032 - La Chartreuse  St Jean de Marsacq (0.5 km)

In our opinion

What makes la Chartreuse a great holiday rental

A charming French country house - just what you'd imagine from a maison de maitre, with flagstone floors, panelled doors, parquet in the formal rooms, spiral staircase, original features such as the salon fireplace, thick stone walls and pale blue shutters - this is a classic French countryside summer holiday retreat and one of our best sellers.

Situated on the edge of a quiet village, it's only a short drive to the coastal resorts of Hossegor and Biarritz for surfing, golf, beach-life and shops.

Best for:
Great for larger groups - spacious accommodation & gardens, and games room too. Ample space for two families sharing. The house has also been selected by groups of friends or family for anniversary and birthday celebrations.

Suitability for:

• Toddlers - enclosed gardens, toys & equipment
• Teenagers - games room, iPod dock, playstation & DVD player
• Reduced mobility - not suited

Anything to watch out for?
There are two outbuildings in the grounds both of which are out of bounds to guests. And watch out for the low beams in the games room! N.B. TV only for playing DVDs.

Why St Jean-de-Marsacq?
A charming village typical of the region. It is, though, the proximity to the sea and the likes of Hossegor & Biarritz that bring people to this area for holidays.

Accommodation

Classic Maison de Maitre with floodlit pool,  games room, and less than 20kms to the ocean

Exuding French charm, la Chartreuse is a classic summer holiday rental.

Inside:

Long flagstone entrance hall with a summer room and formal sitting room leading off to one side and the kitchen and dining room off to the other side.

The formal sitting room provides a quiet place for some reading whilst the dining room with additional sofas, is the main living area.

The spiral wooden staircase is a feature in itself, with a small stone washbasin tucked away underneath the stairs.

The kitchen is large and well-equipped with a further large utility area opposite with extra fridge and freezer space, plus a washing machine and tumble dryer. Kitchen equipment includes kettle, toaster, coffee maker, Kitchen Aid blender for smoothies or making baby food, Waring juicer, and a slow cooker - ideal for when you're on a day out and you want something ready when you come in. Plenty of crockery, ovenware, cooking utensils & glasses, and thoughtful touches such as plastic cups for children and for using by the pool.

The ground floor has a handy WC too.

First Floor
On the first floor there are five bedrooms all spacious and featuring wooden floorboards, garden views and character features such as shuttered windows and high ceilings.

All of the bedrooms on this floor have a double bed.

• Bedroom 1 > good-size double bed, double aspect (west and north), modern en-suite shower and wash-hand basin (no WC)
• Bedroom 2 > double bedroom with small 140cm double bed; west-facing and overlooking the pool
• Bedroom 3 > double bedroom also overlooking the pool
• Bedroom 4 > large double bedroom with separate dressing area; overlooking the pool
• Bedroom 5 > another large double room with en-suite bathroom (bath, shower, basin & WC)

There are two separate bathrooms too:

• Shower room with WC
• Bathroom with bath and wash-hand basin

Second (Attic) Floor
The second floor has a huge open-plan study-comeTV-and-games room with playstation, DVD player & DVD library, table football and sofas. This room will appeal to children of all ages.

There are two bedrooms on this floor:

• Bedroom with double bed plus toddler bed
• Bedroom with 3x singles

A camp bed is also available if required - suitable for a child or teenager.

The bedrooms share a bathroom which has a bath but no WC. The bathroom is separated from the two attic bedrooms by a curtain either side.

Mind your head on the low beams (see photo)!

Outside:

The garden is private and large with a natural boundary formed by hedgerow.

The swimming pool is 12x5m and is protected by alarm. It can be used on warm evenings too as there are floodlights.

Off the summer room there is a lovely patio terrace complete with teak outdoor dining furniture and sunloungers. There are outdoor games to enjoy - boules and table tennis - plus a built-in BBQ for outdoor meals by the poolside.

Prices & Availability

Location

GPS: (43.61949101, -1.253964901)

We endeavour to be as accurate as possible using Google maps but some error is possible.

Things to Do & See

Nearby Activities
Surfing · Kitesurfing · Windsurfing · Sailing · Golf · Cycling · Horse-riding · Birdwatching · Fishing · Spa & thalassotherapy · Pelote Basque · Course Landaise ·

Day-trip Ideas

• Belle-Epoque Biarritz - style & surf chic combined
• Pretty Basque fishing port & resort, St Jean de Luz
• Discover the 'postcard' hillside villages of the Basque Country
• Hop over the border into Spanish for San Sebastian or the Guggenheim
• Explore the superb Pyrenees National Park for great walks & wildlife
• Visit the under-rated city of Bayonne, the Pays Basque capital
• Thermal spa pampering at nearby Dax

Our Personal Highlights

• An evening stroll along Capbreton seafront followed by a seafood supper
• Explore the coast, forests and lagoon via its network of cycle trails
• A day's golf & surf at Seignosse
• Unwind at the Marais d'Orx wetland reserve
• Catch an exhibition of Course Landais at St Vincent de Tyrosse

The Local Area: St Jean de Marsacq (0.5 km)

St Jean de Marsacq is a delightful little French village with attractive church, restaurant (good for pizzas) and a mini-market. There is a basic boulangerie in the mini-market (otherwise a 7 km drive to St Vinvent de Tyrosse).

