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Key
Facts :
| Nearest
town : |
4km to nearest village - Barcus and Esquiule; Oloron-Ste-Marie
13 km |
| Type
of location : |
'Standalone',
hillside location - rural tranquility with panoramic views |
| No.
of bedrooms : |
5
: 5x doubles including attic bedroom/sitting room with extra sofa-beds |
| Sleeping
capacity : |
10 |
| No.
of bathrooms : |
4:
3x bathrooms (2x are en-suite), 1x en-suite shower room plus downstairs WC |
| Style
of property : |
Restored 18th-century farmhouse. Rustic rather than luxurious interior |
| Quality
guide : |
|
| Prices : |
|
| » Check availability & prices for this property GO |
» Price includes linen &
bathroom towels & beds made for arrival, water, gas, electricity, internet plus heating in Winter (Oct through April)
» Security deposit: 300 Euros (or sterling equivalent) held on credit card by Alternative Aquitaine on behalf of the owners. Returned to you within 14 days of departure unless there are damages, breakage or extra cleaning costs to settle.
» Please read our Rental Guidelines for further info |
| Linen
Arrangements : |
Bed
linen & bathroom towels (not pool towels) provided.
Beds are made for arrival and a spare set is available for
guests to change over |
| Cleaning
Arrangements : |
Property is cleaned at each changeover. Guests are
required to perform some basic duties prior to exit. If
additional cleaning is normally required, it
would be deducted from your security deposit.
» Please read our Rental Guidelines for further info
|
| Arrival
& Departure : |
Arrive
between 4-6 pm and depart by 10am. Changeover day is Saturday
» Please read our Rental Guidelines for further info |
| Nearest
beach : |
110km to Hossegor or 126km to Biarritz |
| Nearest
boulangerie : |
4km - Barcus and Esquiule. Shopping lists are
essential as it is quite a trek if you forget anything!
Esquiule (village, 10 mins drive): one good bar-restaurant
Barcus (village, 15 mins drive): two good bar-restaurants, another bar, small supermarket, butcher, post-office, chemist
Oloron-Ste-Marie (market town, 20 mins drive: everything |
| Nearest
airport : |
Pau 49km; Biarritz 123km |
| Nearest
ferry port : |
Bilbao 260km; Santander 357 km; St Malo 784 km |
| Swimming
pool : |
Yes, above ground pool. 8 metres x 4,5 metres (1,30m depth, no diving). Pool in
use late May through September depending on weather. N.B. Above ground pools are not protected by alarm, gate or fence |
| Facilities
& Equipment : |
LAUNDRY FACILITIES: Washing machine
KITCHEN FACILITIES: Hob/Cooker, Large Fridge-Freezer, Dishwasher, Toaster, Music
ENTERTAINMENTS: Speaker system with iPod cable connection, computer with internet access, satellite TV (with all SKY free-to-air channels)
|
|
Suitability
for children : |
Great for those who appreciate outdoor space and nature - better suited for younger kids |
| Suitability
for infants : |
Quiet location, no passing traffic |
| Things
to see & do : |
Enjoy
the Pyrénées!
Hiking, mountain biking, road
cycling (this is classic Tour de France country),
fishing, wine-tasting,
golf and horse riding.
Visit the scenic Valleys d'Aspe & d'Ossau,
cultural Pau, curious Lourdes,
and the pretty Basque and Béarn
regions of SW France. If that's not enough, you can also
sample another country - Spain - just over
the border in less than 1 hour! |
| House
'rules' : |
No
pets & no smoking please |
|
Location
: Map
Ref C6
The house is situated 10km from
Oloron-Ste-Marie, a traditional Béarnais
market town to the south west of Pau.
Road - 40 minutes from the main Biarritz-Pau-Toulouse
autoroute.
Rail - there is a train station in the town,
connection via Pau.
Air - Pau
airport is 49km and is served by Ryanair.
Of a similar distance is the airport serving Lourdes
and Tarbes. Alternatively, Biarritz airport is 123km west, whilst Toulouse airport is 245km east.
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Accommodation
:
Maison Garat offers straightforward yet spacious and inexpensive accommodation. Guest should not expect luxury but you should expect French character, wonderful views and truly relaxing surroundings.
The house itself is accessed by a tiny road that climbs for about 4kms and
eventually you go over the brow of the hill and down an untarmaced road to
arrive at the house. The views are instantly spectacular and the terraced
garden takes full advantage of them.
The original structure of the property is T-shaped: the horizontal part being the old farmhouse and the vertical a large barn, both of which have been renovated to a high standard creating one house.
The English owners, Pauline and Lance, have done all the renovations themselves. The house is fairly rustic but feels very lived in - full to the brim with
books. The ground floor kitchen and sitting room are both open plan, with a
downstairs toilet and the snug set apart with an open fireplace for cosier,
cooler evenings.
There are 2 staircases that lead up to the bedrooms. One
staircase leads to 2 double bedrooms, one with en-suite the other with use
of a shower room. There is no access to the other bedrooms and so the set-up is ideal for two families.
The other staircase leads up from the snug, again to 2 double bedrooms and a
shared bathroom, and on the floor above is a further double bed which is
open to the sitting area with sofa beds which could be used as a shared kids room.
