Staying at a $70,000,000 Private Island Estate Owned by French Royalty
Cannes France, famous for its sun-drenched beaches and the star-studded Cannes Film Festival. It's the pinnacle of luxury and glamor on the French Riviera. But just a half a mile off of its coast, across the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean, lies the island of Sainte-Marguerite, a place filled with beauty, mystery and intrigue. High atop its rocky cliffs sits an ancient fortress said to have held a legendary prisoner, the man in the iron mask. But our journey takes us across the island to a one of a kind Villa and the island's only private residence, Le Grand Jardin.
A rental offering unlike anything we've ever experienced. A historic estate modernized for the 21st century, comprised of seven different structures, offering 12 exquisite guest suites and a highly skilled staff to assist with your every need. Our experience staying at this property for four days was truly incredible.
Walking the gardens, eating chef curated meals, and enjoying the serenity of this property that exudes the essence of French history and culture. This estate has housed French nobility, emperors, and even the famous French monarch King Louis XIV. It was a journey back in time that left us with a sense of adventure and the most incredible memories of Le Grand Jardin.
Welcome to Le Grand Jardin. We're going to start our tour in the exterior. Gates open up to a walkway that takes you through the entire property. But first, I wanted to bring everybody to this side so we can check out this lush green garden area. This space also works as the property's helicopter pad.
Since we're on an island, you can either come here by a boat or you can bring an helicopter, which is really nice. Also, I got to talk about that one and a half ton, T. Rex sculpture. It's so contemporary and such a nice art piece to this garden. And throughout the grounds, we're going to see a lot of sculptures, art pieces, and I'm going to try to point them out as much as I can.
Now, the landscaping of this estate is stunning. And the surroundings as well with all the pine and olive trees, it's super relaxing, very peaceful. And the structure behind me is actually the pool area. Down below, you can see those windows.
Those windows open up to the wellness area that's below the pool deck. And we're going to also check out those spaces later. Now, Mikey, follow me this way.
Let's go to this walkway here so we can continue our tour. What do you think so far, Mikey? - [Mikey] We have been on the island for about a day and a half now, and it is just incredibly beautiful. I didn't know anything like this existed. It's just like...
- [Enes] This is such a unique offering. - [Mikey] It just feels incredible to be here. - [Enes] It is truly one of a kind. I mean, we're on an island, and this is the only private residence within the island.
And look at this historic walkway that takes you to the historic watchtower that's right in front of us. All these trees, landscape, just walking around, breathing this air, and just being here is an experience on its own. That's all I'm going to say.
- [Mikey] It feels like being a part of history, almost. - [Enes] Without a doubt. Now, on our left hand side is the Governor's House or the Principal Suite.
It has a really nice living room, dining area. Above is a really spacious bedroom suite with an amazing balcony. But first, we want to take everybody here so we can go through this walkway. Now, Mikey and I are really taking our time today to showcase these walkways because it's a very important part of the experience. You walk a lot on this property, seven different structures that house 12 guest suites.
And this structure here holds four of those guest suites. We have two down below, two above us. And, Mikey, let's continue our tour with the first one.
Chambre number one. Come on in. Beautiful hardwood floors with chrome inlays, built in cabinetry. We have the king size bed here with a pop up TV. And I just love how this back wall, cabinetry, built in closets here are all wrapped with suede, exquisite finishes.
Then we have a door here opening up to a really nice bathroom with a gorgeous walk in shower. And then you go to the other side and you realize that guest suite number one and guest suite number two are connected to each other. We have another king size bed here, very spacious room, arched window looking towards the grounds. And this guest suite here is perfect for kids, families, or nannies.
That way you get two different zones, but these rooms are connected to each other. Now, I want to take everybody back outside so we can continue our tour with the rest of the guest suites that are above us. This is chambres number 3, chambres number 4.
And what I like about these guest suites is the fact that they're on the second floor and they both have amazing balconies facing the ground. We're currently in chambre 4 right now. You have a king size bed right in the center with a pony wall.
Yacht like attention to detail. Look at the flooring here, how they have this beautiful chrome inlay. And then it transitions to carpet. And then we have the king size bed.
Then you look above and you see the vaulted roof design with these exposed, authentic roof rafters. I hope these are original because they look so cool. Then you have your built in cabinetry, espresso bar, again, your balcony access. These bedroom suites are just so elegant. And you come over here, your double pocket doors open up, walk in shower with a rain head, vanity in the center with two sinks.
Then you have your separate water closet here. Chef's kiss. It's so beautiful. These guest suites are so well done. Right next door, we have chambre number three.
This also comes with a king size bed. It's located right in the center. And I'm just so impressed with the details of these guest suites.
Chrome details that are polished to perfection. Beds are made perfectly. Even the sheets are made are ironed. And if all that wasn't enough, you have these buttons throughout the guest suites.
