Villa With Large Private Garden And Heated Pool With Easy Access To Spain, The Pyrenees And The Sea
Peaceful Location, 2 Minutes Walk To Local Shops In A Village Situated Between Ceret And Thuir
Sleeps 8 in 4 Bedrooms (3 Double, 1 Twin)
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Villa L'Andalouse sits in a quiet lane opposite vineyards just two minutes' walk from the village centre with a range of local shops, including an excellent boulangerie and an award winning butcher. The single storey house has south facing patio doors which give onto the heated 8m x 4m pool and summer kitchen with BBQ. Mature pines provide shade for the table tennis table. The house is equipped to a high standard, with all modern conveniences. There is a well stocked library, and a range of CDs and DVDs. The village of Fourques is dominated by the impressive Mt Canigou, (2785m), whose peak is just visible from the garden. The pretty town of Ceret with its Saturday market and Modern Art Museum is just 20 minutes' drive, and the nearest beach is around 25 minutes' drive. This area attracted many famous artists, drawn to wonderful scenery and amazing colours. The Pyrenees and the Costa Brava are less than an hour's drive, and Barcelona and Montpellier are within a 2 hour drive.
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| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 28 April 2012 - 26 May 2012 | £650 | 7 | ||
| 26 May 2012 - 30 June 2012 | £850 | 7 | ||
| 30 June 2012 - 1 September 2012 | £1600 | 7 | ||
| 1 September 2012 - 29 September 2012 | £850 | 7 | ||
| 29 September 2012 - 27 October 2012 | £650 | 7 |
Changeover day
Our normal changeover day is Saturday, but we may be able to be more flexible out of the high season. Arrival is 4pm, departure at 10am. A shaded area near the pool can be used for guests arriving before the house has been prepared.
Accommodation
| Bedrooms: | On the west side of the lounge, a double bedroom with built in wardrobes and a view over the pool, and a twin bedded room with a wardrobe and bedside cabinets. On the east side, two double bedrooms (one with views over the pool) with built in wardrobes. |
| Bathrooms: | Two bathrooms and two separate toilets each serving the two bedrooms on either side of the house. Bathroom 1 has a shower and washbasin and vanity unit. Bathroom 2 has a three quarter bath with a shower over the bath and a washbasin with vanity unit. |
| Kitchen: | The small but well equipped kitchen has a gas cooker with electric oven, microwave, dishwasher, and fridge freezer. There is a kettle, toaster and coffee maker. Good range of utensils, crockery and cutlery. Window overlooking patio and pool area. |
| Utility Room: | Washing machine and tumble dryer, iron and ironing board. |
| Living Rooms: | The large bright and airy living and dining area has south facing patio doors looking over the pool, covered terrace and summer kitchen. It has a sofa and 4 armchairs, and an oak dining table and chairs for 8. TV with UK channels, DVD and CD/ipod player. |
| Other: | The covered terrace outside the sitting room has a garden table and chairs for 8 people. The summer kitchen has a BBQ, and a further outdoor table and chairs. There are several sun loungers on the patio. Table tennis table in the shade adjacent to pool. |
| Cleaning/towels/ linen/maid service: |
Towels and linen included. Guests are requested to wash the beach towels before leaving, and to leave the house clean and tidy. The house is thoroughly checked and cleaned before each arrival. Additional cleaning is chargeable. |
| Amenities/Facilities: | hob/stove oven fridge/freezer microwave dishwasher washing machine tumble dryer iron/ironing board satellite tv tv internet access room fans cot high chair barbecue private pool (for sole use of guests) pool heating |
| Location Type: |
Notes on accommodation
The house sits in the centre of a large garden with both mature and young trees, including fruit trees. The garden is private and not overlooked. The design of the house makes it very suitable for a large family or two families sharing, as each of the two bedroom corridors is private and has 2 bedrooms with shared toilet and bath/shower room. There are fans and wall mounted electric heaters in each room. All windows are double glazed, with roller shutters for privacy and ventilation. There are ample sockets, and the house has a good supply of UK adaptors. The pool is easily supervised as it is directly outside the sitting room, and is overlooked by the covered terrace and the summer kitchen. There is a wide selection of board games, jigsaws, playing cards, CDs, DVDs, and videos. The house is equipped, decorated and furnished to a high standard. There is an extensive library of books, DVDs and CDs.
