When thinking of coastal France, many people’s minds go to the shores of the French Riviera. While Cote d’Azur locales like Nice, Cannes, and Saint-Tropez promise glamour, they also come with large crowds and hot temperatures. To enjoy a more quiet and moody waterfront lifestyle in romantic France, Bretagne is the place to be.
Someone who found this location to be pleasing in the 19th-century was Lithuanian-Polish mathematician, engineer, and inventor Bruno Abdank-Abakanowicz. The gifted scholar retired to Tregastel after making his wealth in Paris. Upon a rugged, rocky island, he built Château de Costaérès. The island itself and the storied manor are now up for sale, seeking €9.5 million (roughly $9.8 million).
The historic, private residence looks out to Bretagne’s magnificent Pink Granite Coast, a natural wonder that the region is famous for. Visible to those visiting this stretch of coastline as well, the neo-gothic château even has a marker that gives visitors insight into its significance. After Abdank-Abakanowicz built the 3,229-square-foot castle in the late 1800s, it became a gathering point for great minds of the time. Colette, André Gide, and Henryk Sienkiewicz were among the noted visitors, with Sienkiewicz even writing his Nobel Prize-winning Quo Vadis (1895) there.
Today, a new generation can get inspired at the residence surrounded by turquoise water. Though it sustained some damage in the second World War, the property has been impeccably maintained and received its most substantial renovation in 1980. Thankfully, the exterior still showcases pink granite, embracing the area’s unique and rare resource. The interiors also boast period elements like recovered wood from a three-masted ship and grand spaces including the knights’ hall and the “banqueting room.”
Along with five bedrooms and inviting living spaces, the property brims with wellness amenities like a sauna and a heated outdoor pool with massage jets. The grounds have two beaches and 200 species of flora to discover. And, when you fancy a trip to the mainland, that’s not a problem. Just wait for low tide and, like magic, a route by foot appears.
Peter Bos of Bretagne Sud Sotheby’s International Realty is co-listing the enchanting property with another brokerage.