Heated private pool
Pricing & availability
La Joliette
4 bedrooms, sleeps 8
Enquire Unavailable
Notes on prices
- Price includes: 1. Bed linen, bathroom towels, pool towels & tea towels. 2. Beds made for arrival. 3. Exit clean. 4. Pool heating. 5. spare bedding for fortnight stays
- Compulsory extras: EUR 150/wk for heating Oct-Apr (add to rental).
- Optional extras:
- Security deposit: GBP 500
- Changeover day: Saturday-to-Saturday reservations in July & August
- Arrival and departure: Arrival from 17:00, departure by 10:00 please.
- Fortnight booking restriction: No
What makes la Joliette a great holiday rental
Very few holiday properties can match the character of la Joliette. It's a beautiful yet very informal home, tastefully renovated by its English owners. La Joliette oozes French charm with its many character features including wooden floors, original staircase and elegant 'maison de maitre' architecture.
La Joliette delivers a great villa 'package': attractive & spacious accommodation; all bedrooms en-suite; large, heated private pool; total seclusion and superb views.
Best for:
Francophiles who will appreciate the style and decor of La Joliette and the authenticity of the Béarn region of south west France.
The property and region work well for families for whom the beach is not important but who do want access to activities, wonderful scenery and good French living.
Outside the summer school holidays, La Joliette is a popular choice for hikers in the spring and autumn. It's also classic territory and an ideal base for road cycling enthusiastis.
Suitability for:
- Toddlers - very good: safe, enclosed grounds; pool fenced off & heated; cot & high chair available
- Teenagers - good: games room plus lots of activity thrills in the Pyrenees
- Reduced mobility - unsuitable: a few steps and all bedrooms are on the 1st floor
Anything to watch out for?
No WC at ground floor level. Separate WC downstairs.
Why Oloron-Ste-Marie & The Pyrenees?
Oloron is one of the Bearn's principal market towns. It is also an excellent base from which to explore the stunning Pyrenees with its incredible scenery, activities and nature. For a little bit of city culture visit nearby charming Pau, a city with strong historical links to Great Britain.
Latest Reviews:
August 2021 - 5/5 - Très belle maison
On a aimé surtout la solitude de la maison tout en étant proche d'une ville. M.Lotz
Accommodation
Beautiful maison de maitre with heated pool and games room, set in secluded & generous grounds
From the moment we arrived at the entrance gates to la Joliette, we had a good feeling about this property. The long, gravel driveway leads to an imposing, beautifully presented property and one which can be seen from many parts of the town.
In fact, La Joliette is well-known in the town and has quite a colourful history too. Built in the mid 1800s for the Bishop of Oloron, it was owned by the Church until the 1920s and by one family since. From the 1960s until the mid-1980s it was a small hotel and restaurant and by all accounts it had "a bit of a reputation". For what, we can only speculate but it adds to La Joliette's appeal!
Since 2005, La Joliette has been in the hands of an English family. It has been in our collection ever since and remains one of our most loved villas.
Inside:
The accommodation is spread over four levels.
Basement Floor | Floorplan - basement floor
- Games room with table tennis table, TV and Sony Playstation which can also be used for DVD's - it's a great place for the kids to unwind away from adults.
- Shower & WC - ideal for when you are relaxing by the pool. Also handy is the drinks fridge
- Laundry room
Ground Floor | Floorplan - ground floor
The main entrance, via the stone staircase, leads into a spacious entrance hall. To the right is a dining area with table and to the left is the kitchen. Generously equipped, the kitchen has access to a south-facing decked terrace looking directly to the mountains.
The hallway leads to the spacious living room. This is the principal room of the house and is tastefully furnished yet the owners are very keen to keep an informal ambience and for guests to feel relaxed.
There are lots of DVDs available for guests' use. Only French TV channels are available.
A wonderful, original carved wooden staircase leads from the hallway to the first and second floors.
First Floor | Floorplan - first floor
The four bedrooms are all on the first floor. Each enjoys pleasant views and original wood flooring.
- Bedroom 1 - 140cm double bed, double wardrobe, bedside cabinets x2. En-suite shower room with WC and basin. Views to the front of the house
- Bedroom 2 - twin beds (90cm), chest of drawers, dressing table. En-suite shower room with WC and basin. Views to the front of the house
- Bedroom 3 - twin beds (90cm), double wardrobe, dressing table, bedside cabinets x2. En-suite shower room with WC and basin. Views west to the rear of the house
- Bedroom 4 - queen-size double bed (150cm), double wardrobe, chest of drawers, bedside cabinets x2, fireplace, twin aspect (south & west). Private bathroom with bath, shower, double basins & WC. Views to the south and west
Second Floor
At the top of the staircase there is an additional bedroom which is closed off for personal use/storage.
Outside:
The house lies in a generous plot of land, about 1.5 ha in total. The gravel driveway alone is some 100 metres.
There is plenty of space front and back for kids to play.
The breakfast terrace is south-facing whilst the rear pool terrace faces south and west towards the mountains and afternoon/evening sun.
There is plenty of room for dining outside on the patio terrace accessed directly from the living room and basement.
The large (12 x 6 m) heated pool is accessed via Roman steps at one end and is protected by a cover (also helpful for retaining heat in the water) and a fence. The pool is heated from May through September.
