Holiday cottage with swimming pool for rental in Cap Ferret

Holiday cottage with swimming pool in Cap Ferret

Call 0870 6092845 or email info@alternative-aquitaine.co.uk for information & booking

Summary :

Maison de la Chapelle is a traditional holiday villa and a comfortable base for a relaxing family holiday. In summer the daily market is 300m away; it's half a kilometre to the bassin d'Arcachon beach and oyster-farming village and a short bike ride (1800m) to Cap Ferret's famous Atlantic beach, Le Truc Vert. Or just stay back at the house and enjoy the gardens, swimming pool and an occasional stroll through the forest.

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Piraillan 0.5 km, Le Canon, 1.5km

Type of location :

Residential quarter short distance from town

No. of bedrooms :

6 - 3x doubles; 2 x doubles + single; 1x twin

Sleeping capacity :

No. of bathrooms :

4 - 3 ensuite bath / shower rooms, 1 shared shower room: 1 x shower room en-suite to 1 upstairs double bedroom; 1 x en-suite en-suite to upstairs twin bedroom. 2 further WCs. 1 ground floor double bedroom has en-suite bathroom; family shower room downstairs also.

Style of property :

SIMPLE-GOOD QUALITY - what does this mean?
Please note: in some areas of the house the décor and furnishings at Maison de la Chapelle are quite old-fashioned

Price Band for this venue:

» See Price Bands

Linen Arrangements :

Bed linen and bathroom towels provided with the rental.

Cleaning Arrangements :

You are expected to leave the house clean & tidy on departure. An exit cleaning service is available on request (approx. 80 EUR).
» Read important information about cleaning

Arrival & Departure :

Please arrive between 5-6 pm and depart by 10am. Changeover day is Saturday in the high season
» Read important information about arrivals & departures

Bassin d'Arcachon - 400m; Atlantic - Le Truc Vert, 1800m

Nearest boulangerie :

Piraillan market (July & August only), 300m

Nearest airport :

Nearest ferry port :

St Malo 7-8 hrs (approx)

Yes - 9m x 4m, unheated, protected by removable perspex cover; open May-September

Facilities & Equipment :

TV (European, not UK, satellite channels); Internet access (wireless ADSL); electric BBQ; washing machine; dishwasher; microwave; iron; table-tennis; exercise bike & weights bench; several bicycles + pull-along 'chariot'

Suitability for children :

Very good - pool, proximity of beach

Suitability for infants :

High chair and travel cot available (linen not provided). Grounds are enclosed. There is a two-feet drop in the back garden, protected by flower tubs. Sited off quiet road.

Things to see & do :

Swimming, cycling (bikes provided), beach, surfing, sailing, fishing, forest walks, nature. Visit bassin d'Arcachon, oyster-farming villages, Médoc vineyards. Shopping, dining & culture in Bordeaux.

Location : Map Ref B3

Maison de la Chapelle is situated in Piraillan, a village classé (heritage of 'national importance') known for oyster-farming and established at the start of the 20th century. A stroll around the 'cabanes' (farmers' huts), and stopping to 'déguster' a little produce is highly recommended!

Piraillan market - 300m away - is open everyday in summer from 8am to 1pm. The nearest permanent shops are in Le Canon, c. 1500m away, including a tabac, boulangerie, pharmacie and grocer's. There are a few restaurants and cafés in Le Canon as well.

Bordeaux airport is a 45 minute drive (BA from Gatwick, FlyBe from Bristol); Bergerac (Ryanair, FlyBe) is a two hour drive, Biarritz (Ryanair from Stansted) a two and a half hour drive away. Bordeaux train station (served by TGV from Paris) is a 50-60 minute taxi ride.

Accommodation :

Maison de la Chapelle is set back from a quiet residential road winding through the pine forest behind Piraillan. The low-rise basco-landais design is unobtrusive in the setting (something the planners have consistently achieved in this part of France). There is covered parking for two cars in a basement garage to the side of the house to keep cars cool in summer.

