What makes Tarrit de Bas a great holiday rental
Best for:
Families who just want to unwind for a week or two without straying too far from the house - a genuine holiday. It really is a great choice for Francophiles who will love the local markets, villages and cuisine.
Suitability for:
Anything to watch out for?
Why Gascony?
Gascony is often said to epitomise the idyllic French country life. Enjoy gently undulating, punctuated by picturesque 'bastide' towns whilst the landscape is barely changed from centuries ago. And it's an area still relatively free of tourists too. This region is what French lovingly refer to as "la France profonde". With its hearty food, tannic red wines, armagnac and rural tranquillity, it's little wonder that Gascons enjoy the highest life expectancy in all of France!
The local village - Castelnau d'Auzan - is reputed to have the best boulangerie in the area - winner of many prizes. The village also hosts a weekly market and has a handy mini-market, pharmacy and bar/restaurant. On the edge of the village is a tennis centre, superb lido and leisure lake - a lovely spot on a summer's day.
Latest Reviews:
August 2021 - 5/5 - Séjour très agréable !!
Excellent séjour dans cette jolie villa, piscine et espace verts magnifiques. Maison très bien équipée, très propre (malgré les très très nombreux tapis), idéale pour des vacances en famille. Wanda prend soin des hôtes, les lits sont faits à l'arrivée et l'accueil très chaleureux. Mme Charneau
Villa with private pool in highly tranquil and private setting enjoying fabulous countryside views
Tarrit de Bas has been in the hands of the same English family for some 20 years and they visit frequently. As such, the property is furnished and equipped to be 'lived in' and does not really feel like a holiday home - we consider this a big attraction.
The long private track leading to Tarrit is a reminder of holidays in Tuscany (coincidentally the owners also have a home in Umbria) and sets the scene for what will be a totally relaxing break in the rolling countryside.
In all, Tarrit offers 19 acres of land bordered by farms, fields and vines! You will certainly have that feeling of tranquillity and relaxation.
Inside Ground Floor:
First Floor:
A staircase from the far end of the lounge leads to a mezzanine landing accessing Bedroom 3 - double bed, additional single bed and separate dressing area. The en-suite includes bath with shower fitting and basin. The WC is in a separate room.
Outside:
There's a lot to explore - 19 acres in total.
Surrounding the property is a mixture of informal gardens, terraces, a barn (with pool table) plus your private swimming pool. There's also a covered terrace and plenty of sun-loungers and parasols.
The gardens to the front of the house offer plenty of space for kids to enjoy ball games.
The kidney-shaped swimming pool is idylically positioned overlooking lovely secluded countryside - you really do feel as though you are swimming in a little oasis.
Parking for several cars.
And make the most of the fruit trees! In the past, guests have picked fruit from the orchard to make cakes and jam - a perfect 'Tarrit' souvenir to take home!
3x doubles, two with additional single bed
3x ensuites with bath, shower & WC. Additional independent WC on ground floor & outdoor pool shower
Kidney-shaped with depth ranging from 1.0m to 3.0m so quite deep. There are Roman steps to the shallow end. Pool open from May until end of September and protected by alarm. Pool is unheated.
No pets & no smoking please
The house lies on its own at the end of a long Tuscan-like track: this is a sparsely populated region of France and privacy and tranquility are guaranteed at Tarrit. The property is a couple of km east of Castelnau-d'Auzan, 12 km north of Eauze and 24 km west of Condom. Locally there are several historic villages, bastides, market and river towns to discover. Situated approximately half way between Bordeaux and Toulouse (100km), the region is well served by airports - Toulouse and Bordeaux are all easily accessible.
Nearest village / town: Eauze (13km)
Nearest beach: The resorts of Sud Landes - a good 2½ hour drive. This is not really the choice of property for beach-lovers!
Boulangerie: 3kms - Castelnau-d'Auzan, said to be one of the best in the area!
Restaurant: Bar & restaurant in the village. More choice in Eauze 12 km and Condom 24 km
Market: In the village on Tuesday. Lots more in the region
Service: Great personal service as ever
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Service: Efficient booking service and pleasant to deal with
Product: Superb location and environment.
Product Comment: Delighted that you enjoyed your stay at Tarrit.
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Service: Very efficient during booking. Good arrival instructions. Great help during our only crisis - a snake in the bedroom!
Product: Great house and pool and location
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Service: My experience with aquitaine was limited to a couple of short telephone conversations with Justin, he was polite, cordial and assured me we would love the house and he was absolutely correct the place was superb.
Regards
Patrick
Product: It had everything you would want and did not have the feel you were in rented accommodation. The place was so comfortable with some wonderful books on every subject.
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Service: Excellent service and communication with the Alternative Aquitaine team. Communication with the owner was also excellent.
Product: Our second holiday at this beautiful and extremely comfortable house! We are returning next year - what more can I say!
Service Comment: Thank you very much for writing - and for booking again for next year! I like your cheese and Armagnac comments - those are very good tips for making the most of a holiday in Gascony! Justin
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Service: Helpful and quick responses
Product: Excellent house, the best equipped we've ever stayed in.
Service Comment: Well said! Thank you very much for sharing your comments. It is a lovely house. Justin
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Service: Everything work fine, I would certainly rent through AA again
Product: Wonderful peaceful situation with lovely garden and pool. The house is very well equipped, fabulous terrace and table for eating out. The master bedroom has a king size bed, the other two beds would have been too small for us so be warned if you are three couples. Isolated spot perfect for us, but maybe not if you have teenagers wanting action!
