Self-Catering Holidays in Atlantic Aquitaine, South West France - Villas, Cottages & Apartments

Villa de Monta is a lovely, spacious holiday villa (180m2 inside altogether) whose design influences combine chalet, beach house and a tropical feel reflecting the owners' extensive south Asian travels. The house is just 2 years old, its owners' labour of love of the past few years.

It stands in a good-sized corner plot (1000m2) set back from the road. The grounds comprise off-road parking (for two cars), sand, shrubs & wild grasses characteristic of this part of France. A long covered veranda runs along the front of the house, facing south and over-looking the garden and pool.

Inside-downstairs:

The entrance leads into a large open-plan area with a kitchen at one end, and a good-sized dining area in the middle and sitting area with wood-burning heater at the other end. Glass doors open onto the veranda along one wall providing plenty of light and views of the garden.

The kitchen is modern and includes: oven & hob, fridge/freezer, microwave, grill, coffee-maker, etc. A breakfast bar seats 4. There is a long wooden dining table seating 10. The sitting area comprises two bamboo-style sofas, coffee table, wood burning stove, and a television.

A bathroom (with bath & separate shower), separate toilet and two bedrooms (one with a double bed, another with two single beds) lead off the living room. Both bedrooms are comfortably furnished with good quality bedding and hanging space and/or drawers for clothes.

Inside - upstairs
A wooden staircase leads to the spacious upper level built into the roof and running the full length of the house. At teh top of the stairs gallery area (with railing) overlooks the dining and sitting area below. At this level there is a second bathroom (with shower), 2nd toilet, two further bedrooms (a double bedroom plus a twin bedroom), one at each end with the bathroom in between). The ceiling of the upstairs bedrooms and quiet area slopes from 2m 50 to 1m (where the ceiling meets the outside wall). The full ceiling height extends almost 2m into the room and for the full width (4m).

The upstairs bedrooms are enclosed half by standard partition, half by floor-to-ceiling sliding doors to be semi open-plan to the rest of the upstairs space if desired.

There is also a 'quiet corner' upstairs with a double sofa bed and desk which could be used as a reading or small indoor play area.

Outside:
A very appealing feature of this property is the decked veranda outside the living room, overlooking the garden and pool, and providing pleasant shade from the midday sun - guests will be fighting over the thoughtfully-strung hammock after lunch!

The decked area continues into the garden, providing an outside dining area with table & parasol, 10 garden chairs, 2 deck-chairs and a barbecue.

The pool is a hexagonal, above-ground design, 5 m diameter, 1m deep. Although unheated it is exposed to the sun all day.

There is also a child's swing and sand-pit in the garden. Away from the terrace the garden is mostly sandy with tall clusters of wild grasses, creating a lovely 'island' feel. Tall fencing surrounding the property mean the gardens are entirely private.

Overall Villa de Monta a lovely, distinctive holiday home, well-equipped and very conveniently-located for an easy, relaxing holiday by the French sea-side.

» Check availability and prices for this property GO

Prices include linen and towels.

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Montalivet-les-Bains

Montalivet-les-Bains was conceived 150 years ago as a sea-side resort in harmony with nature and intended primarily for Bordeaux's city-dwellers. This ethos persists today: set amongst the pines and dunes, Montalivet is a small but lively seaside resort with extensive beaches, forest and walking & cycle trails.

The town is low-rise with wide avenues and retains an appealing, somewhat old-fashioned aura and is a favourite family destination for French - particularly Bordelais - as well as a sprinkling of northern Europeans (although hardly any Brits). You will see a number of early 20th century wooden houses and chalets in the town, many of which have been in the same family for generations.

At the last count Montalivet included 21 bars and restaurants, a bank, 2 hotels, 2 supermarkets and 2 nightclubs. In the summer time, every day there is a bustling market with 200 stands. This is good time to pick up some bargains as well as fresh daily produce. And talking of fresh produce, for a few euros you can be served 6 oysters with a glass of cold wine, every morning at the market - what better way to start the day!

The main street is pedestrianised every morning and evening so it is safe for children on foot or on bicycle. Surfing is a major draw and sometimes the surf can be pretty awesome but there's always the lakes for safe bathing for kids. There are many opportunities for bike hire, wind-surfing, land yachting, tennis, horse-riding, scenic flights and lots more...coastal Aquitaine is, after all, known as France's "biggest outdoor playground".

