145 - Villa de Monta  Montalivet-les-Bains

In our opinion

What makes Villa de Monta a great holiday rental

Villa de Monta is a lovely, well-equipped villa, spacious inside and out, furnished & planted with a distinctly 'island' feel to help visitors quickly feel away from it all. The centre of Montalivet (and its market) is just 10 minutes' walk away, as is the local beach, and there's lots to do & explore nearby.

Best for:
Families & groups of friends looking for a French beach holiday away from the crowds of the bigger resorts, with plenty to visit and do nearby if you want to.

Suitability for:

• Toddlers - less suited because of open-tread staircase and mezzanine
• Teenagers - excellent, plenty of space plus town centre and beach easy to get to independently
• Reduced mobility - grounds are soft & sandy & high-ish step up to veranda and ground-floor level; downstairs bathroom & bedroom.

Anything to watch out for?
Pool is quite small, designed for splashing & cooling down in, rather than swimming - but then the ocean is a short walk away!

Why Montalivet-les-Bains?
The northern Médoc is an unspoilt, relatively undiscovered corner of Aquitaine but more and more people are venturing northwards from Lacanau-Océan to discover it's many attractions: spacious, uncrowded beaches, delightful cycle trails through the forest and enjoyable small sea-side towns such as Montalivet-les-Bains and its near-neighbour Soulac-sur-Mer.

Accommodation

A spacious & well-equipped house with a distinctly tropical feel

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 the 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.

Prices & Availability

Location

GPS: (45.37270971, -1.146783829)

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 · Cycling · Horse-riding · Birdwatching · Fishing · Wine-tasting · Degustation ·

Day-trip Ideas

Cross the Gironde for a day in Royan & La Palmyre
A day at the lake - Hourtin Port is a good base
Chateau visiting and wine tasting in the Médoc - lunch in Pauillac
City culture in Bordeaux - the old town is a treat

Our Personal Highlights

Family days at the beach, enjoying the warm tidal pools
Taking the bike trails south through the fragrant pine forests
Browsing crafts and produce at the local market
Long lazy lunches in sleepy Medocain villages - Pauillac is a favourite
Boat trips along the Gironde and to the Phare de Courdouan

The Local Area: 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.

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