Accessibility
The house is on one storey, and has no internal steps. The front door is around 10metres from the drive. A low step leads up to the front door. It has not been specifically adapted for guests with disabilities, but is suitable both for young children, and for older people. The shower can be easily accessed and is large enough to accommodate a plastic chair if required. The toilets are situated close to the bedrooms in each wing of the house. The garden and patio area are flat with no steps.
Outside
A gravel drive leads into the garden through wrought iron gates. The garden is completely enclosed by walls, hedges, and fences. It has a range of mature and young trees and shrubs, and a front lawn with raised flower bed. The pool sits in the centre of the property, surrounded by a large paved patio and flanked by the house and the summer kitchen. The pool is 8m x 4m, and is 1.5 m deep throughout and is heated to provide comfort throughout the letting season. The covered patio area outside the sitting room is where meals are eaten in summer, overlooking the pool and the mature pines. The patio is illuminated, and the pool has underwater lighting, so evenings can be spent round the outdoor table enjoying a drink and watching the amazing stars.
The summer kitchen also provides welcome shade for barbeques.
There is a drying area behind the house, away from the pool and its surrounds.
The garden is irrigated by an automatic sprinkler system which is controlled by a timer.
Coast/Beach
The nearest coast is around 20 kms away, and takes around 25 minutes. There is a great choice of beaches, from the long sandy beaches north of Perpignan to the rocky coves that start at Collioure and stretch south towards the Costa Brava. We like Le Racou Plage, just north of Collioure as it has parking right by the beach, and a mix of sandy and rocky coast. It can get busy in high season, when the quietest spots are on the D81A north of Perpignan. Excellent snorkelling and scuba around Banyuls.
Golf
There are several golf courses within a short distance - at Montescot, Argeles, and across the Spanish border.
Skiing
Ski resorts are around 90 minutes away.
Travel
The nearest airport is Perpignan, about 30 minutes' drive. Girona Airport is 80 minutes' drive, but has a wider choice of cheap flights. Car hire is also cheaper in Spain. Other possible airports are at Carcassonne and Beziers (90 minutes) and Barcelona and Montpellier (2 hours).
Use of a car is recommended, although the local shops can supply most basic needs within easy walking distance. The village is 15 minutes from the A9 motorway which connects with Montpellier, Toulouse and Spain.
Distances
Thuir (6kms) has supermarkets, banks, restaurants and a Saturday market.
Perpignan (15kms) has many tourist attractions, as well as stores, boutiques, cinema and restaurants.
Ceret (20kms) is a very pretty town with a large Saturday market and Museum of Modern Art.
Collioure (25kms) is a picture postcard pretty seaside town, but very busy in high season.
Spain (25kms) is not far away and there are great things to do and see just over the border in Figueras, Cadaques, and the Costa Brava.
Further details
A welcome pack is provided to help guests on their arrival. It includes information about the house, the pool and the local area. A starter pack of basic foodstuffs can be provided on request for guests arriving late. A supply of cleaning materials, condiments, oils and herbs will be left in the house, and guests are asked to replace these as required. We will be also be available at the end of a phone to answer any questions and to provide further advice if required.
Some supermarkets do not open on Sunday, even in high season, and those shops that do open usually close at lunch time. In the village we have a baker and an excellent butcher, a paper shop (all open Sunday mornings), as well as a chemist, a hairdresser, and a general store selling various basic foodstuffs as well as fruit and vegetables. The butcher has a range of cooked dishes, and on Sunday mornings you can buy freshly cooked chickens. There is also a post office, a garage and of course the cave cooperative where you can buy local wines of various quality. Village life revolves around the vineyards which surround the village and at different seasons you can watch the planting, pruning, and harvesting of the grapes. In September the gutters literally run with grape juice.
