“The Charente-Maritime: same climate as Provence but much more

FRANCE
A Place in the Sun’s TV presenter
Laura Hamilton says it’s a great
time to snap up a traditional
home in south-west France.
CENTRE
PAY S D E L A LO I R E
PA R T E N AY
“My advice to buyers is to
buy now as this is the last
opportunity to buy a new
ski property in Switzerland.”
Above
Limassol Marina as it
is projected to be;
properties start from
£336,600, and the
project is progressing
to schedule.
36 aplaceinthesun.com
R
egular readers of this
magazine and those of you
who have been watching
the latest run of the TV
series will know me as one of the new
presenters of the show. Although I
say new, I have actually been filming
with the team since last October and I
can’t quite believe how quickly time
has flown by or even how much I have
flown this year. It really is a dream job
for me, combining my passion for
property developing and travel with
my TV presenting career.
With less than two weeks until
my wedding day, I am filming and
investigating property in the southwest of France (and with Bordeaux
and St. Emilion on the doorstep it’s
just a shame I don’t have the baggage
allowance to bring back enough wine
for the big day!).
So the Poitou-Charentes region
is made up of four departments:
Deux-Sèvres, Vienne, Charente and
Charente-Maritime. Not only does it
boast nine of the 148 ‘Le Plus Beaux
Villages de France’ (most beautiful
POITIERS
LA ROCHELLE
ROCHEFORT
S A I N T - J E A N D ’A N G E LY
SAINTES
COGNAC
R O YA N
LIMOUSIN
“The Charente-Maritime:
same climate as Provence
but much more affordable”
NIORT
ANGOULĖME
A Q U I TA I N E
villages), it’s also said to be the
sunniest area of the country after
Provence and Languedoc Roussillon
(with average temperatures varying
from 38 degrees Celsius in summer
to 10 degrees Celsius in winter).
The region might be comparable
to Provence in terms of climate, but
when it comes to property the prices
are most definitely not. Unlike
Provence, I’m very much of the
opinion that this area caters for all
budgets, and with seven airports
servicing the region with direct
aplaceinthesun.com 37
FRANCE
MY MUST-DO’S IN CHARENTE-MARITIME
Stay…
•
Hotel du Don Jon is 15km from St Jean D’Argely. It has been recently renovated and
has 10 beautiful bedrooms in a rustic French building (www.hoteldudonjon.com)
•
Hotel Messageries, Saintes. Great location, lovely rooms with quirky bits and pieces
you can buy too! (www.hotel-des-messageries.com)
Eat…
•
Le Cabanon 2, rue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, St Jean-d’Angély (00 33 05 46 32 12 54)
Reasonably priced traditional French Food. The sardines are tasty!
•
Restaurant Su Chateau De Leleard 10, rue du Château, St-Hilaire de Villefranche
(00 33 06 58 68 27 98). More of a gourmet restaurant so a little more upmarket
“Unlike Provence, I’m very much of the
opinion that this area caters for all
budgets. Property prices are 25 per
cent less than in 2007 houses so are
selling. Belgians are especially buying.”
flights from 11 cities in Britain it
is easily accessible. What is also
appealing is the fact it’s only seven
hours drive from the UK making it
a great location for a holiday home.
I have decided to focus on CharenteMaritime: because it’s close to the
coast, it’s generally more expensive
than the other three departments,
BUT there are still bargains to be had!
(As a general rule, properties in large
towns and those closest to the sea are
more expensive compared to those in
smaller towns or rural locations that
are over an hour from the coast.)
Anyway, I was really excited to be
viewing property here because it’s the
area in which I have long considered
for myself. In fact, I found a property
I am extremely interested in (not far
from Saint-Jean-D’Angely: watch
this space!).
Aside of it fabulous Pinot and
Cognac, this region is the home of the
38 aplaceinthesun.com
famous Marennes-Oleron oysters
and it’s also famous for the country’s
production of Cognac and Pinot. With
nearly 300 miles of coast on one side
combined with areas of outstanding
natural beauty and history inland,
some might say it can’t fail to appeal
to everyone in one way or another.
Local agents also believe the market
is at the bottom.
English estate agent Nicki Wiltshire
(who now lives in France) of 17immoservices (www.17immo-services.co.uk)
says now is the time to buy.
“Because property prices are 25
per cent less than in 2007 houses
are selling. Belgians are especially
buying“ she says.
“But it isn’t unusual for a property
to be on the market for nine months to
a year. Properties that remain on the
market for several years are quite
simply over priced.”
Charente-Maritime is divided into
two sub regions, the first being
Saintonge - which includes Saintes,
Saint-Jean-D’Angely, Royan, Jonzac;
and the other is Aunis - which includes
La Rochelle and Rochefort.
SAINTONGE:
ST JEAN-D’ANGELY
I was particularly fond of the thriving
tourist town Saint-Jean-D’Angely
(usually known as St Jean D’Angely).
With only 7,000 inhabitants and a
1hr 15 minute drive from the sea
your budget will stretch considerably
further there than it would in
the bustling ‘all year round town’
of Saintes.
Along the cobbled streets of
this pretty town are some beautiful
historic buildings, lovely little cafes
and bars and individual shops.
I found an incredible stone house
built in 1870 with three beds with an
additional two-bed gite on a 3,700m2
plot 15 minutes drive from the
centre of St Jean-D’Angely for just
€219,800 (£179,000; through
Immobiliere Saintongeaise, www.
immobiliere-saintongeaise.fr).
