Inside The Billionaire’s Holiday Abodes: From Le Provençal To Domaine De La Belle Étoile, We Explore The South of France’s Most Coveted Homes
From biometric security to spa butlers and private salons, these residences have it all. John Caudwell welcomes Bazaar Arabia to explore not one but two of his newest developments in the Cap d’Antibes – the preferred playground of the rich and famous – giving us a taste of what the one percent are looking for when it comes to summertime escapes
“Europe is sort of… boringly miserable on the ski slopes.”
It’s a balmy Wednesday evening in the South of France and I’m chatting with a British entrepreneur about snow conditions. He’s hosting me for dinner and we’re making the sort of polite small talk that fellow adventurists tend to do, comparing notes on mutual outdoor activities like snow sports. It’s the kind of conversation that could easily happen around my family’s dinner table; except we’re having it onboard his 73-metre superyacht, Titania (you’ll recognise her from the most recent season of Netflix’s hit series The Crown), just off the coast of the Cap d’Antibes – the preferred holiday destination of the rich and famous – and my host happens to be billionaire philanthropist John Caudwell.
Unsurprising for those who are familiar with his Birmingham working-class background, John is remarkably down to earth and enjoys many of life’s simple pleasures. He and his partner, Lithuanian Olympic cyclist Modesta Vžesniauskaitė, rode into port from their home in Monaco – a two-hour bike ride away – boarding the yacht in their Lycra jerseys with helmets in hand.
Throughout the night John talks fondly of family holidays. He wants to go camping in the Alps with their two young children (the pair have a son named William, three, and a daughter, Isabella, one, together along with six other children — Rebekah, 44; Libby, 36; Rufus, 29; Scarlett, 22; Jacobi, 20; Leonard, 12 — in their blended family) and reminisces about a past getaway to an all-inclusive resort in Türkiye. The couple fly EasyJet for regional jaunts and, like many parents with little ones, agree traveling long haul is a challenge with tots in tow.
But when it comes to leisure it’s hard to ignore that John has the kind of freedom that is just a tad out of reach for your regular holidaymaker. When you’ve had the kind of success he has had, there’s a solution for nearly any problem one could encounter when on vacation – except, perhaps, bad weather. “Whistler is either amazing or horrendous,” he says, recounting a ski season in British Columbia where conditions were so poor he only saw the sun three times. What’s a billionaire to do after a winter wasted waiting around for the right day to go heli-skiing? Forget the Whistler lodge and go to Colorado next time. “Vail is fabulous the whole year through. I think it’s the best ski resort in the world,” he notes. I agree with him that it seems like the most sensible decision.
John has not invited me to the French Riviera to just discuss snow conditions. I’m here to tour two of his namesake property business’ developments that are sure to become the coveted holiday homes of the one percent: Le Provençal, formerly the famed 1920s Art Deco Hôtel Provençal, and Domaine de la Belle Étoile, the hotel’s tennis club which has been transformed into a luxe 3.65-acre villa estate – the largest newly built residential domain on the Cap d’Antibes. In true Caudwell style, both cater to the kind of individual where money is no object, someone on the hunt for a truly special abode in a lush setting.
Due for completion in 2025, Le Provençal’s 39 luxury residences range from lateral apartments to triplex penthouses and garden villas each with a private swimming pool. From sea-to-sky penthouse views, 24-hour security (which is set to have biometric technology for an added layer of safety), a concierge service, and proximity to some of the best hotels and restaurants in the area (Hôtel Belles Rives is just a short walk away), it is the ideal seasonal escape for those who value their privacy but prefer to be situated in a central location.
Whilst the restoration will retain the charm of the old hotel – which hosted the likes Marilyn Monroe, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (who reportedly designed the beach pajamas for her stay) Le Provençal will boast all the expected amenities of an apartment complex, but in a luxe five-star setting.
Naturally, the health and spa centre will include a state-of-the-art gymnasium, complete with yoga and fitness studios, and an indoor pool complete with water features and handpainted frescos. Residents and guests in need of a little extra TLC will be able to book a therapist via the spa butler for a treatment or unwind with a Hammam, before taking a dip in the 30-metre outdoor pool, situated in the gardens. There will also be a 16-seat cinema on site with a cocktail bar, inspired by Charlie Chaplin (yes, he too was a guest of Hôtel Provençal, even calling the hotel home following the filming of City Lights), along with a restaurant and retail boutiques that open up onto the Boulevard Edouard Baudoin below.
