Lovely Country Cottage with Views, Pond, Garden & Terrace, Set in 5 Acres of Land
Very Quiet Peaceful Location Surrounded by Meadows, Forest, Rivers and Lakes, Ideal walking.
Sleeps 2
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This holiday home is in a wonderful location with great views, very quiet and ideal for chilling out, walking and birdwatching. It is great for Autumn, Winter and early Spring holidays as it has double glazing and a wood burning stove that keeps the whole house warm and cosy. It is only 30 mins away from the F1 circuit and 18 hole golf course of Magny-Cours. We have converted this gite from part of a barn, retaining all the original features and as far as possible using traditional materials. It is set in 2 hectares (5 acres) of meadow with only the owners on the same site. The owners’ house is on the opposite side of the large courtyard making the gite very secluded and private. Access is from a lane leading off a quiet road and you can walk for miles without having to do more than cross a metalled road. The accommodation comprises a large open plan living room of 50m2 with corner kitchen, and a huge bedroom of 48m2 with en-suite bathroom. Games room with table tennis & darts.
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| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 30 June 2012 - 30 June 2012 | £250 | 7 | ||
| 30 June 2012 - 1 September 2012 | £350 | 7 | ||
| 1 September 2012 - 3 November 2012 | £250 | 7 |
Notes on prices
Prices are for a couple per week in UK Pounds.
There is a supplement of £50 per week per person for any additional guests to cover extra bed linen, towels and laundry.
The cottage has its own meter so electricity is charged at the rate we pay for it. We also charge for wood for the stove in the months of April, May, September and October.
There is a final cleaning and laundry charge of 30€ and a refundable deposit of 50€ both payable on arrival.
Changeover day
The normal changeover day is Saturday. We ask guests to leave by 10am on the day of departure. The cottage is available from 4pm on the day of arrival. These times and days can be changed by arrangement.
Accommodation
| Bedrooms: | There is one huge bedroom of 48m2 with a queen size double bed with an electric blanket. There is also large wardrobe, dressing table, pine chest for spare duvets, large carpet, lots of windows, balconette and superb views and a sitting area. |
| Bathrooms: | The bathroom leads off the bedroom and comprises a toilet, bath with shower, washbasin with cupboard, towel rail and towel heater. |
| Kitchen: | The corner kitchen has a gas oven and gas hob, a fridge/freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, microwave with oven and grill, electric kettle, toaster, coffee maker, extractor fan, large work surface, lots of stainless steel pots and pans, crockery, etc. |
| Utility Room: | None. |
| Living Rooms: | The living room is huge and comprises a sitting area with sofa, easy chairs, large coffee table, radio and CD player. The dining area has a round table and a cabinet for glasses etc. There is a 24hr wood burning stove which heats the bedroom as well. |
| Other: | Part of the living area comprises and entrance area with table, mirror and an area to hang coats. |
| Cleaning/towels/ linen/maid service: |
Towels and bedlinen are provided free of charge and changed weekly. There is a vacuum cleaner, cleaning materials, first aid kit, fire extinguisher and smoke detector. We clean the cottage thoroughly between lettings, including the windows. |
| Amenities/Facilities: | hob/stove oven fridge/freezer fridge microwave dishwasher washing machine iron/ironing board telephone internet access room fans barbecue |
| Location Type: |
Notes on accommodation
Telephone calls to most parts of the world are free as is unlimited wireless broadband internet connection. We provide a selection of bicycles free of charge, table tennis, darts, badminton and pétanque (boules). Guests with toddlers should be aware that there is a large unfenced pond about 50 metres from the house which could constitute a danger. We can provide a gate at the top of the stairs to prevent toddlers falling down them.
Accessibility
We regret that this holiday home is not suitable for wheelchairs as there is a staircase leading to the bedroom. However, the front door is very wide and it is possible to provide a small ramp and a single bed in the living room if required.
Outside
In front of the house there is a space for parking 1 or 2 cars, a table and chairs for breakfast in the sun. On the other side of the house, accessible through the French window or around the house there is a large private terrace surrounded by flower beds and a large area of grass which overlooks the pond and meadows. Two more tables and chairs are provided as well as 2 loungers. We provide 2 all terrain bicycles in good condition free of charge. Road bikes are also available if required. Table tennis, darts, and canoeing on the river Allier. There is a charge of 25 euros a day for the canoe for 2 adults including all transport, life jackets, etc. We have just added a 180 metre driving range for golf enthusiasts on part of our land. Please bring your own practice balls and clubs.
Golf
There are two excellent 18 hole golf courses. Magny-Cours, which is 30 minutes from the house is very open with fantastic views with fairways and greens in excellent condition. There is also a driving range and tuition is available from the resident professional. Nassigny is 45 minutes away and the undulating fairways and greens are set amongst mature trees which make it a very attractive course visually as well as challenging - although not particularly long. There are also some very interesting water hazards! This course has a clubhouse which provides excellent food, snacks and drinks as well as a pro-shop, a resident professional and driving range. There are other interesting and challenging 18 hole courses a little further afield: Les Dryads near Coulan and Les Volcans in the Puy de Dome. We have just added a 180 metre driving range on our property to practice on before you tackle the real thing. Bring your own balls.