And when you need someone, instead of calling them out or sending them a text message, you just press the button, they just come to your room for whatever you need. - [Mikey] Yeah. So we've had the chance to speak with some of the staff since we've been here, and it seems like they want that yacht like attention to detail, like Enes has been saying, not only in how clean and manicured and well taken care of everything is, but in the service they provide as well. - [Enes] Without a doubt.
They're there for you, but they don't want to be in your way as well. So they discreetly hide themselves throughout the property. But as soon as you press a button or as soon as you call them out, they're right there, whether it's your food or your service. They just want to make sure you're happy. You feel like you're right at home. Now, Mikey we have to take everyone outside.
This balcony is fantastic. Look at these views. I mean, Mediterranean Sea, beautiful grounds, historic watchtower that was built in the 13th century. And you have all this to yourself. This is our estate that we get to stay in and share with everyone.
This is incredible. - [Mikey] For the next three days, we get to live like French Kings here on this estate. - [Enes] Without a doubt and breathe this air.
And I'm so excited. Right next door is the pool deck. Let's go check it out. Now, I really like this pool area.
Look at our views. The privacy you get with this property, since we are the only private residence on the island. Our surroundings, we also got so lucky with the weather. It feels amazing to be here. Now, before I go into more of the details here with the pool deck, I actually want to cover the specs of this property.
So we have 12 guest suites spread across three and a half acres of land. This is a short term rental property. You can rent it on a weekly basis.
Price range starts from €210,000 and can go up to €290,000 depending on the season that you rent this property. Within that price point, you also get fully staffed estate. You have your chef, housekeeping, standard services like the tender or airport transfer.
They basically cover everything for you. And as always, you can find more information about this estate in the description of this video. Make sure to check it out. And yeah, we're so excited to be here. I'm out of words. I'm so happy.
This is my weather. This is my climate. And it's like I feel right at home.
The weather here is just so amazing. And let's check out this pool deck. Right in the center, we have this amazing pool.
This is where we hang out, enjoy this outdoor space, lounging beds on each side, umbrellas. There's a really nice outdoor kitchen here. Staircase going down to the grounds.
And coming to this side, right next to the outdoor kitchen, we have a petanque court. - [Mikey] This is the goal. You have to get these close to this, so... - [Enes] Say less, give me balls! - [Sandra] High five! - [Enes] Gonna show them how it's done. - [Sandra] Mikey. - [Erman] Nice.
- [Mikey] Wait, let's see. - [Enes] I mean, I know I have the closest ball. - [Erman] Ah dang, this one is closer. They won. - [Erman] Pétanque We call it Bocce Ball in english.
In France, they call it Pétanque so I wanted to be native and local here. That's right. I want to mention that. We have the pool bathroom here with a walk-in shower, water closets, more lounging beds. Again, it feels amazing to be here. And the last property we toured in Cannes was just as impressive as this one. Do you remember? - [Mikey] How could I forget? - [Enes] Palais Venetian. What an amazing estate.
One of our best episodes. - [Mikey] That was a new level for us. That was our first big trip to Europe. I don't know how we pulled it off, but we shot that property in one day. It was massive. Now it doesn't seem possible.
It doesn't seem possible. But that was up on the hill. Now we're on the water. And to me, what I love about this property is the grounds. The fact that walking around here feels so amazing.
These historic walkways, landscape here. And I know we're going to cover the grounds later, but I can't contain myself. I grew up in Europe and I feel like in the past, I didn't appreciate this enough. But now that I live in the United States, and don't get me wrong, I love the United States, but it just feels amazing every time I come back to Europe and I just enjoy the simplicity of life and little things in life. And I feel like this property represents that in the best way possible.
In fact, yesterday I had a chance to talk to the house manager and he was mentioning that the people who rent a property like this, they have all the luxuries they can think of in their lives. So when they come to a vacation like this, it's their experience and it's the service they get that counts. It's the memories they make. And I feel like in this property, you don't want to have these extravagant luxury.
You just want to come in, have a really nice meal, enjoy the grounds, enjoy these views and be part of this estate. - [Mikey] Yeah, it's about disconnecting from the life you're living and just having everything thought of and taken care of here. - [Enes] And life just slows down here. You get a chance to reflect, and personally, I love it. Yeah, it's fantastic. All right, now let's talk about this covered dining area.
This is actually an awning that opens up to let some light in. Two tables. You have your coffee bars here right next to your pool. Again, great views.
And this is where we have most of our meals. Now, this morning we had a fantastic breakfast here. And between the views, the weather, the ambiance, and the amazing spread they had for us, it was just a fantastic way for us to start our day. Each morning at Le Grand Jardin, we woke up wondering, what amazing breakfast does the chef and the staff have prepared for us today? And each morning, we were delighted with a beautiful display of fresh fruits, pastries, crepes, breakfast meats, and more.
