Detached Pyrenean Cottage Renovation - 10% Discount for Couples all year
Amidst Rolling Hills with Pool, Internet Access,Satellite TV English+languages, Skiing, Birdwatching
Sleeps 4 (2 Bedrooms)
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Character cottage set in working farming village amidst rolling hills. The cottage has its own entrance, a gravel courtyard and BBQ area with views of the hills. For relaxation there's a salt water pool! Plenty of opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts all year round; bird watching, horse-riding, fabulous walks on the door step; short strolls along the riverside, hill/mountain walks if you feel more strenuous. Close by 2 gorges, GR10, crystal clear rivers for fishing or white water rafting. Popular area for cyclists, motor cyclists. Winter; skiing. Also hang gliding or rock climbing for the more adventerous. 45mins pretty Spanish villages. 1½ hr Biarritz, St.Jean de Lux & Spanish coast. Flights via low fares airline: Ryanair; Stansted-Biarritz & Lourds (1.20m), & ski flights, CityJet; London to Pau (lhr), Dublin-Pau, Flybe (May-September) Manchester-Lourds. Nearest ferry Santander (165km).
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| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 6 January 2012 - 30 April 2012 | £400 | 3 | ||
| 1 May 2012 - 1 June 2012 | £450 | 3 | ||
| 2 June 2012 - 29 June 2012 | £495 | 4 | ||
| 30 June 2012 - 31 August 2012 | £675 | - | ||
| 1 September 2012 - 30 September 2012 | £495 | 4 | ||
| 1 October 2012 - 21 December 2012 | £400 | 3 | ||
| 22 December 2012 - 5 January 2013 | £425 | 4 |
Notes on prices
For people coming from a Eurozone country the prices are the same as those quoted in Sterling.
There is a 10% discount for couples all year including Christmas and New Year.
Logs for the wood burner are included in the price.
Visitors are welcome at Christmas and snow enthusiasts can take advantage of the skiing at the ski station or nordic areas.
Winter rental of a minimum of one month £650 inclusive of utilities, heating, logs.
Prices per night on request.
Changeover day
Changeover day is normally Saturday with departure at 10am and arrival after 4pm. We will try to be as flexible as possible.
Accommodation
| Bedrooms: | On the first floor all the rooms have oak polished floors and beamed ceilings:- Bedroom 1: double bed, fitted wardrobes, dressing table, wall heater. Bedroom 2: two adult sized single beds, dressing table, wardrobe, wall heater views of the mountains. |
| Bathrooms: | Bathroom first floor: bath, tiled shower, wc, heated towel rail. There is an outdoor shower next to the swimming pool. |
| Kitchen: | The kitchen has original features; old stone sink, oak beams, quarry tiled floor. Dining table to seat 4. There is a large cooker (double oven), microwave, fridge with small freezer compartment, toaster. We provide tea towels, dish cloths, kitchen towels. |
| Utility Room: | There is a tumbler dryer and washing machine in the adjoining barn. |
| Living Rooms: | Cosy oak beamed living room with wood burning stove. Logs supplied out of season. Room heater, two sofas, standard lamp, coffee table, books, CDs/DVDs, LCD satellite TV (English, French, Spanish, German), DVD & CD player.French doors leading to courtyard. |
| Cleaning/towels/ linen/maid service: |
Clean bath towels and bed linen are provided. For stays of two weeks or more clean linen is available. Please bring your own pool/beach towels unless you're flying and they will be provided on request. The property will be cleaned after each new occupant. |
| Amenities/Facilities: | hob/stove oven fridge microwave washing machine tumble dryer iron/ironing board satellite tv internet access barbecue shared pool |
| Location Type: |
Notes on accommodation
This is not a gite complex - there is only one gite. All the water comes from a mountain spring and is very suitable for drinking. In summer we have a portable fan if required. A hairdryer is supplied and toys are provided for small children on request.
Accessibility
There are cottage type stairs so it may be difficult for wheelchair users.
