THE PROPERTY MOGUL AT HER HOME AND ON THE SEA IN ST TROPEZ MONIQUE HOLLINGER OPENS UP HER STUNNING PENTHOUSE AND FINALLY SETS SAIL ON BOARD THE YACHT SHE ALWAYS DREAMT OF

Glamorous property magnate Monique Hollinger is very much at home in the exclusive Riviera resort of St Tropez – literally, since she and her husband Thomas have a spectacular penthouse there, where they’ve spent summers for the past two decades.

- NANA BOTTAZZI

The couple, who together head a property empire in Switzerland, acquired their apartment in the historic Château Borelli just before their marriage. Among its charms, this baroque gem has 360-degree views that, Monique notes, include “the Mediterranean in all its glory”.

So it comes as no surprise to hear that the Hollingers have recently taken to the water, in a state-of-the-art yacht named after themselves and their two children, Estelle and Louis. “It was always my dream to have a boat, even though everyone told me it was a headache. And now here I am. You have to be careful what you wish for,” she says with a laugh. 

Monique, tell us about your home here… 

“Château Borelli stands inside a peaceful gated community, Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez. It was built in the late 1890s, then wrecked during the Second World War. In the 1980s, a developer restored it to its original glory, dividing the interior in to six apartments. He kept the penthouse for himself, but later he had to sell. That’s when we bought it, 23 years ago. It was a bit expensive, but we got a good deal.” 

And you’ve been coming to St Tropez ever since? 

“Yes. Soon afterwards, we got married on 5 June in the church of Notre-Dame de l’Assomption. Later, when our children were little and not yet in school, we stayed for months at a time.”

How does it feel to live in the chateau?

“I feel like a princess. I feel very safe; this is my happy place.”

 The style of your apartment is really ornate, with stucco, trompe-l’œil, damask and gilding…