We have a large collection of guide books and maps of the local area for the use of guests.
There are many interesting local festivals, some of which reflect the Spanish influence on this part of France. In early February there are ancient Fetes de l'Ours in several towns to mark the time the bears come out of hibernation. In Perpignan the Penitents' Procession takes place at Easter. Ceret has bullrunning in July, when young men try to leap onto bulls which run through the town. There is a large Christmas market in Perpignan, and elaborate Nativity scenes with a Catalan twist.
Booking notes
Contact the owner by phone or email for availability. A deposit of 25% is required to confirm the booking, and the balance is due 8 weeks prior to the commencement of the holiday, including a £250 security and cleaning deposit which will be refunded provided the house has been left clean and undamaged, with all breakages replaced. Any additional cleaning will be charged at 20e per hour.
Guest comments
We let the house through an agency for several years, and in 2010 took on the lettings ourselves with local support from our friends in the next village. Feedback has been very positive, and several of our guests have indicated they plan to return in the future. One guest (May/June 2010) said she and her husband had been holidaying in France for 40 years, and this was the best house they had ever stayed in. All have commented favourably on the convenience of the house, the standard of equipment and facilities, and particularly that the reality reflected accurately the pictures and the description in the website.
We previously exchanged our house in Edinburgh for many years and enjoyed not only the experience of being 'at home' in foreign countries, but of preparing our house for our foreign guests. We hope we have taken some of that 'esprit' in helping guests in Fourques to maximise their enjoyment of their holiday in this lovely part of France.
Owner profile
About the owner
We are a retired couple with two grown up children. We came househunting in this area in November 2005 and immediately fell in love with L'Andalouse. It had gone on the market the previous day, and we were the first viewers. We lived here for the whole of 2006, redecorating and making various improvements before moving back to Scotland for family reasons. We now try to spend as much time as possible in France and have left many of our pictures, books and games to make the house a real home from home for ourselves and our guests.
We exchanged our house in Scotland each year for 17 years, and had some memorable holidays in the USA, France, Spain, and Italy. We like to make sure our guests have all the information and support they need to have a truly relaxing and enjoyable holiday.
Year purchased: 2005
Why the owner chose a home in this location
We had a holiday in this area in 2003 and loved the variety of scenery, the proximity to the hills and the sea, and to Spain. We returned to house hunt in this area in 2005 when we retired. It is very accessible from most of the UK through cheap flights to Girona and is well served by the motorway network. There is so much to do in this region whatever your interests. We love walking in the local countryside - there is a pretty circular walk we often do from the house through vineyards and cork oak woods, with great views of Mt Canigou, les Alberes and glimpses of the sea. There are also serious walks in the hills and along the coast. There are ancient churches and Cathar castles, towns like Ceret with avenues of plane trees, narrow streets and little squares. And of course the weather.
Unique benefits of the property
We wanted a detached house with privacy in a traditional village where we could walk to the centre in the morning and buy a baguette and a local paper. L'Andalouse provides just that, and is a peaceful retreat from the bustle of the coastal resorts in summer. We can hear the church bells and the birds and precious little else. The night skies are fantastic - a real feature. Our neighbours are friendly and helpful but not intrusive. There are several good restaurants nearby, in Thuir as well as in the local countryside. We can get to so many interesting places with an hour or so, and a little further afield are Carcassonne, Montpellier, Girona and Barcelona. We especially like the choice of beaches, with some super snorkeling in the rocky coves on both sides of the Spanish border.
For booking and further information
Property Ref FR5826
Contact Name:
Andrew McCracken
(UNITED KINGDOM) +44 01436671193
Alternate Contact Details:
(UNITED KINGDOM) +44 7594710515
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Property Ref FR5826
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