And a level of service you would expect from a luxurious estate in the south of France. - [Sandra] I'm actually super excited because, I feel like I never eat fresh fruit anymore. So to have a whole platter of it, I feel like my insides are jumping up and down for joy. - [Zoe] The chocolate croissants, 10 out of 10.
I could not ask for a better croissant. - [Erman] Everything is super fresh and natural here. I'm questioning myself. I thought I've been eating fresh, but this is fresh. It's like this in Europe.
I feel like the standard for food quality is way higher than US. And the fact that we still feel very light and great shows how good the food here is. - [Mikey] Collin? - [Collin] I'm stoked. I feel like they were just bringing out food for like a half hour. The table is just completely full of food right now.
- [Mikey] This is Collin's third trip with us. - [Collin] Yeah, I think so. - [Enes] Collin skipped the full hustle mode and went straight to Tommy Hilfiger.
- [Mikey] So Erman, after we did the flag video, he actually got hired by the crew. - [Enes] Yesterday was me now you. - [Erman] Please watch our "Flag video" as well.
I have my flag socks on. None of us are over that trip. - [Mikey] Enes? Putting out vibes? - [Enes] Yeah, it's like a post breakfast relaxation. During our stay, the pool area was where we ended up spending a majority of our downtime. The pool area provided various activities dedicated to relaxation, health, and wellness. - [Enes] Bro! I'm so out of shape! Ready? one, two.
- [Enes] Abi. - [Sandra] Erman. Team wellness activity. Now, let's check out the wellness area, which is below the pool deck. Long hallway, takes us to few other rooms.
First door opens up to a really nice powder bathroom. And coming back to the hallway, by the way, I really like the cove lighting detail here. We have the second door opening up to the gym, techno gym, treadmill, and stationary bike. We have few weights here, TV. Do you remember those windows that I pointed out at the front lawn? - [Mikey] Yeah, by the dinosaur, right? - [Enes] Exactly.
Bring in natural light here. Nice little space. The gym. Yeah, I know Erman has been enjoying this space since he's been here. I guess we've only been here one night, but I walked in last night and he was quite sweaty. I'm jealous. I want to enjoy it too. Maybe tonight I can actually join him.
All right, next door is the massage room or the treatment room. We have two massage tables here, cabinetry, sink. I really like this moody, cove lighting that they have throughout. Then you have these comfortable robes, open walk in shower.
They have everything for you. All right, let's continue here. Third door opens up to another massage room.
So you have basically two different spaces. And going this way is the rest of the wellness area. This space is really impressive. First off, really nice open shower with multiple rain heads and hand helds. Finishes are gorgeous.
This is all natural stone. And then you're ready for this? You may want to walk back a little bit because this is a hammam and I actually let the steam out a few seconds ago, so it's not super aggressive. Hammam is like a Turkish bath, right? Basically. And it's really nice. It's all ready for us to use.
So this is actually right around the corner from the guest suites that Enes and I are staying in. Correct. I wish I knew this was here last night. I will definitely be here tonight. Well, we'll enjoy it tonight.
And I'm going to go in there. It's pretty hot in here right now, but yeah, this is your sauna with star lights above. And the way they finish the sauna, it looks very modern. And with that, we're done on the wellness area. Now, let's go back to the hallway so we can check out the guest suites on this level. We have three guest suites on this level.
We're going to start our tour with this one. Walk in closet on our left hand side. Long hallway takes us to the bedroom. We have a really nice bathroom here that we're going to talk about later.
And the bedroom itself, king size bed, padded walls, pop up TV, really nice space. Opens up to the patio. I don't want to talk more about this space because this is Mikey's room and I want him to cover it. I'm just going to grab the camera from you. - [Mikey] Okay, we're doing this again. Welcome, everybody, to my guest suite.
I'm Mikey, if you've met me before. I'm sorry. All right, so I really like this room. They've taken incredible care of us. Something that I really like is this detail right here. Automatic pop up TV, really nice. Last night I went to bed and I've never actually had an experience like this before watching a pop up TV.
It was really nice. So moving on, we're going to see Enes's guest suite in a second. And of course, Enes has the largest guest suite as he should. What is that supposed to mean, Mikey? But what you don't have is a walk in shower like this in it. So this thing is absolutely massive.
We have this huge rain head above. It was one of the best showers of my entire life. So we have a toilet in there. Water closet. Water closet. And then we have this incredible closet. Overall thoughts? You like your room? I really like it.
We didn't really even talk about the patio, but from the patio you get these incredible views of the garden. Well, we're going to see two more patios of the two guest rooms. We'll see two more patios, but I have this clean view straight out to the patio in the walkways.
And this morning I went out there at 6 AM as the sun was coming up and had a coffee and it was just an incredible experience. Awesome. I'll take this back from you now. - [Enes] There you go, everyone. You heard Mikey's thoughts.