There's also a selection of naturist beaches at Montalivet and l'Amélie. It is these southern beaches where naturists tend to hang out (as it were), so you should choose your spot carefully depending on whether you want to go 'à poil' or not. In fact, 3 kms to the north of the town is the largest private nudist colony in Europe and there is also a thalassotherapy centre there.

About The Region

The Médoc Bleu region is where to re-discover life's simple pleasures of fresh air, good fun and easy living, and like-minded people looking for the same! If you want to be by the sea, but Arcachon and Biarritz sound too big and busy, and Cap Ferret a bit 'chi-chi', the Médoc Bleu is definitely the place to come.

It's a natural outdoor playground dominated by the colours of blue (ocean & lakes), gold (dunes) and green (forest), and a heady salt- and pine-infused air - the fragrance of Aquitaine. It contains distinctive, charming sea-side towns such as Soulac-sur-Mer, and lively, family-friendly holiday resorts such as Montalivet-les-Bains and Lacanau-Océan. Golf, surfing, watersports, horse-riding and cycling feature prominently among the region's activities on offer, and fine wine-tasting in the Médoc Rouge is a short drive away, but you don't have to do any of these to enjoy it here!

There are many day-trips to be recommended from Montalivet:

• Panoramic views from Pointe de Grave - this is the northernmost point of the Médoc, on teh southern shore of the mouth of the Gironde estuary. From the top of the dunes are panoramic views of the Gironde mouth, the resort of Royan on the opposite bank, le Verdon and, 5 miles out into the Atlantic, the lighthouse Phare de Cordouan. There's another lighthouse on the Pointe itself, and which has a small museum.

• Boat-trip to the Phare de Cordouan - the lighthouse is said to be the world's oldest still standing. It's stone structure dates back to the 16thC. It was updated in neo-classical style in the 18thC and once contained a royal apartment and chapel.

• Wine-tasting in the Médoc. Naturally, a major draw of the Médoc is wine. The steep-sided valleys, gravel soils and gentle climate all combine to create ideal growing conditions - something the viticulteurs have exploited here for hundreds of years. You may be surprised to learn that the Médoc's wines are exclusively red, made principally from the Cabernet grape. The most highly-rated labels are household names - Château Lafite, Château Margaux, Château Latour and Château Mouton. Pauillac on the Gironde coast is a place to head for - this lovely market town and marina has a great market, some fine restaurants and an appealing, laid-back ambience. There are several possibilities for wine-tours whether it be by bike or organised tour. And if drinking wine isn’t enough, you can also bathe in it.

• City culture in Bordeaux - the big city is just over an hour away and is a good option for a day-trip, whether it’s boutique shopping, sight-seeing or museums. The town has been revitalised by its forward-thinking mayor who has overseen the new tram system and a big clean up of the city's many fine monuments and buildings. Walking around the 18th century old town centre (Quartier St. Pierre), you can begin to imagine the city’s commercial and maritime past.

• A day at the lakes - Aquitaine is well-known for its colossal lakes which lie just inland from the Atlantic. Lac de Hourtin-Carcans is the largest of them all. You can reach Hourtin-Port (the lake's northern base) in 30 minutes for a day of beach activities, watersports, cycle rides, nature walks and picnic-ing. The lakes have natural sandy beaches which can be quite a bonus on days when the Atlantic surf is high.

• Visit Royan and la Rochelle in the Charente-Maritime
Royan took a bit of a battering during Word War II as the Germans retreated. However, some of its older buildings remain and the town is a popular, very French resort. Royan is easily reached by ferry from the Pointe de Grave. You can even do this trip by bike. However, if you want to head on up to the lovely fishing port of La Rochelle, we recommend you put your car on the ferry!

For more local information, try these links. Of course, we are not responsible for the content of 3rd party websites.

Montalivet Tourist Office
Soulac Tourist Office - slightly irritating graphics but some useful info. Order a brochure if you can.
Bordeaux Tourist Office
Gironde Tourisme
Wines of the Médoc
France Tourist Information