Outside
The cottage has its own separate entrance with plenty of space to park two cars. The gardens are mature and there is a beautiful salt water swimming pool (10 x 5m) and sun loungers. The pool has sunshine in the summer from early morning until 8pm or later in the evening. The owners only use it when guests are not using it.In the gravel area adjacent to the cottage there is a private barbecue area with table and chairs and views of the surrounding hills.
Coast/Beach
It takes about 1hr 30 mins to drive to the Atlantic coast and it's certainly worth a trip to see the spectacular coastline. There are plenty of surfing beaches and there's a cosy calm inlet, notably, at Guethary for swimming, or eating at the beach restaurant or in the many restaurants in the village. There are of course, the coastal resorts of Biarritz, St.Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye (close to the Spanish border). A day trip into Spain's Atlantic coast is possible.
Golf
There is a nice golf course in the historic town of Salies which is under an hours drive away.
Skiing
The relaxed friendly ski resort of La Pierre-St-Martin (45m). Altitude 1500-2200m high which includes 18 runs for all levels; l black, 5 red, 9 blue, 3 green and an area for beginners. There are 11 ski lifts, 5 of which are chairlifts. Other sports activities include snowboarding, sledging, snowshoeing. There are bars/restaurants, ski school, ski hire and sledging with huskies.The Nordic domains of Issarbe, Iraty have a wonderful panorama of the surrounding valleys and mountains (45mins) These areas are suitable for walking with snow shoes or cross-country skiing. Both have a restaurant and ski/snow shoe hire. Iraty has 4 cross country runs (45m) and 2 itineraries for snowshoeing. Issarbe has 21km of cross country skiing snow shoe trails. There are lots of information on the website of La Pierre St. Martin, Issarbe and Iraty. Please ask and I'll email the website addresses to you. There's a webcam so you can monitor the snow! If you want to come at short notice, that's fine.
Travel
Take advantage of the low fares airline which operate all year - Ryanair from Stanstead to Biarritz and Cityjet, London to Pau. In season normally Ryanair, Stansted to Lourdes and Dublin to Biarritz and Flybe from Southampton to Pau. We are about 1hr 30 mins from Biarritz and Lourdes Airport and one hour from Pau. If you sail to northern Spain we are just over 1hr 30 mins from the French/Spanish border.
Distances
The nearest town is Tardets (5mins). Historic Oloron (30mins). Aramits (15 mins) is a pretty village with a good supermarket and Sunday morning market. In the summer, there's an adventure park for children. Pau (1hr) with a smart shopping area, lots of restaurants and tours of the castle. Arette, (20mins) a quaint village close to the ski slopes. Salies de Bearn (45mins) has a spa & a golf course. Mauleon (20mins), 3 supermarkets and where the famous French sandal, 'espadrille' is manufactured.
Further details
It's a great location to come at any time of the year as the scenery is stunning even out of season; Winter for lovers of the white powdery stuff; Autumn/Spring is a good time to come as its normally mild & great for walkers, cyclists and for horse riding. In spring/autumn Iraty is very popular with bird watchers. Ochagavia, near Iraty is a major transit point for many migrating birds; There are also some popular walking trails at different levels at Iraty. In summer you can just relax around the pool, admire the view, breathe the pure mountain air & listen to the tinkling of bells and perhaps contemplate doing something more energetic e.g. climb the mountain behind the gite, go white water rafting or eat at a local fete or one of the many good restaurants in the area. 'La Madeleine' (close to Tardets) is a mountain with wonderful panoramic views of the Pyrenees on a clear day. There's a pretty river running through Tardets to fish or stroll along or have a picnic on it's banks. There's a cave close by called 'La Verna' which is one of the largest underground caves in the world, though you do need to reserve. There are two dramatic gorges nearby. Larreau is a pretty village high up in the mountains with one of the best restaurants in the area plus fantastic views. To the south of Larreau a road meanders over the mountains into Spain (closed in winter). It's a very picturesque route, and you might see the wild horses! This route takes you to many charming Spanish villages and of course, Menu del Dia. You can tour the quaint towns in the Bearn and Basque country; the bastioned town of Navarrenx, medieval Sauveterre with white water rafting and St.Jean Pied de Port, not far from the Spanish border. It has a picturesque old town encircled by 15C ramparts. Further away, at Artouste you can have a unique opportunity to access the marvels of the mountains via a train (the highest in europe) and cable car into the mountains and the Artouste lake near the summit.