: the bedroom areas comprise two independent wings (3 bedrooms/ 2 bedrooms) linked by a large, light-filled kitchen/dining/sitting area and a snug (with open chimney) acting as communal areas.
BEDROOMS: 4 Double Bedrooms. 1 Large Attic Space/ Double Bedroom - with 1 double bed and another sofa-bed.
BATHROOMS: 3 Bathrooms (2 en suite). 1 Shower Room (en suite). Downstairs W.C.
The house rests within 3,000 square metres of hillside garden (guests welcome to help themselves to fresh vegetables while stalks last).
The swimming pool is above-ground; it's not quite 'infinity' but comes close and has spectacular mountain/sunset views.
There is an outdoor dining patio
overlooking the above-ground pool (cleverly set into the hillside) which
also takes full advantage of the views. The outdoor furniture is: a large dining table under a large tree, with chairs, seating 8 people comfortably; also a drinks table with chairs on the terrace by the pool. Plus a 'home-made' BBQ.
|
Guide
:
The location is perfect for nature-lovers or those looking for an isolated retreat from a busy world. Frequent and respectful visitors of the wild include chaffinches, tits, redstarts, green and lesser-spotted woodpeckers, red squirrels, deer, wild boar, Griffon and Black Vultures.
For those interested in walking or exploring, the foothills of the Pyrénées are outside the door (as are officially-mapped walks); the high mountains themselves are a 30-minute drive away.
There are a number of restaurants (varying in style and price but all fantastic) only a short drive away. For those interested in both walking and food, try a tapas lunch in a Spanish/Basque village are an hour's drive away over one of the most beautiful and understated passes of the Pyrénées.
Oloron-Ste-Marie
The nearby market town of Oloron-Ste-Marie (10 kms) is
located at the junction of the rivers Aspe and Ossau
and was in fact two separate towns until 1858. It is a pleasant
town worthy of a visit particularly on market day (Friday).
In the past it was an important staging post on the pilgrim’s
route to Santiago de Compostela and in memory of this route
there are contemporary sculptures located at historic points
of interest in the town. For a great view up the Vallée
d’Aspe to the mountains extending into the Pays Basque,
walk along the top of the old ramparts (near Église Ste-Croix).
Other sites worth a visit are the Ste-Marie cathedral
which began life in the 12th century; the Pont de Ste-Claire
over the Gave d'Aspe - an early work of Gustav Eiffel; the Quartier
Ste-Croix has a delightful medieval square; and the
genteel Jardin Publique with its own Victorian
bandstand.
Local
Area -
visit our
Tourism Guide
to the Pyrénées
The
Haut-Béarn is a wonderful landscape that forms
a natural boundary between France and Spain. It is also a haven
for outdoor pursuits. Two beautiful
river valleys – d’Ossau and d’Aspe
– offer great walking/hiking, mountain
biking and, in Spring, good white-water potential. Parasailing,
rock-climbing, horse-riding and fishing are also popular. Skiing
is possible at nearby stations such as Gourette.
In the Parc National des Pyrénées lives
some of Europe’s most exotic wildlife including chamois,
royal eagles and brown bears, whilst at Laruns there is a 92-hectare
reserve for the griffon vulture. At Lescun you will find one
of France’s most photogenic natural locations, the Needles
of Ansabère, an amphitheatre of jagged limestone
peaks rising to the summit of Pic d’Anie.
Also in the Haut-Béarn and a great day out for the kids
is a ride on Le Petit Train d’Artouste. Built for
dam workers, this 10 kms train journey tales passengers along
the flanks of the Pic de la Sagette.
A short drive north is the stylish and compact city of Pau.
Barely known of outside of France, Pau has a variety of attractions.
It sprang to fame in the 19th century when wealthy British and
Americans were drawn to its mild climate and it became a popular
winter holiday destination. To this day Pau retains an ‘upmarket’
feel about it. There is a thriving café and bar life
plus plenty of opportunity for boutique shopping, notably along
the rues des Cordeliers and Serviez. Pau also has its own château
(and birthplace of King Henri IV) plus one of the south
west’s finest panoramic views - the spectacular array of
distant, snow-capped peaks as seen from the Boulevard des
Pyrénées.
A little known fact is that Pau is home to continental Europe’s
first golf course, built in 1856 by a resident Scotsman.
Pau also hosts horse-racing events, a vintage car race and a
Formula 3 street race every year.
Other suggestions for day-trips:
• Touring the historic towns of the Béarn…Orthez,
Salies-de-Béarn and Sauveterre-de-Béarn
• Wine-tasting in the vineyards of Jurançon,
Madiran and Béarn
• Crossing the border into Spain for a visit to
Pamplona
• A trip to Lourdes to satisfy the religious
or the plain curious
• The beaches, glitz and seafood of the Côte
Basque at Biarritz or St Jean de Luz
For further information try the links below. Please note that
we are not responsible for the content of third party
sites.
Pyrenees-Atlantique
Tourist Office
Bearn
des Gaves Tourist Office
Parc
National des Pyrenees Tourist Info
Pau
Tourist Office
Wines
of South West France
UK
Tourist Office for France
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