Now I'm going to pull everybody back to the hallway so we can go to the second guest suite, which is on the other side. This is where Sandra stays. She's not making her own tour. We're doing it for her. There you go. It's a replica of your room, Mikey.
Walk-in closet off of the entry. Then you come over here, again, really nice bathrooms. These vanities are all marble fabricated, LED lit mirrors, towel heater, spacious walk in shower, separate dedicated water closets, which I appreciate. They also have these fancy toilets with toilet seat heaters and all the other functions that you can think of.
Then you come over here, you have your king size bed, LED reading lights, cove lights above, padded walls, pop up TV, nice dresser here, which is also your desk. And I cannot stress this enough. I love the fact that they have Nespresso machines on every single corner of this property, everywhere, not just in the bedrooms. They have it in the common areas as well. So anytime you want an Espresso, I got to show this.
Look how nicely they organized it for you. - [Mikey] Yeah, it's very European. We've talked about it on our tours before in our homes in Saint-Tropez. That kind thing. - [Enes] They have it. - [Mikey] It's very common for. - [Enes] Luxury properties.
- [Mikey] Luxury properties in the States to want that resort feel. Absolutely. And if you're in the business or short term rentals or you're managing luxury properties, do yourself a favor. Get some Nespresso machines and spread it out throughout the property. I promise you it'll be worth it. Now, we're on the patio of this guest suite.
Mikey has a patio like this. So quaint, so nice. The fact that you can interact with the outdoors like this.
You take these paved walkways to walk around. And again, this is what I love about this property. I want to spend hours just walking around, enjoying the scenery here. And instead of taking that long hallway that leads to my room, we actually wanted to take everybody outside and then go from here, olive trees. This is fantastic. I love this.
I love this. All right, this is my patio. Look at me, I'm already owning it. You have sliding glass doors open up. And every morning, like Mikey said, you just open these doors up, walk outside, drink your espresso. You know why? Because you have your own espresso machine within your guest suite.
That's why it comes in really handy. I have a really nice desk here, TV, king size bed. Attention to detail. With the bed frame here, you can see the stitching, how it's perfect. Then you look closely, it's actually right behind this wall sconce. I'm sure we have a B roll of it, but just in case I'm going to move this wall sconce to show to everyone, we have these switch plates with USB-C and USB outlets.
That way you don't have to worry about plugs. If you came here from US, you just plug it in, charge your phone, enjoy this place. And I mean, look at the length of this hallway. Beautiful hardwood floors, chrome inlays. The way they remodeled this property, by the way, they remodeled it, give or take two years ago, I think 2021 and 2022, they've basically updated the entire estate. All the rooms are really well unified.
Finishes are really cohesive and they all feel very special. Everything is polished to perfection. Now, let's check out the first part of my bathroom.
Two sinks, marble fabricated. Again, it looks gorgeous with chrome fixtures. Then we have a built in tub here.
I said first part because on the other side, I have the walk in shower and the water closet. Nice rain head, glass partition wall. These robes are so comfortable.
I tried it out last night. Did you? Yes. Okay. They were very comfortable. Water closet here. And obviously on the hallway, I have my built in cabinetry, walk in closet, ton of space. What a beautiful guest suite.
Mikey, can we pull everybody one more time? I'm really impressed with their attention to detail, how attentive the staff is, how incredible these guest suites are, and our experience. This estate, the food we've been eating here, and all of it coming together. We are really enjoying our time here. Next on our tour is the two-story Governor's House, once the home of the Islands Governor Saint-Mars, the keeper of the legendary prisoner known as the Man in the Iron mask.
Over time, this house became an important part of the property and is now the main estate of Le Grand Jardin. Enclosed in the original 13th century walls, this regal home of dukes and kings offered its views across the estate. Now, welcome to the Governor's House. This is the main estate on this property.
Off of the entry, we have this really quaint outdoor seating area, dining area. It actually leads all the way to the kitchen, which we'll cover later. And on this side, we have this tranquil water feature that sets the tone before you enter the Governor's house. Now, follow me this way. Let me welcome you to the living room.
It's this very elegant space, L shape couch, chair, gorgeous coffee tables. We have the TV on the other side, built-ins, great natural light coming in. And I want to talk about the floors here for a second. So within this same tile, they have this textured finish, and then edges are actually really nicely polished. So it looks like an inlay, right? But it's actually the same material with two different finishes. I've never seen a flooring detail like this before, so I had to point it out.
- [Mikey] Yeah, it looks really cool. It's a really simple idea, but nice way to change the change it up. - [Enes] It definitely elevates the space. And before we continue, I want to talk about something. I feel like I haven't addressed this yet. So when I asked the name of this estate, in French way, they told me Le Grand Jardin.