Booking notes
There is a deposit of 25% to secure the booking with the remainder payable 8 weeks before arrival. There's a breakages deposit of £150 that will be returned 1 week after departure.
Guest comments
'An appreciative note after a most enjoyable and restful week. The house has been so tastefully restored and has a lovely atmosphere amidst gorgeous countryside. Surely my favourite part of France.' 09/07/2010 C & D O'shea , Ireland.
'Thank you so much for your hospitality and generosity during our stay. The gite is beautiful and exceeded our expectations. So much so that our two day stay turned out to be a four day visit!' We will be back. ' 16/05/2010 David and Mairi Rendall, Scotland.
'Contentment is ...
cosy evenings round a wood burning stove
a warm bathroom with heated towel rail
welcoming and helpful hosts
glorious and varied scenery
utensils for every culinary occasion
vegetables and freshly chopped firewood on the doorstep
a bath AND a shower AND lots of hot water
supperb situation
shuttered windows
best scenery in the world
our own driveway' G.Stride, F. Warden, England 22/10/2011
House swap
House swap considered which sleeps two people. We'd like to hear from you if you have accommodation in Beverley, Yorkshire. My wish list is - Tarifa in Spain, Corsica, Morocco, Egypt, Greek Island, Madeira, Cote d'Azur, Tuscany! Any offers?
Owner profile
About the owner
I used to live in Beverley in Yorkshire and now live permanently in France with my partner and our two adopted cats. We love this area as it's so beautiful. One of the reason we were drawn here is the situation. At night it seems magical when our village and the villages in the valley opposite are lit up. We have a vegetable plot so lucky guests will hopefully be able to try some of the produce in season, if my gardening skills are up to it! I read a book recently 'Deep France' by Celia Brayfield. It's about a writer's year in the Bearn. It gives you a good insight into the Bearn and also touches on places in the Basque country and quite a few of the places near here are mentioned.
Year purchased: 2007
Why the owner chose a home in this location
We love the area as it's so enchanting with beautiful mountains, wide valleys and sparkling rivers. In short the scenery is stunning and untouched. I love to hear the tinkling bells of the sheep and cows which is a reminder of how local life continues as it has in the past. Although the gite is in the farming village of Lichans we're only 3km from Tardets, a busy mountain town with lots of facilities including 2 restaurants. One of the reasons we bought the property was because there are lots of outdoor activities and places to explore. We've lived here for 4+ years but there is still much to explore. We even look forward to winter because from mid December-April there is usually snow in the mountains and the ski resorts of La Pierre St.Martin, Issarbe, Iraty are all within 45mins drive.
Unique benefits of the property
We think the scenery must be close to the best scenery in Europe, though we might be biased of course! You can come here at any time of the year & find plenty of things to do. Summer is the time for relaxing around the pool, local fetes and there are lots of activities for children; trecking, rafting, adventure park, aqua centre. Spring & Autumn are ideal for walking in the gorges, valleys, mountains and several walks from your front door so you can give the car a rest. Winter is the time for snow and the skiing resort of La Pierre St. Martin is about 40mins drive with lots of activities besides skiing. Spain is close enough to go for lunch and try out rural Spanish cuisine and by way of contrast you can have lunch in the sophisticated resort of Biarritz! There's something for everyone!
For booking and further information
Property Ref FR3477
Contact Name:
Christina Tonn
(FRANCE) +33 0033559285852
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Property Ref FR3477
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