131 - Villa Aliénor  Moliets-Plage

In our opinion

What makes Villa Aliénor a great holiday rental

Attractive, summery villa in the family-friendly resort of Moliets-Plage, known for its vast sandy beaches and delightful forest cycle trails. Property features include off-road parking, private fenced swimming pool, garden overlooking the golf-course, spacious living areas and a generally more homely feel than is sometimes associated with this kind of holiday property. The nearest beach is 15-20 minutes walk or a short bike-ride away, and lots of activites and places of interest are nearby as well. In all, Villa Aliénor is a very relaxing, convenient place to spend a summer holiday.

Best for:
Families with young kids will appreciate the fenced pool and nearby beach; those with active older children will enjoy Moliets' range of activities. Also ideal for groups of friends/couples looking for a surfing or golfing holiday.

Suitability for:

• Toddlers - very good, baby equipment avalable, and pool has security fence.
• Teenagers - very good, lots to do in Moliets, and easy to roam independently
• Reduced mobility - access to the villa is not level, but once inside most of the living accommodation is on one level.

Anything to watch out for?
No - this is a really good holiday villa.

Why Moliets?
Moliets is known as something of an oasis amongst the endless pines of western Europe's largest forest. It's basically a big playground! Activities include: surfing, cycling, golf, tennis, adventure parc, horse-riding, kayaking, etc etc. Many places of interest are within an hour's drive. It's an ideal destination for an active and varied sea-side holiday.

Accommodation

A smart, modern and well-equipped holiday villa.

Villa Aliénor is a detached property on a development of 50 villas, 800m from Chênes-Lièges beach (a lovely 'Plage Verte' with reduced access for cars, the one locals prefer), and approx. 1.5-2 kms from Moliets-Plage central beach. It's half-French, half-English owners have taken care to give the villa a few extras compared to other villas at this site, by including DVD player, baby equipment, fenced swimming pool, new kitchen (2007), and by using very good quality, modern furniture and furnishings. It adds up to being a very good, and more homely, alternative to Moliets' 'Mer & Golf' villas.

Entrance:

Outside a driveway leads to parking for 2-3 cars in an underground garage, where there's also storage for bikes, surf boards, etc. (A second 'drinks' fridge is also located down here.) A short set of steps lead to the front door.

Inside:

Inside the villas comprises: good-sized hallway with room for luggage, shoes, etc, with leads into a very spacious, double-height lounge and dining area. The dining table sits in bay-windows overlooking the garden; it seats up to 8 people. The lounge area includes fireplace, and three sofas (two 3-seaters and one 2-seater one), TV & DVD player. A gallery-style kitchen is separated from the lounge at one end by a breakfast bar, with bar stools. It is fully equipped, including dishwasher, microwave, fridge-freezer and washing machine.

The living dining/kitchen area is in the centre of two corridors providing access to the bedroom/bathroom areas on either side. On one side is a master double bedroom with en-suite bathroom, and a twin bedroom with en-suite shower room. On the other side is a second double room, another double room with bunk-beds, and family bathroom (with jacuzzi bath). The bedrooms are quite simply but comfortably furnished. The bath and shower rooms are modern and very good quality.There are 2 separate wc's.

A staircase leads from the living room to a mezzanine 'play area' level with a selection of toys, small TV with DVD player, and sofa.

Overall the interior is approximately 140m2 altogether, and feels light and spacious.

Outside:

Glass patio doors lead from the living room to the enclosed rear garden overlooking the golf-course. It comprises: a large decked terrace including covered area with garden table and chairs, 5 sunloungers, fenced 10m x 5m swimming pool and small grassed area to the side. Currently naked-flame barbecues are banned in Moliets, so a particular plus of Villa Aliénor is the plancha (electric grill/barbecue) so you won't be denied the pleasure of cooking outside.

In all, Villa Aliénor is a ideal place for one or two families to enjoy the forests, beaches and activities of a lovely part of Aquitaine.

Prices & Availability

Location

GPS: (43.83840398, -1.382174492)

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 · Water-skiing · Jet-skiing · Kayaking · Golf · Cycling · Horse-riding · Birdwatching · Fishing · Pelote Basque · Course Landaise · Adventure Parc · Aqua Parc ·

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

Our Personal Highlights

* Canoe or kayak along the Courant d'Huchet
* Explore the coast, forests and lakes via the network of cycle trails
* A day's golf & surf at Moliets
* Take a break from the beach and unwind at the Lac de Leon - go by bike
* Catch an exhibition of Course Landais at St Vincent de Tyrosse

The Local Area: Moliets-Plage

Moliets is known as something of an oasis amongst the endless pines of western Europe's largest forest. It's basically a big playground! Here's a selection of some the activities you can pursue in the resort:

• Golf course & training centre - one of continental Europe's Top 50 courses
• Surfing - championship surf conditions plus a local surf club for tuition
• Land-yachting - the quickest way to cover several kms of sandy beach!
• Kite-surfing - windsurfing and surfing combined
• Sailing - sailing school at lac de Léon (7 kms)
• Canoeing / kayaking - take the Courant d'Huchet from lac de Léon to the ocean
• Horse-riding - equestrian centre at Domaine de la Prade
• Tennis - several courts at the golf club
• Cycling - 12 kms of safe and shady forest cycle tracks
• Nature trails - several tracks criss-crossing the dunes, forests and around the lakes
• Windsurfing - at the ocean or at lac de Léon
• Adrenaline Park - includes quad biking & karting
• Children's farm where the kids can see animals of the region including the Gascony pig!
• Scenic flights to get a real sense of the Cote Landaise geography
• Cross-country skiing on pine needles!

Moliets Golf Club was designed by Robert Trent Jones in 1988, and is a monster of a course. The course is ranked in Continental Europe's Top 50 and 9th best course in France. It is currently used on the European PGA Challenge Tour.

Whilst it's a relatively new course, the surrounding forest dates back to the early 1900s. American in its layout, the course takes in parkland (yes, you've guessed it - a pine forest!) and links-style golf. In fact, it's the seaside holes, 13, 14, 15 and 16, that make for the most attractive golf on the course. The 18 hole course is a shade under 7000 yards, par 72. There is also a 9 hole course and golf training centre.

Green fees for the championship course start at around €55 depending on the season, although the purchase of a Golf Pass is recommended - this gives you discounted access to five local courses.

The local town of Léon has a distinctly laid-back feel to it. It has a couple of restaurants, shops, supermarkets and a tourist office. There are plenty of local markets to enjoy including Léon (every day from mid June to mid Sep and Tuesday all year round); Moliets-Plage (Monday and Thursday all year round and Saturday in July and August); and Dax (Saturday and Sunday).

To sample a pastime particular to the south west, visit Vieux-Boucau to watch Course Landaise (a less gory version of bull-fighting) and the Basque-invented pelota, the fastest ball-game in the world. If you’d like to learn more about the Landaise culture and traditions, try the eco-museum at nearby Sabres.

Customer Reviews

“Lovely house in a tranquil setting.”

Family Taylor, stayed in 2010

“Premium property.”

Mr A Bothwell, stayed in 2010

“Excellent”

Family Hayers, stayed in 2009

“The villa was superb”

Mr R Crossfield, stayed in 2010

“The property was perfect for our needs. It was easy to book and the staff at Alternative Aquitaine were very helpful.”

Family Knight, stayed in 2011