Lovely Villa with Private Pool in Beautiful Aude Countryside
Near Mirepoix Medieval Bastide Town
Sleeps 4 (usually restricted to 3) in 2 Bedrooms
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Our poolhouse is set in beautiful unspoiled countryside, facing south, and has an elevated terrace overlooking the large 11x5m heated pool (Jun - Sep). From the terrace you face rolling countryside over which you can see the tops of the Pyrenees. We are your nearest neighbours, just 25m up the slope, but you are very private. This is an ideal holiday villa for a couple, perhaps with a friend or third person but is not suitable for young children. Your terrace comes with a table and 6 chairs and there are 4 loungers with a parasol for the poolside. There is a separate BBQ bench-table on the grassy area. The villa and pool are surrounded by a maturing garden with oleander, lavender, hibiscus and many other flowering shrubs. The poolhouse was built as a family guest house and has been lovingly fitted out. It is a little gem with more than a touch of luxury. The owners live close by and help to keep it looking immaculate.
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| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 31 December 2011 - 7 January 2012 | £775 | 7 | ||
| 7 January 2012 - 31 March 2012 | £650 | 7 | ||
| 31 March 2012 - 2 June 2012 | £700 | 7 | ||
| 2 June 2012 - 30 June 2012 | £825 | 7 | ||
| 30 June 2012 - 1 September 2012 | £975 | 7 | ||
| 1 September 2012 - 27 October 2012 | £825 | 7 | ||
| 27 October 2012 - 15 December 2012 | £650 | 7 |
Notes on prices
Prices include use of the heated pool which is open in June, through September. The pool may be available (at a lower temperature) in May or October at the owners' discretion. The target temperature Jun-Sep is 26°C. If the temperature of the water drops overnight it may take an hour or two to get back up to target. Our high season prices are relatively modest because we have only two or three guests and do not take young children
Changeover day
In the peak season we like a Saturday changeover day, but we may be flexible for an extended stay. Please ask. Guests are required to arrive after 4pm on the day of arrival and to leave by 10am on the day of departure.
Accommodation
| Bedrooms: | Bedroom 1 (4m x 4m), king size double bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers. Bedroom 2 (4m x 3m), divan bed (pulls out to a double), wardrobe, chest of drawers. French windows to terrace and pool. Hair dryer in each bedroom so you do not need to bring one. |
| Bathrooms: | Large shower room between the bedrooms with access to each. Modern wash basin on teak stand, toilet, generously sized thermostatic shower, built-in cupboards, heated electric towel rail/radiator. Second toilet and wash basin in the pool control room. |
| Kitchen: | Food lovers' kitchen with long L-shaped worktop, inset double sink, electric oven, gas hob, dishwasher, hanging cupboards and wine rack, extensive under-worktop cupboards, large fridge and microwave. The eating area has a dining table and 6 chairs. |
| Utility Room: | The pump room has a wash basin with vanity unit, toilet, and a washing machine. There are shelves for towels and lounger cushions. It also houses the electric circulation pump, the sand filter and the ecological water treatment equipment. |
| Living Rooms: | The large living room has a 3-seat settee and 2 armchairs, a sideboard and lamp, a corner table and lamp, a coffee table, Sky TV and DVD player. There are books and games in a bookcase in the first bedroom. DVDs can be rented from a neighbour. |
| Other: | The large raised terrace and the pool surround are fully flagged. These are your sitting and lounging areas, plus the secluded grassed area. All the rooms are airy and give a feeling of light and space. |
| Cleaning/towels/ linen/maid service: |
All linen is provided including bathing towels. Guests are expected to leave the villa as they found it. Our cleaner is given a two hour allowance to make the villa ready for the next guests. Any additional cleaning will be charged for. |
| Amenities/Facilities: | hob/stove oven fridge/freezer microwave dishwasher washing machine tumble dryer iron/ironing board satellite tv internet access central heating barbecue private pool (for sole use of guests) pool heating |
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Notes on accommodation
Although our poolhouse can sleep four, we usually restrict occupancy to three. You will find the poolhouse very well insulated so it stays cool inside when it is baking outside and it is beautifully warm in winter thanks to the central heating system which circulates heated water from the gas fired main house system. Domestic hot water comes from an electrically heated cistern. The bedrooms are comfortable and tastefully decorated. The comment from friends who have come to stay was 'when can we move in?' We have broadband with wifi which reaches the poolhouse. We are a no smoking area. Any pets must be declared and approved before the booking is confirmed. There is a tumble drier in the owners' house which is available on demand should you need one. The barbecue area is behind the house and has a wooden bench table and parasol plus a simple charcoal fired barbecue.
Accessibility
The poolhouse is set into the hillside and there are steps up to the terrace as well as steps down from the car parking spot. We regret that it is not really suitable for those with mobility problems.
Outside
The poolhouse faces south and overlooks our large field. The gravelled driveway leads to your parking place behind the house next to which is a grassed area with bench table. A garden has been created around the villa, with bushes, shrubs and flowers. The owners' house is 25 metres away up the slope. You can just see one of the village houses (empty most of the year). Otherwise you are all alone, facing unspoiled countryside with the tops of the Pyrenees showing above the hills to the south. The heated pool (target temp. 26 degrees) is salt and chlorine free and is 11.25 x 5m, plus the Roman steps. It has an electrically operated roller cover. The pool is open for use Jun through Sep (and May and Oct possibly, at a lower temp). The outside shower (no soap or shampoo!) is heated so rinsing away the sun cream before a swim is a luxury. The pool is 2.2m deep at one end and 1.5m deep at the other so it is a swimmers' pool. The owners may come for a brief swim when the weather is hot.