Ground Floor
The front door is via a short path from the road. The main entrance leads into a hallway, which includes an old-style French telephone cabin (now toilet); the kitchen leads off on the right; the living room straight ahead and a flight of three steps to the left to the part of the house with two ground floor bedrooms.

The living/dining room is a spacious, L-shaped area and well-furnished; the dining table seats 8-10, there is plenty of seating, real fireplace, satellite TV. Through the lounge to the side of the house is a conservatory with sliding doors opening onto the terrace; this room includes a small fireplace for summer barbecues.

The farmhouse-style kitchen is a fairly small for the sleeping capacity of the property, but is well-equipped (microwave, dishwasher, oven/hob, fridge-freezer, toaster, coffee-maker, etc), and contains a small table and chairs.

There are two double bedrooms on the other downstairs part of the house (away from the living and outside areas): Bedroom 1 contains a double bed, with next-door shower room; Bedroom 2 also contains a double bed, with en-suite bathroom (with shower attachment). Both rooms are a good size, with wardrobes providing plenty of storage.

Upstairs
Upstairs is a separate WC, plus four bedrooms, all re-decorated and re-furnished to a good standard in 2008.

Bedroom 3: with a double bed and en-suite shower; that can be divided into twins; this room has an en-suite shower.
Bedroom 4: twin bedroom with en-suite shower unit (screened by a cupboard door).
Bedroom 5: with a double bed plus single, and washbasin
Bedroom 6: accessed via Bedroom 3, with a double bed plus single, and washbasin.

Bedrooms 3 and 4 also contain a WC, in both cases screened by a cupboard door.

Outside is a good-sized garden (1200m2), attractively planted and maintained, and home of course to the 9 x 4m swimming pool, overlooked by the covered terrace at the side of the house. The see-through cover of the pool serves as safety protection when it's not in use, can provide shade from the sun, and keeps the heat in at night.

Basement
Steps lead down from the hall into the garage, also accessible by a sloping drive at the rear of the house. A washing machine and dryer are stored down here, along with table-tennis table and bicycles for guests' use. There is also a small 'gym room' at this level, containing exercise bike and weight-training bench.

Please note that the floor tiles, wallpaper and some furniture in the ground floor rooms is, to many people's tastes, fairly old-fashioned. It is however good quality, and in keeping with the style and age of the property.

The charming, welcoming owners are semi-retired viticulteurs (wine-makers, in the Graves appelation) and will offer you a bottle or two on arrival. They will also leave a case for you to dip into during your holiday, you just pay for what you consume before you leave. Speaking from experience, it is exceptionally good!

In all this is a very convivial, relaxing and convenient place to spend a week or two getting to know a unique part of France.

How To Book :

STEP 1.
Check availability. NB Website availability is refreshed daily but not "live" so please contact us to confirm availability. Call +44 (0)870 609 2845 or email us

Once we have confirmed availability we can normally hold a property for up to 48 hours if you need to confer with friends or family).

STEP 2.
Call or email us if you want to go ahead and make a provisional booking.

STEP 3.
To confirm a provisional booking we need, within 5 working days, your completed Booking Form and your deposit payment of 35%.

Guide :

What's the Presqu'Ile de Cap Ferret actually like? Difficult to say, there's nowhere like it! The closest we can get to describing this part of France is to say that it has the laid back ambience and relaxing natural environment of the Caribbean, blended with the subtle refinements of the French way of life - Barbados meets Bordeaux!

The Cap Ferret peninsula is a treat for the senses - the scent of the pine forest, the constant rumble of rollers washing up on the western coast, the salty, slippery taste of oysters washed down with a Bordeaux blanc and, at the end of the day, sitting on top of one of the dunes overlooking the Atlantic and watching the sun go down. Bliss!

All these experiences and more are within easy reach of Maison de la Chapelle. The Atlantic beach of Le Truc Vert, popular with surfers, is 500 metres away through the forest, the bassin d'Arcachon beach at Piraillan even closer when the tide is low. From here you can see over the wildlife reserve of the Ile Aux Oiseaux (Bird Island) in the middle of the Arcachon Basin; why not paddle out there one day? The tourist office in Le Canon town hall (2km away) can help with boat hire.