For a range of shops and amenities, St Vincent de Tyrosse is 5 minutes by car. There is a supermarket, boucherie and weekly market on Friday mornings.

Capbreton and Hossegor
The local region of Sud Landes is typical Aquitaine - endless stretches of sandy beaches buffeted by the Atlantic ocean, vast pine forests punctuated by the occasional lake and criss-crossed by a network of cycle trails.

Capbreton and Hossegor are neighbouring seaside towns which between them offer an appealing contrast. Hossegor is the more famous, largely through its surfing heritage. It's a 'feelgood' place offering boutique shopping, great bars and restaurants, world-famous surfing beaches, casino, and a lovely golf course and a beautiful lagoon for safe bathing.

Capbreton lives in the shadow of Hossegor but it's the place the locals prefer for eating out and for beaches. It's definitely the more authentic of the two, largely because of its fishing port and daily fish market. In fact, the town thrived in the 19th century as a whaling port and this sea-faring heritage is still very much apparent today.

It also has a charming town centre and market. Capbreton is just more French than Hossegor, if you see what we mean. It remains, admirably, something of a French (and Spanish) secret.

Capbreton sea-front is a bustling place, day and evening. You can walk all the way along the marina and sea-front. The jetty, known locally as l'estacade, offers excellent coastal views. There's normally a few locals here trying to catch a fish for supper. It makes for great viewing!

Like most of the south west coast, Capbreton-Hossegor is something of an outdoor playground. Take your pick from surfing, canoeing, sailing, diving, fishing, cycling, tennis, horse-riding and golf to name a few. Golfers will enjoy the local course, the 1930s-built Golf d’Hossegor. The traditional club house is also a delight. A short drive up the road is Seignosse, a water and forest monster of a course ranked in Continental Europe’s Top 50. There are other great courses within 45 minutes drive including Moliets and several around Biarritz.

Capbreton regularly holds major surfing competitions; the whole Aquitaine coast is a perfect venue for surfers but at Capbreton the presence of an offshore hollow in the sea-bed gives the waves here that extra edge. If you don't fancy a go yourself, just sit on the sea-front with a drink of your choice and watch the surfers ride to shore.

Cyclists can enjoy the many safe forest tracks that connect between the towns along the coast. Sailing enthusiasts should head for the Capbreton Marina.

Being so close to the Pays Basque border, sporting life also includes the legendary game of pelote; you can watch a game at the fronton in Hossegor.

River Adour
Particularly enjoyable is to take bikes (and picnic) along the minor roads which hug both the southern and northern banks of the Adour. It’s a scene straight out of Wind In The Willows!

The Adour is a vast river fed by the melting snows of the Pyrénées and "Les Barthes" is the name given to the floodplain on the north bank which, each year without fail, fills up with the river’s surplus water. This swampy prairie is home to a secret ingredient used to feed the famous thermal spas of nearby Dax which are so craved for their therapeutic powers.

The ecology of Les Barthes makes it something of a special environment for bird-watching (Marais d'Orx is another prime location), nature studies and spotting the small but friendly poneys barthais. Of course, the Adour itself is fertile territory for fishing enthusiasts; eels, pike and salmon are just a few of the varieties to be found and obtaining a licence to catch them is refreshingly straightforward – and inexpensive.St Jean de Marsacq is a short distance from Hossegor and the Pays Basque resorts of Biarritz and St-Jean-de-Luz and regional capital, Bayonne. The Pyrénées and Spanish border are less than an hour away.

Customer Reviews

“Beautiful property in gorgeous setting. Amazing games room for the kids.”

Mrs C Emmins, stayed in 2010

Mr T Farrer, stayed in 2010

“We had a fabulous holiday, we thought the house was brilliant and well-equipped with thoughtful extras. We found Lynn and Steve who look after the house most helpful too. ”

Mrs J Dempsey, stayed in 2011

“The 2 weeks in La C was brilliant !! Cant say anymore than that. La Garluche restaurant was the biggest surprise, with much more than pizzas on the menu. We had our final night there and the 20 euro menu was so good and very tasty. I have left a recommendation in the book for other visitors to see. Well done Alternative Aquitaine for coming up with a very "special holiday home". ”

Mr & Mrs Perchard, stayed in 2011