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palaces rendez-vous © MURIELLE GANDER / NEWPRESS7 Bruno Mercadal & Eric Marteau 64
palaces rendez-vous by Olivier-Vincent MARECHAL Bruno Mercadal Hidden charms of the tattooed villa Rencontre avec la Villa Tatouee EVERY ONE OF US HAS A PARTICULAR PLACE TO WHICH WE GO WHEN WE NEED TO RECHARGE OUR BATTERIES, RELAX, MARVEL AT THINGS, OR JUST SPEND A PLEASANT MOMENT. For Bruno Mercadal, director of the Hotel Royal Riviera, one could imagine that to be Nice’s wonderful old town with its narrow streets, colourful buildings, intimate bars and convivial restaurants. It could just as easily be one of the city’s many private beaches which already play host to his regular get-togethers with friends. Mercadal instead found such a place a world away from the hustle and bustle of “La Belle” Nice and just a few hundred metres from the Royal Riviera. He leads us to the other side of the St Jean-Cap- Ferrat peninsula, down a small lane near the lighthouse, and stops in front of a nondescript wall and gate that front the unseen villa and garden beyond. Nestled among lush vegetation, the Villa Santo Sospir presents an almost coquettishly unadorned facade that contrasts dramatically with the haughty, almost arrogantly ostentatious villas that have sprung up all over this peninsula. But do not be tempted to judge a book by its cover. Not only does the villa boast 5,000 m² of land that reaches all the way to the sea, a private beach, and a breathtaking view across the Baie des Anges, the two-storey Santo Sospir also encloses a priceless treasure. John Cocteau had in his final years here decorated every single one of the building’s walls, ceilings, and doors with his art. Pour Bruno Mercadal, le directeur de l’hôtel Royal Riviera, cet endroit aurait pu être le vieux Nice avec ses ruelles typiques, ses maisons colorées, ses petits bars et ses restaurants où le verbe est haut. Cela aurait également pu être, à Nice toujours, sur l’une des plages privées où le facétieux directeur a ses habitudes et retrouve ses amis. Mais c’est dans un endroit à cent lieues de l’animation de Nice la Belle que Bruno Mercadal a choisi de nous emmener. À seulement quelques centaines de mètres de son établissement, de l’autre côté de la presqu’île de Saint-Jean-Cap- Ferrat, il nous mène dans une petite rue non loin du phare et s’arrête devant un mur tout simple et un portail tout simple. Ils cachent un jardin et une villa, sans vanité aucune, superbe de simplicité. Rien à voir avec ces villas qui fleurissent aujourd’hui sur le Cap, ostentatoires et orgueilleuses, parfois même prétentieuses. Non, la villa Santo Sospir, nichée dans son écrin de végétation offre un visage sans artifices tout en cultivant une certaine coquetterie. Il faut dire que la belle n’a pas besoin de se faire plus grosse que le bœuf… En plus de ses 5000m 2 de terrain qui descendent jusqu’à la mer, sa plage privée et sa vue à couper le souffle sur la Baie des Anges, la villa construite sur 2 niveaux sur le flanc du Cap renferme un trésor inestimable. CHACUN POSSÈDE UN ENDROIT OÙ IL AIME SE RETROUVER POUR RECHARGER SES BATTERIES, SE RESSOURCER, S’ÉMERVEILLER OU S’OF<strong>FR</strong>IR UN MOMENT DE CONVIVIALITÉ… 65
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Spring / summer 2012 L ES PALACES D
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Page 18: NEWS Mauro Corda MEtropole Monte-Ca
Page 22: NEWS Guillaume Barclay Culinary art
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Page 63 and 64: palaces life Happy Birthday IT’S
Page 65: Metropole by Lagerfeld palaces life
Page 69 and 70: palaces rendez-vous © MURIELLE GAN
Page 71 and 72: palaces profile by Olivier-Vincent
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Page 75 and 76: un jour, un vin by Olivier-Vincent
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Page 79 and 80: wine passion by Olivier-Vincent MAR
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Page 83 and 84: wine passion The change in ownershi
Page 85 and 86: destinations © VSOE 83
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Page 93 and 94: oad trip croatie Bentley GTC - the
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Page 97 and 98: oad passion Ghost - Between Olympus
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Page 101 and 102: focus by Olivier-Vincent MARECHAL s
Page 103 and 104: focus © ROLLS-ROYCE MOTORS CARS LT
Page 105 and 106: yacht passion A STANDOUT IN ANY MAR
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Page 109 and 110: air passion Unparalleled comfort wi
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fashion m ATLANTIS UNDERWORLD ermai
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fashion p PRETTY IN PASTELS erhaps
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directory áGroupement des Palaces
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directory HÔTEL JUANA La Pinède -
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directory ROYAL RIVIERA 3, Avenue J
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spring / summer 2011
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