One of the cycle paths that winds around the peninsula passes just a few minutes away from the house - it's just a 20 minute ride down to Cap Ferret village, the chic-est spot on the the Presqu'Ile. (You can hire bikes here, or a couple of kilometres up the road from the house at Grand Piquey.) From the village you can take a ferry over to Arcachon or Le Moulleau, but you'll probably miss your 'desert island' home quite quickly! Or try a boat tour spotting the oyster beds and bird life of the bassin d'Arcachon.

There's also a charming 'petit train' that runs from the jetty on the bassin side over the Atlantic beach on the other side of the pensinsula; the trip takes 10-15 minutes and, especially if you have children, is a delight!

Heading on down to the Pointe is a must, stopping to climb to the top of the famous Cap Ferret lighthouse on the way - the views across the bassin to the sandy wild-life reserve of the Banc d'Arguin and over to the Dune de Pyla (Europe's highest sand dune) are breathtaking. At La Pointe, a tram runs to the Atlantic and is a very enjoyable ride, especially for children.

The famous '44 hectares' of the Cap Ferret peninsula are situated south of the lighthouse. This is an area of villas built in the earlier part of the century set amongst the pine trees all served by unmade roads, owned by several French stars, Bordeaux vineyard owners and generations of Cap Ferret inhabitants of more modest means. It's probably the most natural, exclusive yet unpretentious housing estate in France and also home to the island's most famous restaurant, Chez Hortense - laid back (what else could it be here?) and popular with France's VIPs.

Cap Ferret village is the peninsula's biggest town - laid back, chic boutiques and bistros are the theme here. It's worth stopping for a drink the stylish Tchanque bar of the Hôtel Maison du Bassin (so named after the famous houses on stilts close to the Ile aux Oiseaux) - the address for an 'apéro'.

If you feel the urge to leave the Cap - and many don't while they are here - the famous appelations of Pauillac and Margaux north in the médoc rouge are not far away. There are many vineyards where you can visit and taste some of the famous wines. Two very approachable châteaux are the under-rated (and relatively inexpensive) Château Maucaillou, a medium-sized, family-run estate in Moulis-en-Médoc; there is an interesting museum exhibiting some of the history of wine-making. Or for a very special visit, Château Giscours in the Margaux region organises tastings of various vintages of its grand crus classés, hosted by a particularly engaging, unpretentious and plain-speaking 'oenologue' (Master of Wine).

Around the other side of the basin is Arcachon, a popular French resort; a part of the town known as the Ville d'Hiver (winter town) is well worth strolling to see the quirky architecture of its many 19th century villas.

South of Arcachon is the famous Dune du Pyla, the largest sand dune in Europe, standing at over 100 metres. A journey to the summit (try it without the staircase provided!) is a must; sunrise and sunset are the best times.

If you're feeling beached out, Bordeaux is well under an hour away and is a good option for a day-trip, whether it’s boutique shopping, sight-seeing or culture. Walking around the 18th century old town centre (Quartier St. Pierre), you can begin to imagine the city’s commercial and maritime past. Medieval gems of the Gironde east of Bordeaux are also wonderful days out; St Emilion, with its 11th century basilica, is the best known but can be busy; St Macaire and La Réole are also enjoyable. Obviously there are more chateaux over here but an altogether different wine experience can be had at Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, in the middle of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte, vineyards, just south of Bordeaux. The spa offers unique beauty treatments derived from grand cru grapes of the Graves appelation renowned for their anti-ageing and micro-circulation improving properties - in short, visitors apparently come out feeling good!

For further information try the links below. Please note that we cannot be held responsible for the content of third party sites.

Call 0870 6092845 or email info@alternative-aquitaine.co.uk for information & booking

Villas, Cottages & Private Apartments in Aquitaine 157 Maison de la Chapelle, Cap Ferret
Three Reasons to Choose Maison de La Chapelle • Well-equipped, traditional French holiday villa with pool and garden • 10 minute walk to shops, cafes and restaurants; beaches a short bike ride away • Cap Ferret village, Arcachon, Bordeaux, vineyards all in easy reach