007 - Maison Marsacq  St Jean de Marsacq

In our opinion

What makes Maison Marsacq a great holiday rental

If you want be near enough to the coast to spend most days at the beach, but you also want to leave behind the hustle and bustle of a resort, then Maison Marsacq is an ideal retreat.

Best for:
Families who appreciate the tranquility of the French countryside but who want access to beaches and culture.

Suitability for:

• Toddlers - great: large gardens and fenced pool
• Teenagers - quiet rural location but short drive to coast
• Reduced mobility - ground floor bedrooms and bathroom but no wheelchair access to the bathroom

Anything to watch out for?
For groups with toddlers, it's worth noting there is no gate at the front of the driveway but the house is set set well back from the local (minor) road. There's plenty of space in the gardens for kids to play safely.

Why St.Jean-de-Marsacq?
The village itself is pretty and offers a handy pizzeria and mini-market shop. But, it's the general location that proves popular, i.e. tranquil countryside close to the coast, Biarritz, the Pyrenees and Spain.

Accommodation

Charming holiday home with pool in generous plot near surf coast.

Maison Marsacq is a charming home following the traditional Landais design template:
- timber beams are a feature inside and out
- low, chalet-style roof
- cool, tiled floors and thick walls
- covered terrace accessed via French doors
- imposing fireplace in the séjour

The accommodation is well-balanced for two families to share - there's two bedrooms and a bathroom or shower room on each floor.

Inside:

Living Room - a lovely, homely room, running the length of the house. Open-plan with lounge area at one end and dining area at the other. There are patio doors accessing the front terrace and pool.
Kitchen - country-style kitchen looking out over the cornfields. Equipped with all modern appliances (small dishwasher is kept in the utility area).
Utility Room - leading from the kitchen and with an external door to the pool.
Bedroom 1 - double bed, built-in wardrobes and shelving, separate chest of drawers & wardrobe. Double doors leading onto patio.
Bedroom 2 - twin beds, built-in wardrobes and shelving. Overlooks cornfields.
Bathroom - shared by the two downstairs bedrooms. Overhead shower, wash basin and separate WC. Unfortunately, wheelchair access is not possible.

First Floor
The nature of Landais houses means that the first floor accommodation has lower ceiling height where the roof slopes down to over-hang the sides of the house. Still, there's plenty of room up here.
Bedroom 3 - double bed, built-in wardrobes and shelving, pine chest of drawers & wardrobe, balcony overlooking front garden
Bedroom 4 - twin beds, built-in wardrobes & shelving. Overlooks cornfields.
Shower Room - with WC and basin.

Outside:

It's a generous plot - around 1750m2 in total, so there's plenty of space to enjoy. It's also very peaceful and private.

A long driveway opens out to the front garden which has lawn and trees - a good size area for children to play. Four cars can easily be accommodated.

At the front of the house is a lovely, covered terrace which accesses the living room. For eating outside, there's a table for 8 people.

The swimming pool is positioned on the west-side of the house. 4 sun-loungers are available. There is a fence and two gates to enclose the pool area from the house.

Prices & Availability

Location

GPS: (43.62862819, -1.274108291)

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

St Jean de Marsacq
A delightful little French village with attractive church, restaurant (reasonably priced, good for pizzas) and a mini-market. There is 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

“The property was excellent, far exceeded our expectations, top notch!”

Mrs A Beattie, stayed in 2009

Mr T Collins, stayed in 2009

“It was perfect in every way. The house was lovely and very well equipped. It had a lovely homely atmosphere and we felt like we were staying in a friend's house. Please pass on our thanks to the owner.”

Mrs A Mummery, stayed in 2011

Family Cornwell, stayed in 2011