I'm hoping I pronounced that well. Well done. But I feel like I'm pronouncing it wrong. So throughout the tour, I'm just going to call it the way I would say it, which is Le Grand Jardin. So excuse my French, so to speak, but it's just really hard for me to pronounce it and make sure I'm right all the time. I wanted to get that out of the way.
- [Mikey] Your first language is Turkish, your second language is English. - [Enes] I'm pushing it a little bit. I think people will give you a break if you can't nail the French pronunciation. Thank you. Now, we have a dining area behind Mikey that we're going to cover later. The most important aspect of this Governor's house, in my opinion, is the koi pond that it sits next to.
It's this really elegant, I'm going to call it a water feature, that is right next to this property with lily pads on top, and they have koi fish in there. And it just adds up to the ambiance and the tranquility of this estate and this property. So cool. Yeah, it's really awesome. When I was talking to the gardener yesterday, she told me that at one point this was used as a horse training arena for Louis the 14th, another French nobility that would come here. It's also used as basically a water trap before they had pumps and electrical systems.
To water the ground, yeah? To water the lower gardens and just use gravity as a way to hold the water. And when they need to water the lower gardens, they just open some valves and they can irrigate everything down below. So it's really cool. It's impressive to me how they modernize the state so well that all these details look native, but they've been here for hundreds of years. Now, for a quick moment, I want to take everybody outside because we have to.
Look how incredible and how romantic this balcony is. You have brick pavers on the floors, these old school stone railings, sculptures, and your grounds, and the historic watchtower. This is a lot to take in. - [Mikey] This is incredible.
We've talked about a lot on this tour already and how nice it is to be here and the connection to history and the feeling you get on the property, but. Sitting here at the Governor's house, the main property on the estate, I feel like it's way more significant than anywhere else. - [Enes] Without a doubt. And I mean, look at these two staircases going down to the lower grounds. Let's keep it short because we have an amazing balcony on the second floor, which we're going to show it to you guys as well.
Now, Mikey let's pull everybody in. So here's another fun fact. Every time they have guests on this property, they collect one kilogram worth of trash out of the ocean per guest per day, which means if you have five guests here and they stayed six nights, that's 30 kilograms of trash collected out of the ocean to be environmentally friendly. How amazing is that? I mean, that number can add up pretty quickly. And collecting trash out of the ocean is not an easy task.
You can't just go find kilos of trash just sitting for you, waiting for you. And I wonder if that's taken exclusively from the Med. I was flying the drone earlier and I didn't realize how beautiful the ocean was here. It's so clean.
Yeah, it's so blue and it's so clean. I wonder if that's local or if they just have these humanitarian projects. That I don't know. But obviously they're super environmentally friendly here. They don't use pesticides within the property.
They maintain their grounds really well. They have a small vegetable garden that we're going to talk about later. All the plants on the island, I said I was speaking with the gardener, all the plants are native. They didn't bring any additional species here.
Yeah, all the plants. There's citrus and other things growing. It's all native to how it was in the 16th, 17th century when this was really used commonly by French nobility. Exactly. Also, I'm going to turn on the light real quick. Look how beautiful the staircase is. Marble treads, glass railing, it's super nice.
And, Mikey, let's go this way now. Let's check out the formal dining room. This is a very elegant space.
Custom table in the center that sits 10. Then you have these exquisite built ins, meticulously organized. I mean, look at all the glassware, books, candles, all the hardware is polished to perfection. And you have two chandeliers above and another arched top window looking out to the koi pond.
And this is a fantastic space to bring your friends, family, hang out, enjoy a good meal. And it's also very practical that that door right there opens up to the main kitchen. That way your chef has an easy access. And what a fantastic place for you to gather around, enjoy a good meal. - [Basile] I'm Basile Arnaud. I'm a private chef, and I've been cooking for you the whole week.
- [Enes] Tell us what you're cooking for us tonight, because we have a big dinner planned, right? Talking about traveling, I've been living in England, so I'm going to be cooking beef wellington tonight. I'm really excited for that. Beef wellington, an English dish served at a French villa on a Mediterranean island.
It was a bit of a surprise, but our chef did not disappoint. With a signature French twist and an emphasis on the freshest of ingredients. The food you're serving us feel very light. Even though we eat so much because it's delicious, it also feels very easy on our stomachs. It feels very light because I'm using all the ingredients from the garden.
And I'm trying to put, of course, heart into what I'm doing. I'm trying to use the best ingredients to make the best food. So basically, I'm trying to put some flavor into it and be very creative. - [Enes] So everyone, beef wellington, bon appétit.
- [Zoe] This was my first time having beef wellington, which is actually surprising because I am obsessed with food. It was so good. I literally devoured this entire piece within two minutes.
- [Erman] And it's really good. I have melodies in my mouth. Our meals and gatherings were beyond the main dishes.
