Grimaud dates back to the XIth Century and was fortified by the Saracens, the ancient ruins (rebuilt by the French) can be viewed on the hilltop. Spectacular! The town is one of the most enchanting of the region and has some of the most beautiful views of St Tropez, Port Grimaud and surroundings. There are several good Restaurants & Bars in the town as well as a small Museum and traditional town square. The Castle is a must visit but you do need to be reasonably mobile as there are a few steps to climb. Grandad Brown (senior) managed it last summer and he's in his mid-seventies! You might strike it lucky and enjoy one of the open-air music concerts held in the Castle grounds during the year. Grimaud also boasts an ancient Windmill, the 'Fairy' Bridge and charming cobbled streets to wander through.

The Domaine de la Giscle Vineyard is very close to our Villa which sells some of the best wine in the region... just a few minutes walk away! Nearby is the town of Cogolin which has many traditional shops, arts & crafts, supermarket, Post Office, Banks & other bars & restaurants. There is a market every Wednesday and Cogolin is famous for making Smokers Pipes!!

Port Grimaud is also close-by and is known as a 'Faux Port' simply because it was built in the 1960's to look 18th or 19th Century and is sometimes known as 'little Venice'. As well as being a 'Port' or 'Marina', it has dozens of restaurants, bars & ice cream parlours, is ideal for the young children and has many walkways to stroll and observe the nautically minded tinkering with their boats. Boat hire is available, you can take a cruise around the Port or even hire a little boat yourself to do some sightseeing from the little canals. There is a beach and a market is held twice a week on Sunday and Thursday.

St Tropez needs hardly any introduction at all as it has some of the most beautiful expanses of beaches (some nudist) and cannot be compared to the likes of Cannes, Nice and larger busy commercial seafront towns. There are hundreds of designer shops where you can literally lose your shirt buying that particular brand name. You will find other reasonably priced restaurants tucked away from the front for you will pay a premium to eat and drink on the waterfront watching those huge expensive yachts come and go.

There are other towns nearby such as Gassin and Ramatuelle which have to be seen to be believed. These are set in hilltops and have beautiful views of the region, have splendid restaurants & bars where you can while-away your days enjoying what the French do best - food & drink! What more choice can you want from your holiday? - apart from good weather, clean and modern accommodation in Provencal style, swimming pool to play & relax, beaches or towns to visit, restaurants & bars to eat & drink. Beautiful countryside to walk, cycle or just sit and be quiet away from the life you know so well. View of Grimaud and bay of St Tropez just a short walk from our house For the Active Sharon and I have been known to have run a few miles in our time and there are some spectacular running and cycling routes in and around Grimaud. We have mountain bikes available for those who are interested in cycling. The Var Rally runs right along our road (Route de Collobrieres D 14) and we often see runners and cyclists heading up to Collobrieres. We can help any keen runners find some challenging training routes and what better way to recover than stripping-off and diving straight into that outside swimming pool or shower. Heaven! Further-a-field The sky's the limit really, you can head up to any of the famous names like Frejus, St Raphael, Cannes, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Nice, Monaco - they are just a drive up the A8 Autoroute. The Gorge de Verdon is about 90 mins north and it will take your breath away as it and is one of the most spectacular sights on mainland Europe.