A little closer to the same town
and there was another three-bed
French stone house with 1.5 hectares
of land for €239,800 (£195,300;
also Immobiliere Saintongeaise).
If you could afford to stretch the
budget a bit, from the same agent
there was a very grand looking stone
house with beautiful pastel green
shutters, three bedrooms and
4,500m2 of land for €249,800
(£203,500).
SAINTES
However if living closer to a busy
town like Saintes would better suit
and you have the budget to allow it,
I found some interesting houses
there too.
In the centre of Saintes, near to
the train station I was able to find a
renovated town house with a large
entrance hall, three large bedrooms, a
games room, an attic, a walled garden
and some out buildings for €333,900
(£272,000) - through 17immoservices. The one drawback; there was
no private parking but this is common
of houses in the centre of town so
public parking is an option.
Through Nicki Wiltshire at
17immo-services I also found a great
little two-bed apartment for €137,800
(£112,235) right in the heart of town
(pictured right). It could benefit from
a little bit of updating and there was
no outside space, but as a bolthole
or rental apartment it could be a
ideal investment.
Another property that really stood
out in Saintes was a four-bed house
that was centrally located, with a
garage and parking for three cars, a
swimming pool and pool house all for
€400,000 (£323k – again via Nicki
Wiltshire, pictured on page 40).
Saintes as a town does have a lot to
offer. With over 30,000 inhabitants it
might be too busy for those looking
for a quieter holiday destination but
it does however have a new pool
complex, riverboat excursions, an
Amphitheatre, museums, a cathedral,
and plenty of shops, bars and
restaurants to chose from.
In my opinion I would probably
buy in one of the surrounding villages
of St Jean-D’Angely and travel in to
Saintes as and when I wanted,
especially when you see how much
Above, left and right:
property hunters
Chantal and Brian
Claridge on location;
Right: Laura’s “great
little two-bed
apartment” in Saintes
for €137,800
(through 17immoservices.co.uk)
aplaceinthesun.com 39
FRANCE
“In my opinion I would buy in one of the
surrounding villages of St Jean-D’Angely
and travel into Saintes as and when I
wanted - especially when you see how
much more you can get for your money”
more you can get for your money!
The great thing about both St JeanD’Angely and Saintes is that if you are
specifically looking for typical French
stone-built property, you will find
them in abundance. Head closer to the
coast to a town such as Royan and not
only will you pay more (because you
are closer to the sea) but you will be
hard pushed to find that style of
property there.
ROYAN
If being close to the coast, yet also in
the centre of town, is where you want
to be then Royan is a favourite. With
just under 70,000 inhabitants it’s
certainly a popular place to be: its
marina is home to many luxury boats
and the large beaches are a popular
choice of venue for the occasional
music concert.
For €449,000 (£365,700) I found a
modern looking three-bedroom home
less than 10 minutes from the beach.
It had a private swimming pool and
lovely garden with a decked area.
However if you are up for a bit of
a project there are some cheaper
options out there like the modern
four bedroom house I found on a
660m2 plot that could be potentially
split in to three separate properties
for €235,000 (£191,400).
ILE DE RE: ANOTHER FAVOURITE
If money really is no object there are
several islands off the coast of La
Rochelle (in Aunis) with some
incredible properties. The most
popular is the Ile de Re – and I love it
there. It is a chic location – and not
surprisingly has historically been
popular with celebrities - with a
background of picturesque harbours,
restaurants and gently sloping long
white sandy beaches.
The island only has only 10 villages
and with its narrow streets and cycle
paths foot or bicycle is the best way to
get around and since it was joined to
La Rochelle by a 3km bridge (in
1988), property prices have risen.
40 aplaceinthesun.com
You will need over €800,000 to
buy a property in this exclusive area
and the Taxe d’Habitation and Taxe
Foncière will be costly!
The costs of both of these taxes
are pretty much decided by the local
council, and the amount payable is
broadly based on how much your
property is worth (you can find more
out about the taxes on www.frenchproperty.com/guides and look for
the tax link).
I found a three bedroom villa (all en
suite) just 80 metres from the beach,
with its own pool for €1,208,400
(£967k) through agent Julie Savill
of Beaux Villages (www.beauxvillages.
co.uk).
Even if you aren’t looking to buy
a property in Ile de Re, a visit when
you are in the region is a MUST.
Royan, €402,800 (£321k)
Easily managed house, two gites, pool and land for horses, making a very
large family property. Surrounded by its attractive gardens and 14.4 acres
of grazing land, running down to a stream, the property is adjacent to a village
with all local facilities, just a few minutes from the beaches of Royan.
(Leggett, www.frenchestateagents.com)
Saintes, €400,000 (£323k)
Situated in the heart of Saintes, yet also a quiet location, this 1880s built
four-bedroom stone house has been completely renovated. It comes with
three private garages, landscaped garden and a heated swimming pool. Also
comes with a great wine cellar (contents not included!).
(www.17immo-services.co.uk)
FOR MORE FRENCH PROPERTIES, GO TO
St Jean-D’Angely, €399,000 (£318k)
Lovely stone house, typical of the region, offering
four double bedrooms and scope for further
accommodation in the barn area. Heated
swimming pool set in 3,000 m2 mature gardens
with fruit trees and vegetable plot.
(Leggett, www.frenchestateagents.com)
www.aplaceinthesun.com/france