Villa Zen Gardens

Space is the first thing you notice at Villa Zen Gardens, and the quiet that comes with it. Newly built within the sought-after Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez, the property stretches across a thousand square metres of house and terraced gardens, with views that reach from the sea to the distant peaks of the Alpes Maritimes on a clear day.

The gardens are the heart of it. Planted in soft terraces that step down the slope, they hold a twenty metre heated swimming pool, a summer kitchen for long lunches in the shade, and a petanque court for the slow competitive afternoons that define a Provencal summer. Several terraces are set aside for dining or simply doing nothing at all, each one catching the light at a different hour.

Inside, eight bedrooms sleep sixteen guests, with two further guest rooms in a separate building close to the main house, an arrangement that gives visiting family or friends their own front door. A full household team looks after the property, and a cinema room extends the evening once the plates are cleared.

The location keeps the best of the peninsula within reach while holding onto a real sense of seclusion. Beaches and the old port are a short drive, yet the villa feels worlds away from the summer crowds. For a large group who want room to spread out, gather when they choose and retreat when they do not, few houses on the peninsula strike the balance quite so easily. Bring everyone. There is space to spare.