shaded under the plane trees, in full sun light between the fountains, in the evening shade of a large cypress, around the wood-burning pizza-oven – depending on the weather and the guest preferences

— The ancient olive grove next to the château boasts olive trees of between 400 and 800 years old, a beautiful place to promenade or picnic

— The traditional rose garden displays ±50 different rose varietals with varying colors, shapes and smells. It is regularly used for small-group luncheons or sunset aperitifs.

— The formal «French Terrace» below the main terrace offers the geometric hedge design made famous by Versailles, a popular place for cocktails or tea.

— The 2500m2 main lawn arches around these terraces, with a large fountain in the middle. It is used for exhibitions or large garden parties.

For daytime entertainment, the property offers an unparalleled sport / relaxation area, with a 90m2 fully equipped pool house/daytime living room, 21x6m heated swimming pool, tournament size clay tennis court, pétanque court, chipping&putting golf practice area, a 130m golf driving range and the possibility of setting out a 5km jogging/walking trail inside the property.