6 x sun-chairs and 4 x sun-loungers are provided.
Parking for several cars on the gravel area in front of the house.
Bedrooms
2x doubles (150cm & 140cm) & 2x twins (90cm singles)
Bathrooms
4x en-suite shower rooms / bathrooms plus basement shower. 5x WCs in total
Pool
Large, heated pool 12x6m. Depth range 1.0 - 2.0m. Roman steps. Protected by fence & cover. Pool in use May through September.
Equipment
Kitchen
- dishwasher
- tumble dryer
- washing machine
- oven & hob
- microwave
- fridge freezer
- kettle
- coffee maker
- iron & ironing board
Entertainment
- dvd player
- tv with French channels
- wi-fi
- games room
Outside
- bikes
- bbq or plancha
- parking space
General
- cot
- high chair
Additional House Info
- Sony PS2
- Separate washing machine and tumble dryer
House Rules
No pets & no smoking please
Location
The villa enjoys a very private hill-top location on the southern outskirts of the town. Its elevated situation affords a stunning panorama of the Pyrenees. The property feels tucked away thanks to its long driveway and there is no passing traffic. Oloron-Ste-Marie centre is 2 km whilst the city of Pau is a 40 min drive - and worth a visit too. The main draw is of course the stunning beauty and natural attractions of the Pyrenees.
Local Amenities
Nearest village / town: Oloron Ste Marie (2 kms)
Nearest beach: Biarritz or Hossegor coastlines are c. 1hr 30 mins
Boulangerie: In the local square 1km or Oloron-Ste-Marie 2 km
Restaurant: Oloron-Ste-Marie 2 km
Market: Oloron-Ste-Marie 2 km
Distance to nearest major transport connections
- Pau airport: 39 km
- Lourdes/Tarbes airport: 72 km
- Biarritz airport: 115 km
- Pau railway station: 32 km
- Bilbao ferry port: 251 km
- Santander ferry port: 348 km
- St Malo ferry port: 775 km
Customer Reviews By Feefo
Review posted on 03 Sep 2019
Service: This has got to be the best company of its type around. Our fourth successive year with Alternative Aquitaine, and the level of service has not diminished one iota. Excellent, personal information, recommendations and communication at every step of the way. How anyone who has experienced this would ever dream of going anywhere else is beyond me.
On 04-Sep-2019 we responded:
Service Comment: That's very kind of you to say so, thank you. Delighted you enjoyed your latest villa holiday in Aquitaine. La Joliette has been in our portfolio for over 10 years and remains one of the most popular - entirely understandable!
Review posted on 06 Aug 2019
Service: Fantastic villa even better than described. Booking was easy and all the information we needed was provided. Very happy.
On 16-Aug-2019 we responded:
Service Comment: Thank you very much for your reply! Regards from Alternative Aquitaine Team
Review posted on 17 Jul 2019
Service: The service was just brilliant. Will use Alternative Aquitaine again and again.
On 19-Jul-2019 we responded:
Service Comment: Loving the feedback, thank you so much!!!
Review posted on 17 Aug 2018
Service:
Product:
Service: Fine.
Product: The house, swimmingpool and garden are lovely!
One point of suggestion is that we thought there were too many things/there was too much stuf in the house. Less is more. For example it was hardly possible to use the kitchencupboards, because they were all full.
On 20-Aug-2018 we responded:
Product Comment: Thanks very much for your feedback, delighted that you enjoyed the house. We will visit the house next month and see if any items can be removed to free up some space!
Review posted on 07 Sep 2016
Service:
Product:
Service: Very responsive at all times to queries. Great service.
Product: The perfect holiday home. Private, well equipped, amazing views. We loved our time here and hope to go again
On 07-Sep-2016 we responded:
Service Comment: I love La Joliette and thrilled to read that you did too. We hope to see you back there! Justin
Review posted on 30 Jul 2016
Service:
Product:
Service: Very efficient.
Product: Another wonderful stay at beautiful La Joliette!
On 08-Aug-2016 we responded:
Service Comment: We're very happy to hear you have enjoyed another successful holiday at La Joliette - will you be returning again next year? :) Bethan
Review posted on 01 Aug 2015
Service:
Product:
Service: Very helpful and efficient! The complementary map of Aquitaine was a really nice touch!
Product: Wow - what a truly fantastic house in a beautiful location. We are planning a return trip next year!
On 04-Aug-2015 we responded:
Service Comment: Delighted you enjoyed your stay and are thinking of returning to La Joliette next year - it really is somewhere special isn't it. And thanks for the kind comments about our service. Alex
Review posted on 03 Jul 2015
Service:
Product:
Service: This was the first time we have used this site to book accommodation in France. We found it easy to use and the choices of regions and houses very wide.
Product: The house was very comfortable and well appointed. The swimming pool was large and heated. Bed linen was changed weekly and we had the added assistance of Nathalie who spoke very good English who met us at the house and ahowed us how everything worked. Great views of the snow capped mountains and surrounding countryside.
On 06-Jul-2015 we responded:
Service Comment: Thank you very much for you writing about your experience of La Joliette. It's a beautiful home in a very scenic and authentic corner of France. We're delighted that you enjoyed your stay. Best wishes Justin Justin
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