Service Comment: Tarrit is one of my favourite properties - it's so blissful here. I agree it's not so much a spot for teenagers - the coast offers more for them. But if it's tranquility and real France that you're after then Tarrit is hard to beat. Justin
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Service: efficient and courteous service, thank you
Product: lovely house and grounds, great swimming pool, owner has the house beautifully furnished, all equipment that you'd need, very comfortable beds, excellent bathrooms. problem in some bedrooms in that the water wasn't hot . also noises from the attic, bats or something else, kept the guests who slept in the upper bedroom awake at night. otherwise a fantastic holiday venue.
Service Comment: Thanks very much for writing back. Delighted to read that you enjoyed your stay. We'll look into the attic noise - in the deep countryside there could well be a temporary wildlife issue. We'll speak to the owners. Justin
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Service: The booking planning and arrangements were all completed professionally and efficiently with timely and friendly communications throughout.
Product: We loved Tarrit De Bas, even better than the online description. Very peaceful, secluded and picturesque- just what we needed!
Service Comment: Excellent! We hope you'll come back! Justin
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Service: All of the staff are very friendly and efficient. Prior to going to stay in Tarrit I had a few queries and these were also answered very promptly.
Product: Tarrit de Bas is extremely comfortable, furnished to a very high standard and most importantly relaxing - the house is set in large peaceful grounds surrounded by fields.
My family and I stayed for a wonderful week in August and enjoyed ourselves immensely - so much so we have booked to return next year!
As previously mentioned in reviews there were wasps around the pool area in the late afternoons however they were not aggressive at all and indeed seemed more focused on drinking the pool water than stinging us!
I highly recommend this property.
Service Comment: It's a lovely place isn't it? Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. It is without doubt one of the most relaxing places to stay in our collection. Thanks again. Justin
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Service: Excellent from start to finish and very accommodating with a couple of issues that arose during the stay. I will definitely use your service again.
Product: We spent 3 weeks at Tarrit de Bas and it was the most special few weeks we could have hoped for. On arrival at the villa we were blown away by the size and scale of the land and accommodation we were to enjoy. The setting was tranquil and private, with only some sheep and vineyards as the closest neighbours. The house itself was stunning, and although a little dated in some of the living room areas, it only added to the overall rustic feel of the place. The rooms were of a high standard and ensuite bathrooms to a very high standard made a massive difference. A great place for taking kids, although only if you are after a pool holiday as its not for beach lovers due to the distance to the coast.
Numerous lovely markets and towns to visit and the only decisions you will need to make is what amazing food and drink you would like to enjoy.
The only negative was there were numerous wasps in the area, but this did not cause too many issues overall.
Thanks for a very special few weeks and i highly recommend for anyone looking to enjoy a relaxing week or two with friends and family.
Service Comment: What a nice review, thank you! Sounds like you adapted well to Gascony life - and possibly came home a little heavier!! Really pleased you had such a good break. Justin
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Service: Tarrit de Bas is a beautiful house in wonderful grounds. It is immaculately cared for by Wanda and furnished with everything guests could possibly want. The peace and quiet is something we have found nowhere else. The service from Alternative Aquitaine has been excellent from start to finish, including property description and maintenance of this exceptional property.
Product: Everything was wonderful except the pool, which is unsuitable for non swimmers like me. The pool area is full of wasps, hornets and horse flies, due to the surrounding dense shrubberies. The bedrooms need insect screens as the nights were very hot and we had to keep all the windows closed.
Service Comment: Many thanks for your lovely review of Tarrit de Bas, it's very pleasing to read you enjoyed the house & tranquility. We consulted the owners about the pool & bedrooms. Apparently early summer when it's really hot the wasps can get quite active. Wanda has treated the area now but we're sorry if it affected your enjoyment. They also say there is no mosquito problem at Tarrit (no still water nearby), & although it does get hot with the fans provided and windows open guests are usually OK. We hope you were still comfortable. Thanks again. Alex
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Service: The info pack from Alternative Aquitaine indicated that there would be a welcome pack, which, from past experience, suggests supplies to get you through your first night's stay - there wasn't such a pack and so we were glad we hadn't relied on this - suggest AA update their property notes! Otherwise booking process was great.
Product: We loved our stay at Tarrit de Bas - the peaceful location, the gorgeous countryside views, waking up in the morning to the birdsong and cattle moos! The patio area for eating and relaxing was just perfectly equipped and we appreciated the access to the DVD collection and well equipped kitchen.
Service Comment: Thanks for replying to the survey. It sounds as though you really appreciated the essence of Tarrit in beautiful, tranquil Gascony. At Tarrit there should be a bottle of wine and shelves/cupboards full of dried & tin goods, herbs and cooking oils - enough to make a half-decent tomato pasto in an emergency! Sorry if this wasn't available - we'll take with the housekeeper. Regards Justin Justin
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Service: Alternative Aquitaine provided an excellent service. There was plenty of information to hand and everything was delivered with full instructions way in advance of our holiday. All our questions were answered perfectly.
Product: Tarrit de Bas is by far the most fantastic holiday property we have ever stayed in. It was a beautiful home, so relaxing. It was a real treat to stay there. The bathrooms are beautiful and the beds are so comfortable. On rainy days there is a pool table and a table tennis table for the kids. The shelves are full of books and the tv lounge has a huge choice of dvd's. On sunny days the pool is beautiful and the countryside and villages are amazing. There's even a golf course nearby.
Service Comment: great to read your appreciation of Tarrit and Gascony. We love it too! Thanks very much from all of us, the owners of Tarrit too. Justin
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Service: Very professional in all aspects.