Patience and perseverance pay off for the postmaster
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Michel a retired postmaster from the Var department of France who realised his dream through sheer patience and perseverance.
Waterfront setting with private beach in the south of France
Many fantasise of creating an idyllic retirement and I have come across lots of relatively happy retirees who have opted for a rental home arrangement here in France as part of their plan for old age but none have impressed me quite as much as Michel and his wife.
He contacted Villas du Monde as he wanted to diversify the clientele for the holiday rental property he owns. I was asked to speak to him in my capacity as local agent for the Region Sud previously known as the PACA. My explanation of how VDM operated satisfied him and I sent him the owner application form which he duly completed and we arranged for me to visit.
A few days later I arrived earlier than scheduled and found Michel hosing down the patio terrace kitted out in rather professional looking cycling gear. He was a little taken aback so I offered to come back later when he was ready but he declined.
The main patio terrace with white ship-style rails
A charming man, in his seventies, he proceeded to show me around and even though it was the middle of winter the sun was hot bouncing off the sea so close. The house itself is not Villas du Monde’s usual sort of place as it is disjointed but it was nice enough and in very good order. Location location location is what this place is all about and furthermore, there is a really nice motorboat included in the rental, I liked it. Situated on a small bay accessed via a tiny lane it is wonderfully remote with just a few other houses nearby. The rocky beach in front of the house is actually private.
My hunch that it was a special place was confirmed when Michel's wife arrived in jogging gear, back from her six-kilometre walk through the woods along the coast. She was on the telephone to the producer of one of the top mainstream French television channels who was wanting to film on location there with one of the nations most well-known presenters, referred to commonly as "beau gosse" meaning handsome boy. The setting did feel like the right location for a Provencal film.
I was curious how Michel had managed to set up a holiday rental property in such a privileged situation in what was previously a wooden fisherman's cabin as such places are extremely hard to acquire and planning laws are very stringent and restrictive. He explained that initially, he rented the old cabin from the fisherman for five full consecutive summers, each time offering to buy it until finally, the owner relented. Talk about patience!
Porthole-style windows offering stunning sea views
Then he went to the local planning office and asked them for their idea of what would be a suitable sort of development and they gave him some ideas which he transformed into drawings with his son and they eventually presented plans for the current building which has many elements of boat design including porthole-style windows and white ship style rails. His planning proposals were accepted, a model lesson in how to go about getting approval in sensitive areas.
All that was interesting in its own right then he went on to explain that he rebuilt the whole place himself, the walls, the roof, tiling, fittings, everything. He just loved "bricolage" as the French call DIY, his real job was master of a post office, a 'fonctionnaire' an employee of the state, not a manual worker at all, nor rich.
The boat that comes with the house on a small sandy creek on Porquerolles
Cleverly Michel and his wife also acquired a small apartment in nearby Carquieranne which enables them to be within 2 kilometres drive of the rental property which they let out for summer holidays from mid-June to mid-September. Close enough to offer assistance if required and for Michel to skipper the boat for two outings a week to the likes of the nearby island of Porquerolles if the clients do not have a motorboat permit.
Beach on Porquerolles nominated one of the best in France
He also provides a low powered motor boat which doesn't need a licence as well as two kayaks and two stand-up paddle boards all included in the house rental price. Outside those summer months, he moves back in and enjoys the place with his family, grandchildren and friends. A perfect retirement and a testament to the virtues of patience and perseverance.
Here is a short video he made featuring some clients during their stay at his house.
