2 Medieval Cottages with Spectacular Shared Pool and Private Dining Garden
Relaxing Simplicity With Excellent Beds and Well Equipped Kitchens In Tranquil Medieval Village
Sleeps 4 (1 bedroom), & 5 (2 bedroom + sofabed)
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Two "sensitively restored" medieval cottages in the ramparts of the Château de Brissac-le-Haut share a natural-shaped pool (0 to 3.5 m deep) with several distinct seating areas. Cottages are designed to provide a smooth-running background for your perfect holiday. Each master bedroom has an adjacent balcony with "spellbinding" view, and each cottage has a private outdoor garden with a particularly agreeable dining area. "The garden was fantastic - especially in the evenings, when after supper we sat and watched the sky change colour, content to listen to the birdsong give way to the sound of crickets and frogs and watch the stars come out." Located between the Cévennes National Park and the Mediterranean sea, Brissac is well placed for canoeing, walking, climbing and mountain biking. The historic towns of Nîmes, Montpellier, Avignon and Carcassone, and the beaches of the Mediterranean, are all within easy reach. Good restaurants are everywhere (Guests' Restaurant log).
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| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 27 August 2011 - 1 October 2011 | €710 | 7 | ||
| 1 October 2011 - 28 April 2012 | €410 | 3 | ||
| 28 April 2012 - 2 June 2012 | €610 | 3 | ||
| 2 June 2012 - 14 July 2012 | €810 | 7 | ||
| 14 July 2012 - 25 August 2012 | €1175 | 7 | ||
| 25 August 2012 - 29 September 2012 | €810 | 7 | ||
| 29 September 2012 - 6 April 2013 | €410 | 3 |
7 Rue Caterine (sleeps 2/4) Prices
| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 27 August 2011 - 1 October 2011 | €710 | 7 | ||
| 1 October 2011 - 28 April 2012 | €410 | 3 | ||
| 28 April 2012 - 2 June 2012 | €560 | 3 | ||
| 2 June 2012 - 14 July 2012 | €710 | 7 | ||
| 14 July 2012 - 25 August 2012 | €1075 | 7 | ||
| 25 August 2012 - 29 September 2012 | €710 | 7 | ||
| 29 September 2012 - 6 April 2013 | €410 | 3 |
Notes on prices
Prices are for each property per week in Euros. Returnable security deposit of €250 payable with final balance. We will also accept GB Pounds at the exchange rate on the day of payment. Price includes white Egyptian Cotton bedlinen, duvets and pillows, fluffy towels for bathroom and pool, tablecloths and tea towels, electricity, gas and water, and selected kitchen & bathroom consumables. The discounted monthly price available for long term winter lets does not include electricity or consumables.
Changeover day
Changeover Saturday. Please plan to arrive not earlier than 5pm, and to depart by 9.30am.
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7 Rue Caterine (sleeps 2/4)
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Smaller, more intimate, more luxurious than No 5. Master bedroom with California King-size bed, east-facing balcony with 'timeless" view. Landing with single bed, built-in wardrobe. (Other single bed in living room.) House Bathroom with sink, bidet, shower and wc. Fully furnished kitchen with hob, oven, fridge freezer, kettle, microwave and dining table, 4 chairs. Living room with suite and furniture, single day bed, small library, wood burning stove. Terraced entrance along front of cottage, bordered on other side by medieval ruins. Secluded private garden with Jasmine-covered dining table, seating for 4 & BBQ; herb garden. Weekly change of all linen and towels, inc pool towels. "No intrusive music, no TV, no nasty neighbors: bliss!" "The setting is absolutely unique, views outstanding, & the gite very tastefully furnished." "We lost track of time immediately after arriving in Brissac. This place and its atmosphere is unique, dreamlike." |
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Notes on accommodation
Electric fan in each bedroom. Electric heating throughout each house for winter. Fully-equipped laundry room at castle available for guests' use. No pets. Reserved parking at entrance to chateau. Children very welcome; age-appropriate furniture and furnishings available free. Mobile phone with French SIM card and €5 supplied in each house for your use.
"Arrived to find, unlike many gîtes, absolutely everything we should need except an upstairs loo! [No 5] Neanmois, we have had a superb 10 days..."
"Lots of kind touches made our holiday great fun (like toys on a rainy day)."
From a boy aged 10: "Scorpions, Beetles and Bugs - fantastic. The owl pellets were very interesting. The pool is great - fantastic place to learn to dive." And from his brother, age 7: "The pool was the best, great for bombing."
"...it's so hard to drag yourself away from the scenery and the stars. Secret Garden is great to eat out, especially with lots of candles, had many nice meals there."
Outside
The natural-shaped pool, (16m x 6.75m max - 0 to 3.5m deep), has steps at the shallow end and middle. "Highlight of our holiday." "Best pool ever." The pool house has a kitchenette and changing room with toilet and hot shower; "exceeded expectations". Pool is shared between the cottages. There is decking for sunbathing, and several separate seating areas including under the pine trees. Seating includes 4 deck chairs, comfortable arm chairs for 6, and a marble dining table with 6 chairs on the terrace. Child-size furniture as appropriate appears when needed. The entire pool area is surrounded by high stone walls for privacy and child security.