Each meal was paired with an amazing variety of appetizers. You just rolled out the appetizers. Tell us what we're looking at.
- [Basile] Well, today you got to have some tuna with a tataki sauce. On top, you have a seaweed salad. Then you got right here the hummus. And then you got a cod tartare with a set of leche de tigre. - [Enes] Chef Basile's passion for cooking and providing the ultimate dining experience shined through on each of the dishes that he served.
And let's just say the quality of his desserts cannot be overlooked. Chef, what are we looking at? We're looking at chocolate mousse, bit of a crumble on top, a bit of a red fruits and a bit of a lemon currant. This looks really good. I'm really excited. Thank you so much.
Well, you go ahead. Thank you. - [Sandra] Final review of our dessert. It's our first chocolate-based dessert here, which I love because I'm a huge chocolate fanatic. Honestly, tastes incredible.
- [Enes] Well, our dinner was fantastic. Good food, good company. We had some wine, but we're going to continue our tour with the rest of the Governor's House. So let's head upstairs.
Now, let's check out the second floor of the Governor's House. This is where we have the primary bedroom suite. First, I want to cover the walk in closet. Come on in. Again, finishes are all wrapped with suede. Cabinetry looks beautiful. Cove lighting and mood lighting throughout.
And let's go this way. Look at this bathroom. Look at the book matching with the floors with the walls.
This marble is so timeless. It's so stunning. Then you have a long vanity here with two fabricated sinks, chrome fixtures, polished to perfection. And you come over here to a walk in shower and you have a massive rainhead above, elegant fixtures, water closet on this side, just a beautiful bathroom. Now, follow me this way.
Let's go back to the landing again so we can check out the rest of the suite. Another pony wall separating or centering the bed to the room, coffee bar on this side, and there you go. Sheets, padding on the walls, built ins, chrome inlays, mood lighting above, everything about this room. It's so elegant, so timeless, and space feels extremely comfortable. - [Mikey] There's this feeling you get from these bedrooms in Europe that I feel like you don't really get from bedrooms in the US.
And I don't know if it's the design, the textures, the finishes. They always have a lot of wood, leather, and metal inlay details I feel like that we've seen. - [Enes] You know what I think it is? Number one, the properties in Europe are not as big in scale as US.
Number two, I feel like people really value their experience and they like to curate these moments. They don't want to just have a bedside table. They want to have it with a nice pad at top. They don't want to just drink water. They want to drink premium water. When you look around and you see this stitching on the sheets, when you see that TVs are nicely hidden so that room looks minimalist.
You can enjoy the views. And when you want to watch TV, it just raises. Everything is a little bit more, let's just say, refined and sleek. All right, ready to check out this balcony? For sure. Views are fantastic from this level. Come on out. I mean, weather is fantastic.
Mediterranean Sea. People are anchored up on their sailboats, enjoying this place. Grounds are down below us. I mean, life is good out here. Walking the grounds of Le Grand Jardin, the walkways, the gardens, the Mediterranean breeze. I'm struck by the simplicity of this place and the sense of peace that it brings.
I'm immersed in its beauty, timeless architecture, impeccable landscaping. But more than that, I'm taken by its history and what this place has meant to so many. So this is the part I've been waiting for. I love the grounds of this property.
And ever since we came here, I've been just walking around trying to spend as much time here as possible. This is the front side of the Governor's house. That's the first floor balcony that we checked out earlier. Two staircases bring you down to this point. And looking around, we have over 100 species of trees and it's landscaped so beautifully.
It's meticulously maintained. And within the grounds, we have these historic sculptures, water features, different walkways that tie you to different parts of the grounds or to this historic watch tower that we're going to cover later. It's the little things in life. It's grabbing an espresso and walking around in the morning, touching the soil, breathing this air, listening the sound of nature is what I love about this property. I know I've been to the been talking about the grounds throughout the tour, but how do you not? It's such an important aspect of this stunning estate. - [Mikey] Yeah.
And Enes touched on this lightly a little bit earlier, but I grew up in the US. Enes grew up in Turkey. In the US, you don't have history like you have here. You don't have centuries and centuries, thousands of years of history. So you get this sense of gravity and importance and perspective walking around here seeing these kinds of pillars that have been standing here for centuries.
- [Enes] Mikey, can you turn and face this side for a second? Look at this walkway. It's so dreamy. And there's a water feature at the end. And you have all these vines wrapping up this walkway. I mean, how do you not feel inspired? Yeah, it's incredible.
And the sense of historical significance and perspective you get walking around these gardens with all these original statues, the people who have been here, the historical figures from Louis the 14th to Napoleon, to who else even knows who has been here? It's incredible. Absolutely. And these grounds are so special. I also want to mention we have three separate cottages throughout the grounds that we're going to cover later. But now I want to bring the focus to the historic watch tower.
