“Although people go to rural Var for the tranquillity, it’s very much part of the Riviera,” he says. “St Tropez, Cannes and Nice are all within easy driving distance, although I never went to St Tropez in July and August. During those months you need to be there by 9am and leave after 7pm, otherwise you just get stuck in a frightful log jam of traffic.”Saint Endr? is surrounded by a large plain, one of the lowest in central Var. It’s encircled by mountains with vineyards to the west and nearby a number of pretty villages. The deeper you go into Var, the more dramatic the landscape becomes with outcrops of craggy rocks.

The River Endre meanders through the development, but, to the north, there are several deep gorges and all around are areas of gorse, olive, pine and cork trees.Another plus for the area is that although there are a good number of converted maison de ma?es, farmhouses and village homes for sale, new developments are thin on the ground, as the planning restrictions have prevented the area from becoming like the Costa del Sol. “There is a much higher demand for new-build properties now,” says Brian Groocock, who is an associate of Savills, which is marketing Les Domaines de Saint Endr?. “Development land is at a premium, with planning permission hard to achieve and it is unlikely that the development would be allowed to be built if it was started today.”The residential element has slowly evolved with there being now three hamlets, each self-contained and dotted around in the pine trees which surround the golf course. As well as golf, there is a beautiful health spa and 35-room hotel, you can play tennis or go jogging in the grounds and it’s somewhere which appeals to both people who want to spend a lot of time there or second-home owners who want a property they can lock up and leave.Each hamlet has its own communal swimming pool and at Le Castellet, which is under construction, there will be 60 houses and apartments. This hamlet is at the highest point of the estate and so has wonderful views across the vineyards and the mountains.

All the properties have a typical Proven? feel about them with colour washed exteriors, contrasting shutters and mottled roof tiles. Prices for the two and three-bedroom houses start at £280,000 and residents will be given discounts on green fees and club membership.For someone looking for an older property, Knight Frank is selling a charming four-bedroom house in the middle of a hamlet near Le Luc for about £330,000 and a beautifully renovated country house near Claviers with four bedrooms, covered terrace with barbecue, swimming pool and adventure playground, all in a very large plot of land. This is for sale for about £569,000.Hugo Skillington, who has lived in Gassin for 35 years and is now Knight Frank’s representative in the area, says: “It is a magical area. It is amazing how quickly you can get away from the coast, where there are too many people and too many cars, to somewhere which feels almost isolated. The light is amazing and the landscape has attracted painters, writers and cinema directors, who have all realised its amazing potential.”Brian Groocock, 00 33 498 10 20 90Savills, 020 7016 3740Hugo Skillington, 00 33 494 44 10 44Knight Frank, 020 7629 8171. Put away the skis. Bulgaria’s famous Bansko mountain resort, once a haven for winter sports but empty in summer, is now targeting year-round buyers and tourists.

Since 2003, some 3,000 Britons have bought homes in Bansko, the resort town that sits 150km south of Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia. Many have done so because of its reputation as a top central European ski area – it has bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics and has 64 kilometres of slopes.
“As a ski centre, Bansko holds its own with French ones but until now, there hasn’t been much to do outside of the season. That’s going to change with the arrival of an equestrian centre, a golf course designed by British star Ian Woosnam, and bike and hiking trails,” says Mike Wellings, a London financier-turned-developer, whose firm, Winslow Developments, has built hundreds of flats for British buyers in Bansko.Wellings’ latest scheme – Mountain Residences, 177 apartments ranging from £39,000 to £110,000 – sold out within a month this spring. “Within a few years, landlords will be able to rent their apartments out for much longer periods, not close them up for the summer,” insists Wellings.His scheme is not the only one seeking four-season appeal. Alpine Lodge is a complex of 123 fully furnished studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments in Bansko, near to the Woosnam golf course and the old town, and due for completion in December 2007.

Although close to ski runs, estate agents are emphasising its sunbathing decks, barbecue areas and swimming pool, as well as the low starting prices of £29,973 (The Right Move Abroad, 020 8453 7516, www. therightmoveabroad .)White Fir is another project of 123 apartments in Bansko. It unashamedly admits it is three kilometres from the resort’s ski lifts but emphasises its proximity to golf, hiking and fishing facilities that are best enjoyed in the summer, as well as epic views of the Pirin Mountains Prices are from £100,000. (Hamptons International, 020 7244 4740, www.hamptons-int .)Sofia Golf and Country Club is near another ski resort, Borovets, but is marketed in the UK with the emphasis on its golf course, riding school, volleyball, basketball, 10-pin bowling, swimming, football and tennis facilities. As international-lifestyle buyers are sought, “so golf will play a major part in Bulgaria’s future”, predicts estate agent Robin Barrasford, who sells to British buyers Club apartments are £57,000 to £69,000 (Barrasford & Bird, 0845 600 1871, www. barrasfordandbird.co.uk.)Few can deny that Bansko and Borovets are like Spain four decades ago.