The Tower and the Glory
by Sally Shalam
July 2003
In the untouristy Drôme area of France (Provence-like landscape, only an hour from the Alps), an elegant and imposing Twenties Tuscan-style villa near Grignan is available to rent through Dominique's Villas. The grounds are populated with pines, oaks, laurels and lilacs, and terraced gardens lead down to a traditional source-fed 55m bassin, or pool.
View villa PR103 >>

The Most Wanted Villas
by Nick Redman
June 2001
Dordogne: Issigeac. Your own private mini château - therein lies Issigeac's appeal, says Dominique at Dominique's Villas. Slap in the middle of France's motoring-holiday mecca, yet sequestered within a parkland of Lebanese cedars. While ostensibly grand (sleeping 12 in six bedrooms of polished floorboards, sun slanting through sashes, a wrought-iron staircase), Issigeac is downright cosy for a château, possessed of a kitchen out of Marie Claire Maison, ringing with gingham and dangling utensils. Anyone not into fishing at the private lake should be dispatched to Bergerac for supplies of Monbazillac - the perfect sweet white for foie gras.
View château ref DL68 >>

Villa Thrillers
by Nick Redman
June 1999
Dieulivol in hilly Gironde, west of the Dordogne, towering dovecotes flank a creeper-clad façade: the view from this 19th century farmhouse, sleeping 10, opens out dramatically across the pool towards vineyards. It feels lived-in, filled with local antiques bestowed by the owners. Best of all for young 'uns: the attic's conversion into a muralled dormitory.
View villa ref DL16 >>

Find a villa in the sun
by Sally Shalam
May 1996
Historic houses and smart addresses are combined with Dominique's Villas.