This is the crown jewel of this property and it is packed with history. The presence of a historic watch tower in such a tranquil place speaks to Sainte-Marguerite's history of politics and the struggle for power. The island was named Lero by ancient Romans. Medival crusaders built a Chapel here to Saint Margaret of Antioch. French nobles constructed Fort Royal, which eventually became the prison which housed the legendary man in the iron mask.
And Napoleon Bonaparte watered his horses on this property and apparently spent the night in this epic tower. As I often say it's a sight to behold. And this grand watch tower, turrets and all, is no exception. Standing tall after all these years in immaculate condition, preserved in history. So now, let's take a look inside.
So we have this door opening up to a landing. There's a staircase on the right-hand side that I'm going to cover later. But first, let's check out the first floor, which is a game room. Travertine floors, multiple game tables, blackjack, poker, roulette.
This is a really unique take on a historic watch tower. They really modernized it. We have built-in cabinetry on each corner. Wine cellar here. Look at these massive curved top windows with shutters, bringing natural light.
And then you look above and we have a really nice ceiling treatment with cove lighting, chandelier in the center. It's hard to believe that this space is located in a historic tower. It does not feel like it's over 700 years old in here. It doesn't, until you come back to the landing and turn to this side because we have the old staircase going up to the second floor. Obviously, they refurbished it, but from its size, the way it goes up to the second floor, you can see its age. I really like the built in handrailing with LED lighting, and above us is one of the most unique bedrooms we have on this property.
Let's go have a look. The fact that you can stay within the historic tower is so cool. Look at the space. Look at this bedroom suite.
King size bed right in the center. Pop up TV, amazing ceiling height, cove lighting above with more ceiling detail. This is incredible. - [Mikey] This is not what I was expecting.
This is the first time I've been in this room. This is really cool. - [Enes] This is so cool. And you can just spend time here. It's fantastic. And you may be wondering where all the other rooms are, like the closets and bathrooms.
You saw the tower on the exterior, right? It's a rectangle. And then you saw that on the corners, we have these square sections. Square section number one is your walk in closet. Stay right there because right next to you is the second one. When you walk in, light turns on, come in.
That's really cool. Talking about modernizing your space, but still leaving it historic. I mean, this is it. Look at this door right here.
Check this out, Mikey. That's really cool. That's a window, huh? Well, this is the window. Oh, wow. It's so cool. Like a shutter on the outside. Exactly.
And this is the closet. Now, let's go to the other corner. This one, also, look at the door cut out. It's arched to match the architecture. You have a water closet here, and the staircase takes you up to the rooftop access.
That's where you have the utilities. I don't want to say this. I don't think I was supposed to go up there, but I went up there yesterday and the views are absolutely fantastic.
You have the dressing table here. It's also your coffee bar. Ready? This is your shower, Mikey.
I guess that makes sense. We got to go in there. Natural stone finishes, mosaic walk in shower, brass fixtures. We have a window that faces the property. You have your vanity here.
This is within your historic tower. This is incredible. I really like these wall sconces. They really give you that historic watchtower energy. Absolutely. And we're actually not done yet.
There's a balcony that faces the estate. And then you come over here, you open up these double doors to access your balcony. This is one of the most special moments within this property. The fact that I'm on the balcony of this historic tower looking out to the Mediterranean Sea and taking it all in. This is really special. I don't know how we got to this point in life where we have a channel that allows us to tour some of the most incredible estates in the world.
And here we are sharing this moment with our viewers. I'm really happy. Looking out over views that the most powerful heads of state in French history have looked out over.
Former French emperor was here. Napoleon probably stood right here and looked out over the same views. I mean, unbelievable. The color of the water, the scenery, the fact that French Riviera is such an iconic location and you're in the heart of it. You get to take all of this in. This is fantastic.
I'm really enjoying our time here. And looking down, we have rest of the grounds and I can actually see the three cottages that we haven't toured yet. They're basically one bedroom houses located on each corner and one on our left hand side.
Let's go down there and check them out. Let's do it. Now, I really enjoy walking these walkways. Something about them feels so special. And I just love that they're all complemented with these water features.
Sound of water is always relaxing. And I think it matches the energy of the grounds here. They're also covered with ivy and different plants.
It just adds up to the texture. Right in front of us is the first cottage that we're going to tour. These are super cozy. This is actually cottage number three. Come on in.
Hardwood floors, king size bed, built in cabinetry, with an espresso bar, open bathroom, vanity, walk in shower. Just like the suites that we've been seeing, they have the same design elements here. And this is one of the components of this property that I really appreciate. You have a big estate and you can accommodate a lot of guests. But at the same time, everybody can have their own zones. They can have their own spaces.
And when you want to congregate, when you want to get together, you can use the common areas. But when you want to spend time with yourself with your significant one, you can just come into your space and you can be on your own. And that's what's super cool about it. I feel like this property from that aspect, gives a lot of value.