Coast/Beach
The nearest open-sea beach is at Narbonne Plage, about one and a quarter hours away. It is a low rise family resort, with a friendly atmosphere and is very busy in the high season. The coast at Narbonne Plage can be quite windy and this area is famous for windsurfing and kite surfing.
Golf
There are 2 courses are within 45 minutes drive. To the east, there is one in Carcassonne and to the west, a course at la Bastide de Serou, beyond Foix. See also www.golf-ariege.com.
Skiing
The local ski resort of Mont d'Olmes is 45 minutes away. It is a small friendly resort, ideal for a day's skiing. A little further away is Ax-les-Thermes, on the road to Andorra, with its three domaines and over twenty lifts. Ax is easy to get to but can be very busy in the half term holidays and traffic queues need to be avoided. Out of the peak season it is a lovely place to ski (see http://www.ax-ski.com/index.php).
Travel
Airports: Carcassonne (Ryanair) is a very pleasant 45 minutes drive through vineyards and fields. Toulouse (easyjet/BA/bmibaby/flybe/Jet2) is an hour away. Béziers (Ryanair) is about two hours away. St Malo is about 10 hours away by car and two drivers can make it in a long day. The motorway down the west side of France is pleasantly quiet and with an overnight stop this route can be recommended. We will email a map with detailed directions on request. A car is essential.
Distances
Mirepoix, 11km and Belpech, 10km are each 10 minutes away by car. Both have shops and banks. Carcassonne is 45 minutes away. Toulouse, a big modern city with a beautiful old centre and lovely shops, opera, museums and galleries is one hour away. There are no shops in Villautou, just a handful of houses and a church. The bells ring in the church tower at 7am, 12 noon and 7pm but the church is only used for services 3 or 4 times a year.
Further details
Mirepoix has a very good supermarket (Super-U) and a large open market on Monday mornings. There are plenty of good restaurants in the area and we provide an updated list of those we know. The dishes are mostly regional and prices are reasonable. The Aude and nearby Ariege are first class for outside activities, including birdwatching, horse riding and trekking, mountain biking, hang gliding, sky-diving, walking, rambling, mountaineering and canoeing. There is an international go-kart centre twenty minutes away and 4WD quad bikes can be hired in Mirepoix and elsewhere. In spring and autumn our field is full of orchids. We are in the Cathar region with ancient castles and villages all around. This being France, there are cyclists everywhere, but if you like cycling on level ground you may prefer to drive to your starting point. The night sky is magnificent and we have a Meade ETX astronomical telescope, motorised and computer controlled, which careful guests are welcome to use. We keep a stack of tourism leaflets in the living room. We have not vetted all the attractions, but if you have a particular interest, just ask. If the weather is right, you may spend a lot of time by the pool and the feeling of tranquility while sitting and reading is simply wonderful. To all intents and purposes you have exclusive use of the pool, but when the weather is hot the owners may come for a swim. This reserved right will be used with discretion.
ATMs are available in Mirepoix and in Belpech. Credit cards are widely accepted in restaurants and other venues.
We are on mains water and mains sewerage. Mobile telephone coverage is patchy and even the landline goes down sometimes ,especially in thunderstorms.
Booking notes
When we receive an enquiry we will telephone or email you with a fuller description. After you have checked with us on availability etc, a deposit of £250 is payable on booking. The balance of the holiday rental (plus £250 security deposit) is payable six weeks before the start of the holiday. Payment is by bank transfer in sterling to a designated bank account. We can also take payment in euros. We will hold a booking for 4 working days to give time for the credit transfer to arrive.
Guest comments
We would certainly recommend it to others, though not too many as we don’t want this little gem booking up completely!
We all enjoyed the Poolhouse immensely and we had a fantastic time in the area.
The buzzing of the bees in the lavender is soporific and at night the chirping of the crickets tell you that you are near the Mediterranean. We just loved it.
Owner profile
The real owners
About the owner
My wife and I moved here shortly after I retired. I describe it as our last adventure before we get too old and feeble!. We enjoy looking after houses and the opportunity to do this in the South of France was irresistible. We love this area, the quiet life free of stress, the good food and wines, the weather (most of the time) and the friendly locals. We have created a garden out of a bare hillside. We have built our guesthouse and like to share it with others. We leave our guests alone except when I attend the pool or if they want a chat. Sometimes we have an aperitif together.
Year purchased: 2006
Why the owner chose a home in this location
We were looking for an area in the South of France which was not over-developed, with long hot summers and the possibility of nearby skiing in winter. We did not want to live in a town but good shopping facilities should be within ten minutes. Unspoiled views and freedom from noise pollution were not on the list but when we found that they came with the property we were delighted. We had to be reasonably close to good airports and the motorway network. We felt a bit old to take on a full renovation project, but this house was modernised in the early 1990s, leaving us free to concentrate on the guest house and garden.
Unique benefits of the property
As so often happens when people move to France, friends just love to visit us, as of course do our adult children and families. This means that chunks of the availability calendar are not available. They all like the food, the clean air, the lack of noise and the lovely surroundings. What is unusual here is the absence of noise - except at harvest time. We have got so used to the noise of traffic that you wonder what is wrong with your ears when noise is totally absent. Then you start to joke about the bees being too loud. Also we don't have any light pollution (except for our village street lights) so on a good night you suddenly realise that you can see millions of stars and the milky way is as clear as could be.
For booking and further information
Property Ref FR4033
Chris and Elke
Tel: (France) + 33 468 235 298
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Property Ref FR4033
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