Provençal paradise

With eight bedrooms, beautiful stonework, an azure pool, six- and-a-half hectares of verdant gardens and a helipad, this villa in Ramatuelle, a stone’s throw from Saint-Tropez, could be that of an effortlessly stylish Sean Connery or Roger Moore era Bond villain. 

Instead, it’s owned by property entrepreneur John Hitchcox, the co-founder of YOO, the high-profile real estate developer that’s known for its work in everything from renewable energy to capital management and major mixed-use development projects, and which is now undertaking the transformation of Olympia London. 

The property itself is exceptionally beautiful; the archetypal escape on the Côte d`Azur, with an exterior that speaks to rustic charm and contemporary interiors that relfect Hitchcox’s passion for design. “The design team from our office did the interiors and all the soft furnishings,” he says. John transformed the property when he bought it in 2017, fulfilling a lifelong ambition to have a picturesque home in Ramatuelle. 

“I hitchhiked down here as a teenager without telling my parents – I told them I’d gone to Germany,” he says, with a playful twinkle in his eye. “When I first saw this part of the world, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s where Provence meets the sea. You can see why the Manets and Monets and all the impressionists came down here – the colours are beautiful.” 

The villa itself is both expansive and extremely comfortable – “we’ve kept it very Provençal in style,” says John – with two annexes where guests can sleep and have their own private space, while the gardens surrounding the house are breathtaking.

“As you get older, you start to have much more interest in nature and how things work and how things grow,” John reflects. “We’ve planted so much here. There are three acres of lawn, we’ve added an olive grove and a series of beautiful wisteria canopies.” The canopies are extensive, covering much of the terrace and walkways to and from the house. 

“We’ve got what we think of as an outdoor living room under the wisteria, which we more or less in live during the summer,” he continues, “and the rest of the garden just sort of seeps into the forest.” This includes a succession of rare oaks and pines, and fruit trees – from figs to kumquats – plus a sizeable vegetable patch. “For most of this season, we’ve been eating straight from ground to plate,” John adds.

The house has been a much-loved retreat for John and his family, a place for him to escape his professional life and engage with another of his passions: music. “I play lots of music, so the house has a musical feel to it,” he explains. “We’ve had film stars, rock stars and designers to stay. We’ve had guys from Bon Jovi, Supertramp and the Rolling Stones – there have been a lot of fun evenings.” 

A serial developer, who, quite apart from his business, has transformed several properties as personal projects, John is now ready to move on in search of a fresh challenge. “I’m addicted to doing up houses and sadly this one’s finished,” he says. The results of John’s handiwork speak for themselves, the property is a singular villa with exceptional amenities – one that’s destined to impress prospective buyers.

Ramatuelle has a guide price of €14,950,000. To make an enquiry, contact jack.harris@knightfrank.com. Discover more exquisite properties for sale in Provence.