- [Mikey] Yeah, for sure. And again, just walking the grounds is an experience in itself. - [Enes] Mikey, this has to be one of the longest ground tours we've ever done.
- [Mikey] Yeah. Usually, Enes and I love the grounds of these estates, but because this is YouTube and we have to save time, we usually obsess over trying to cut them a little bit shorter than we would like to. - [Enes] But this time, answer is no. We want to tour it in-depth. And how do we not? I mean, that's the watch tower right there.
Look at this walkway. Look at the scenery around us. I just love it. I can't help it. Right now, we're at cottage number two. Come on in.
This one is definitely more spacious than the one that we just toured. Again, every single one of these guest suites come with a king size bed, pop up TV, really nice bathroom, meticulously cleaned and organized. This is so nice. This is a standalone home at the corner of this property and you're 30 feet away from the Mediterranean Sea.
This is just phenomenal. Mikey, can we go outside one more time? - [Mikey] One more time. - [Enes] One more time. I want everybody to feel the way we're feeling about this property. We talked about the watch tower.
You can see the entire estate behind me, Governor's house, pool house with the guest suites. Look at all these trees. It's a lot for me to take in. I hope our cameras are doing justice to this estate. And look at all these historic sculptures, Mikey. This is fantastic. You get to interact with this.
And like we said, a lot of these are original, centuries old. So it just gives you this insane connection to history. Couldn't agree more. Now, before we end our tour with the grounds, right on the other side is cottage number one. It's pretty similar to the one that we just mentioned.
So in total, we have three cottages within this side of the property. Now, our tour doesn't end here because the gates behind me open up to the rest of the island and to the incredible Mediterranean Sea. So we're taking a little hike around the island.
It's as raw as it gets, and it's just a fun activity to walk around and just take it all in. Sometimes epic surroundings can inspire a man to greatness. Once my workout is complete, it's time for a swim in the Mediterranean.
- [Sandra] How cold is it? - [Enes] We're about to find out. Three, two. After our swim, we freshened up at the Villa, hopped in the car and journeyed across the island to see firsthand the prison which once held the man in the iron mask.
As our quest brought us closer to the ancient fortress, a sense of mystery began to take hold. And before we knew it, there it was. Fort Royal.
Soldiers from many nations, including ancient Romans, have occupied the strategic point above the cliffs. - [Mikey] So we're outside of Fort Royal. This is the prison that is on the island. The legend has it that King Louis the 14th's brother was actually held in this prison, the man in the iron mask. You all might remember that Leonardo DiCaprio movie. Boy, was he handsome back then.
We're outside the prison walls right now. We're going to go inside and have a look. Even right here, we have a French cannon 24 pounder from 1719. Let's go inside. - [Enes] Through the gates we went and followed the cobblestone walkway to a terrace built on top of ancient Roman ruins.
The views were astonishing, being so high above the sea. Further into the fort, we were surprised to see children at play. Interesting to see joy and happiness in a place with such a dark history. So we're at the prison right now. It's a whole lot different than I anticipated. It's very friendly.
These kids are having a field trip here. It's fun. This is a very quaint looking prison, so I got to say. Dude, tell Greg to come to the entry of the prison. Enes is like, I'm tired. So Greg is our driver on the island. There are only a few cars, but we're at the prison.
We're like, Greg, can you come over here? Five minutes later. Thank you so much for coming out. You're welcome. Where are we going next? - [Greg] Whenever you want. Okay. Let's figure that out. We had a fantastic day today. Everybody's really tired, really hungry.
We're excited for this formal dinner. Look at the table set up. Food's good, life's good. Let's get to our dinner. - [Enes] That's incredible.
Oh my gosh, look at the fish. Oh my gosh. So chef, this Sea Bass looks incredible. Can you explain what we have on our plates? - [Basile] So we have the Sea Bass with a sauce vierge, and we have a mash potatoes with truffle and some mixed vegetables on top of it.
Thank you so much. You have no idea how much you contribute to our experience here. And I feel like it's like cherry on top. Thank you. It's a pleasure to have you here. Thank you.
As I look around the table and see the joy on everyone's faces, I realize how lucky we have been. To experience the magical feel of this property, to enjoy its amenities, connect with its history, to take time for ourselves and create the mental space to appreciate the simple things in life. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude.
From the fun we had in the daytime to the grand vision of the property at night, Le Grand Jardin let us experience France in a whole new way, and we'll never forget it. All right, everyone. That's it for the tour. And thank you so much for joining us on this amazing adventure. I want to give big thanks to the team at Le Grand Jardin for hosting us and allowing us to show their amazing property to all of you. As always, you can find more information about this rental property in the description of this video, so make sure to check it out. Now, if you enjoyed the tour, give us a like, subscribe, and we'll see you guys on the next one.
2023-07-05 05:45