Few have the bragging rights to say that their coastal retreat once played muse to some of the greatest visionaries of the 20th Century, and this is precisely what Le Provençal’s owners will be able to tell their social circles when out at dinner parties. Legend has it F. Scott Fitzgerald was inspired to write Tender is The Night while staying at Hôtel Provençal. Ernest Hemmingway and Winston Churchill were regulars, while Ella Fitzgerald serenaded guests from her balcony during the 1960 edition of Jazz à Juan. The music festival still runs to this day and is hosted at the nearby Square Franck Jay Gould, which is named after the American billionaire who originally built the hotel for his wife, Florence, in the 1920s. Those savvy enough to invest in one of Le Provençal’s units will effectively own a piece of pop culture history.
Domaine de la Belle Étoile, situated just a short drive away from Le Provençal, overlooking the quaint Port de l’Olivette, asserts a very different energy when compared to her illustrious sister. While the property has hosted its fair share of stars throughout the past century when it was the tennis club of Hôtel Provençal, the secluded location has now been transformed into a modern compound complete with a 23-metre glass-walled swimming pool and terrace that overlooks the port – an excellent option for a buyer looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The 14,200 sq. ft. two storey main villa La Belle Étoile comprises six bedroom suites, five reception spaces, two kitchens, a media room, home spa with a treatment room, ice room, sauna and a beauty salon; show garage and staff accommodations, ready to cater any whim its owner may have. Follow the paths around the grounds and you’ll come across rose, lavender and herb gardens; an olive grove; and two sizeable guest cottages: Villa Céleste, the restored original tennis clubhouse, and Villa Capella on the north eastern corner of the property (a third five-bedroom cottage, Villa Marguerite, is available for separate negotiation.)
John’s influence can be felt throughout Domaine de la Belle Étoile. Joining forces with Monaco-based design studio Casamanara, led by architect and interior designer Piero Manara and his sister Debla Berger (who heads up the decoration department), the property exudes a distinctively contemporary spirit, inviting and playful in nature, contrasting Le Provençal’s Art Deco aesthetic.
“I like layers of interest. That’s one of my design principles,” John tells me after I spent a morning exploring the villas and the grounds, admiring the bronze and mother of pearl-esque veining in the Italian marble countertops, along with the dreamy rose quartz vanity in the principal bathroom for her. “I love colour, but the colour has to be done in such a way that it’s meaningful and classy,” he says. “Not throwing it at something willy-nilly. Anybody can do a beige design, it’s so safe – but it’s so utterly boring. If you can get colour right then most people really appreciate that style.”
This ethos is most evident in the primary reception area of Domaine de la Belle Étoile, a space designed with indoor-outdoor living in mind; teal and taupe elements have been incorporated into the main living room’s décor, and throughout the entire home, pulling the bright energy of the flora and fauna outside into the main villa.
“When I design any place, I never want two rooms to be the same,” John says. “I want different, different, different, so when people go in they’re interested.” From the Hermès wallpaper inside Villa Céleste to the rooftop sea views from Villa Capella, every aspect of Domaine de la Belle Étoile is vibrant and unique.
How much would it set a potential buyer back? Domaine de la Belle Étoile’s price is expected to be in excess of Dhs276 million (€69 million, excluding taxes and fees), while the first apartments released for sale at Le Provençal are priced from approximately Dhs14 million (€3.5 million) to Dhs32 million (€8 million), with marquee residences priced from Dhs60million (€15 million).
As our meeting comes to a close, I can’t help but ask John if he still has anything on his bucket list, any holidays he still wishes to tick off. He pauses for a moment. “I always said I wanted to sail around the world,” he says, noting how Modesta would be up for it, but it’s tricky with the children. “She’s happy to do that, but we’ve only got a short window of opportunity and it’s very thin.”
“The challenges there are what size of boat do we have? If it’s small, then it’s really us doing it, but she might not have confidence in me sailing around the world and then we’d die,” he jokes. “But then the two young kids need to be challenged and fascinated, and how do you do that? So then you go to a bigger yacht – but then you need crew and then you’re no longer sailing around the world yourself. It’s a lovely conundrum to have, to be able to make those choices but it’s not an easy one, because I won’t end up sailing around the world myself which is what I wanted to do.”
Sometimes, even billionaires can’t always have it all when it comes to their holiday wishes.
For more information on Le Provençal and Domaine de la Belle Étoile visit caudwell.com
All imagery supplied by Caudwell
