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eautifully restored and renovated in provencal style, Les Trois Palmes has been brought up to 21st century standards with sensitivity.

On all six floors, the original wooden beams, adobe style plasterwork and terracotta floor tiles create a romantic, cosy and timeless atmosphere.

The traditional mediterranean construction of thick stone walls and tiled floors keeps the house cool in summer and warm in winter (plus there is gas-fired central heating throughout if required!)

Provencal kitchen

Entering from Rue Guillaumont, you go up a few steps to the main kitchen.

With its traditional decorative tiles and pastel blue and yellow, this is undeniably provencal, yet fully equipped with all the latest appliances - large fridge, oven, microwave, hob, dishwasher and double sink. A kettle, coffee-maker and iron are also provided.

Kitchen from dining area

Next to the kitchen is a dining area that will accommodate at least eight comfortably.

There is a toilet conveniently located under the stairs.

Balcony

View from balcony

Going a few steps up the stairs from the kitchen, there is a balcony with a small table and chairs.

Ideal for a couple to enjoy their warm croissants for breakfast, or perhaps a glass of wine in the evening, and take in the open view across the roofs and gardens of the Old Town to the trees that give Les Trois Palmes its name.

Lounge with open fire

The lounge looking towards front

Continuing a few steps more up the stairs, you enter the living room, with light streaming in from front and back during the day. There is confortable seating for eight. As elsewhere in the house, traditional Provencal soft furnishings create a bright, cheerful and stylish feel.

The open fireplace adds further to the atmosphere, particularly in the evenings of the cooler months.

Lounge with open fireplace

A gas fired system provides a truly romantic feel without any of the hassle of burning wood. A satellite receiver provides access to many channels of English-language entertainment (including CNN, the BBC and ITV), while terrestrial TV is available in French.

There is also a DVD player - initally loaded with your information DVD about the house, Old Antibes and more. Films are available to rent close by.

Master bedroom

The master bedroom

From the living room, the stairs curve on upwards to the master bedroom with a double bed, two large built-in wardrobes and plenty of cupboard space.

The bed has matresses that can be raised or lowered electrically using a remote control.

Bathroom on third floor

Also on this floor is a luxuriously fitted bathroom, with its fittings and laquered wood surfaces betraying the nautical interest of a previous owner!

On the landing is a spiral staircase leading up to the summer kitchen and terrace.

Provencal kitchen with original hand-hewn beams

Summer kitchen, dipping pool and terrace

Dipping pool

The stairs continue up from the third-floor landing to the top of the house and the cuisine d'ete, or summer kitchen, a more modern tradition on the Cote d'Azur. For many people, this is where they spend much of their time while at home - and with good reason. At one end is a very large mosaic-tiled bath (about three metres long), a small swimming pool or a dipping pool.

Eating out on the terrace

Whatever you prefer to call it, it is ideal for cooling off after a spell on the large terrace at the other end of the top floor.

Here, there is a barbecue and room for at least eight to dine (with a terrace heater if needed in the cooler months). The open view is across the tiled roofs of the old town to the sea and Alps in the background.

Summer kitchen

A cuisine d'ete would hardly be such without some means of preparing food. Here there is all you need, from just grabbing another drink or snack to preparing a full meal - a fridge, hob, oven, dishwasher and sink.

Lower bedroom

Lower bedroom

If, after entering the house through the front door, you go down a few steps rather than up to the provencal kitchen, you enter a second bedroom with twin beds (that can be easily bolted together to make a double) and en suite bathroom. Also on this floor is a washing machine and dryer.

Self-contained studio

Self-contained studio

Also available to rent is a completely separate studio. If you require this, it can be reached via stairs down from the lower bedroom.

It also has its own private entrance to the building at the back on Impasse Sade, lined with roses and other flowers in spring and summer.

Arched ceiling

Originally a spacious cellar, this has an arched ceiling that gives it undeniable character. Fully self-contained, the appartment includes a double bed, sofa bed, television and video, kitchenette with hob and fridge and a microwave as well as a shower room.

View onto Impasse Sade

Swing open the door onto Impasse Sade and sit out in what must be one of quietest little spots in Old Antibes!

Impasse Sade, a typical narrow lane of the Old Town, has several other front doors leading off it further up and is well-lit at night. Go down the lane, round the corner, through a garden gate and on up to Rue Sade - a narrow, busy street lined with all kinds of interesting shops that leads up to the provencal market.