Skiing
Downhill and cross country skiing is available in the Puy de Dome area which has become very popular with the French as it is cheap and easily accessible. The ski stations are 2 hours or less from Les Houlins.
Travel
The nearest airports with low cost flights are Tours and Limoges, both about 2.5 hours from Les Houlins. We are only 6 hours drive with stops from all of the channel ports except the extreme westerly ones. The other method of reaching us is by Eurostar to Paris and then train from Gare de Lyon to Moulins (2.5hrs) or Nevers (2 hrs). You will need a car while you are here so it is best to hire at the station.
Distances
The nearest supermarket is in Lurcy-Lévis (6km) or Bourbon-l'Archambault (16km). There are also small shops in both these towns as well as in the surrounding villages (Le Veurdre, Franchesse, Couleuvre, Cérilly, etc.) There are many other places of interest to visit in the area too numerous to mention here, but we can provide this information and there are also excellent local tourist offices.
Further details
There are many local restaurants that we can recommend. One in particular is set in a converted sheep barn and run by a young couple who do the cooking and front of house themselves. The food is marvellous, inexpensive, and includes lots of fresh vegetables, salads, meat from the family farm, vegetarian dishes, etc. People come from miles around for the set lunches during the week at 13€ per head, including 4 courses, wine and coffee. Marvellous! and only 8kms from Les Houlins. So you can walk or cycle there without having to worry about drinking.
Booking notes
Please note that over the Easter period the cottage is only available for a 2 week booking spanning the Easter weekend.
We ask for a deposit of 25% when booking and the balance 6 weeks before the start of your holiday. We have an UK bank account so money can be transferred electronically by our UK guests without incurring bank charges.
Guest comments
"We have had a really relaxing and enjoyable stay. The gite is lovely and very comfortable and the surroundings are perfect. We particularly enjoyed the pond and the pair of Kingfishers that were seen a few times. Of course Adrian & Shamsiah's friendly welcome and kindness has made this a really good holiday." Jo & Ben, September 2010
"If you are sitting in the gite and reading this you are very lucky. The gite is just as good as gites can be. The hospitality afforded by Adrian & Shamsiah is unsurpassed......We particularly enjoyed the bike riding and the canoe trip" Rosemary & Barry, August 2010.
"Chez Adrian & Shamsiah; a little bit of heaven. Enjoyed our stay here at Les Houllins very much." Pat, Ged & Rory.
Owner profile
About the owner
Shamsiah and I are kind of retired although we still have a business marketing French property to the English speaking community. We started this in 1989 in partnership with Adrian's son who is a fully qualified French estate agent. Until recently we also had our own training consultancy business. We spend much of our time at Les Houllins during the spring, summer and autumn. Once the grass starts growing and the vegetable garden gets under way it is difficult to leave because there is so much work to do. We also have a flat in London.
We love the countryside and apart from working on the 'estate' we play tennis, walk, cycle, enjoy the local social activities, listen to music and read, mostly in French. In the winter we like to travel in warmer climes.
Year purchased: 1991
Why the owner chose a home in this location
We were advertising Les Houllins when it was for sale in 1991, fell in love with it ourselves and decided to buy it. After 5 or 6 years of flying visits to dig up floors, chip the decaying crepi off the walls, lay new floors and replace the roof, etc. we had the house in a more or less in habitable state. Then came the second house on the end of the barn which is now the house which we let.
We also fell in love with the area which is easily reached by car or train from the UK, has lovely countryside of meadows, hedgerows, deciduous forest, lakes and rivers (Le bocage Bourbonais). The crime rate is very low, almost no traffic on the roads, a very lively local French community with lots of cultural and sporting events and activities all the year round. Above all, lots of sunshine.
Unique benefits of the property
The location is very quiet with no near neighbours and virtually no passing traffic save the occasional tractor. It is the only house to let on the property so visitors don't have to share facilities with other visitors. Although we live on site the gite is very private with its own terrace out of sight of our house. It has it own pond full of fish and other wild life which is a constant source of joy to our guests.
We have a country restaurant within walking or cycling distance, a local town with all the facilities which is also cycling distance - and we provide a choice of road or cross country bikes (we have 10 altogether). There are also masses of other things to do in the locality including two 18 hole golf courses, tennis courts, swimming outdoors or indoors, riding, canoeing, etc.
For booking and further information
Property Ref FR4726
Contact Name:
Adrian & Shamsiah Collett
(UNITED KINGDOM) +44 2072544570
Not available in the UK from end March to mid Nov.
Alternate Contact Details:
(FRANCE) +33 470662550
Normally available April to mid Nov.
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Property Ref FR4726
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