Coast/Beach
The Mediterranean beaches are little over 1 hour away by car.
Many guests also enjoy the gravel beaches of the Herault River which runs nearby. Canoeing on the Herault is "not to be missed - great fun and very pleasant on a hot day."
Also, "The pool is out of this world." "What an amazing place to be."
Travel
Brissac is approximately 11 hours drive from Calais, 1 1/4 hour from Montpellier airport (MPL) and 1 1/4 hour from Nimes (FNI).
Train: Eurostar to Avignon in summer, approximately 2 hours drive away. Or Eurostar changing to TGV in Lille to Nimes or Montpellier.
A car is essential. There is plenty of parking available in the communal area at the entrance to the village, or reserved for you at the entrance to the chateau.
Distances
Ganges 6 miles - all local amenities and not-to-be-missed Friday market. St Guilhelm-le Desert half an hour. St Jean de Bueges approx 15 mins. Causse du Larzac ½ hour. Montpellier and Nimes approx 1 hour. Carcassone approx 2½ hours. (Times are all driving times). Herault River for paddling, swimming 5 - 10 minutes.
Further details
Brissac le Bas is an easy walk, although coming back is uphill all the way! It has a Boulangerie, also a nice restaurant. Ganges (6 miles) has all the local amenities such as supermarkets and petrol station, ATM, cafes and shops, as well as the Friday street market full of local produce and products, and a Sunday "Marche au Puces." You can attend a local market in a nearby town or village every day of the week. For even wider choice, Montpellier and Nimes are within easy access by car. There are more restaurants than we can count nearby, from simple country hostelries to superb haut-cuisine establishments - the Restaurant Book kept in the pool house is becoming an excellent resource as guests add cards or brochures and describe their experiences. Canoeing on the Herault river is a popular activity, with numerous starting points and distances from 3 to 20 or more km. Walking is another pleasure, ranging from gentle meanders round Brissac or along the river to serious hiking in the Cevennes. In Brissac history is everywhere around you. The local area is chock full of Romanesque buildings, including our castle with its two 11th century towers. The thirteenth century, the time of the Cathars, is recent history, and Brissac's strong fortifications were built to keep out the English after the battle of Crecy. Roman Nimes and medieval (and modern) Montpellier are nearby. The local area is becoming noted for producing excellent wines, which you can buy at the supermarket, or when visiting the domaines, or 'en primeur' for collection the following year.
"Felt very well looked after." 'It usually takes me a week to unwind, but here it only took a day.' "The most important decision becomes when in the day to go up to the pool." 'The house is so well designed, comfortable and welcoming.' "Extremely clean." "It all exceeded our expectations & was a wonderful place to stay." "Everything was perfect." "We have had an absolutely amazing time." "A truly spectacular location."
Booking notes
Book directly by email with the owners. 10% deposit payable at time of booking. Balance to be paid 8 weeks before start of stay, with €250 refundable security deposit (returned once keys have been returned and satisfactory inspection concluded).
Before accepting a booking we email back and forth a few times to be sure that the property is the perfect place for your holiday.
Guest comments
'We were charmed by the spectacular setting - the amazing architecture, space, views and spectacular design of the swimming pool. Most of all we soaked up the atmosphere, French food, markets and countryside - a very special place!'
'A great way to return to a simpler kind of living - I won't forget looking out of the window the first morning and seeing a timeless landscape before me. A real privilege to have stayed here.'
'Brissac is so quiet and peaceful it was a truly relaxing holiday and a perfect place to read! The surrounding countryside is beautiful and empty - such a pleasure!'
"I don't know why I brought all this [kitchen] stuff. Yours is the best equipped gite I've ever stayed in." "Everyone locally is quite friendly and welcoming."
'The house is beautiful and the views from the balcony are fantastic-especially in a thunderstorm.'
"I've no idea what day it is. Had a fantastic week. Lazed by the pool for days on end." "Amazing place to be!"
"This little piece of heaven."
Owner profile
Instead of an aging owner: the castle & cottages.
About the owner
The castle which provides welcome shade to parts of the swimming pool in summer was purchased by my parents as a restoration project for their retirement. They had a lot of fun turning a roofless ruin into a family home of timeless beauty, but abandoned both project and castle when they became too old to manage the stairs.
Fortunately they had purchased some adjacent house ruins to protect the pool area from unsympathetic development; these became the two cottages now known as 5 and 7 Rue Caterine.
Over the past ten years my daughters and I have returned the houses to full use, retaining their original charm while ensuring that they provide a smooth running background for your perfect holiday, furnished to the standard that we ourselves would like to find in a holiday cottage.
Why the owner chose a home in this location
"Brissac is an amazingly charming village." The region has so much to explore and I feel that I have only scratched the surface."
Unique benefits of the property
Yes, "We are here for you" personal service becomes part of your stay on the Rue Caterine, from recommended activities chosen for safety and high quality experience, to a tour of the private chateau with irreverent and eye-opening historical commentary - "the highlight of our week."
For booking and further information
Property Ref FR43
Contact Name:
Vera Sampson
(CANADA) +1 8678734844
Owners Website: Click here
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Property Ref FR43
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