Heated private pool
Pricing & availability
La Joliette
4 bedrooms, sleeps 8
Enquire Unavailable
Notes on prices
- Price includes: 1. Bed linen, bathroom towels & tea towels. 2. Beds made for arrival. 3. Exit clean. 4. Pool heating. 5. Water, gas & electricity.
- Compulsory extras: EUR 150/wk for heating Oct-Apr (add to payment).
- Optional extras: Mid-stay cleaning for bookings of 2 weeks or more (EUR 50, payable locally)
- Security deposit: 300 GBP
- 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 elegance of la Joliette. It's a beautiful yet very informal home, tastefully renovated by its English owners. la Joliette delivers the whole package - superb accommodation, high spec, privacy and outstanding views.
Best for:
Families for whom the beach is less important but who do want a successful combination of outdoor activities and classic French culture. Outside the summer school holidays, La Joliette is available in winter for ski-ing groups, hikers in spring & autumn and is popular with couples here to enjoy the local scenery, market towns and culture.
Suitability for:
- Toddlers - safe & enclosed grounds. Pool fenced off
- Teenagers - games room plus lots of activity thrills in the local area
- Reduced mobility - steep steps to access property
Anything to watch out for?
The pool fence in some of the pictures is no longer there. The pool is protected by a cover.
Why Oloron-Ste-Marie?
A charming and bustling market town in 'deep France'. There are a few monuments of interest but the market day is the best time to visit and sample the Bearnais life. Oloron is also an established gateway to the Pyrenees and its many activities.
Accommodation
Luxury maison de maitre with heated pool and games room, in 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. The quality of accommodation is beyond that normally associated with holiday lets.
The property is well-known in the town and has quite a colourful history too. The house was built in the mid 1800s for the Bishop of Oloron. It was owned by the Church until the 1920s, and by one family since then, until an English family purchased it in 2005. For some years, from the 1960s until the mid-1980s it was a small hotel and restaurant and the present owners tell us that it had "a bit of a reputation". For what, we're not quite sure but for us it just adds to la Joliette's appeal!
Inside:
The accommodation is spread over four levels.
Basement Floor
Games room with table tennis table and CD stereo (with iPod input), TV and Sony Playstation which can also be used for DVD's- it's a great place for the kids to unwind and amuse themselves away from adults.
There is a shower & WC here also - ideal for when you are relaxing by the pool. Also handy is the drinks fridge.
The laundry room can also be found in the basement.
Ground Floor
The main entrance, via the stone staircase, leads into a spacious entrance hall. To the right is a dining area with table for up to 10 persons, and to the left is the kitchen. Generously equipped, the kitchen also has access to a south-facing decked terrace.
The hallway leads to the spacious grand sejour. This is the principal room of the house and has been furnished to a very high standard. Features include huge mirrors and a marble fireplace. This is an extremely comfortable space for resting in the evening, after a long and delicious meal on the terrace! There is plenty of seating (three 2-seater sofas), plus flat screen TV, CD stereo, DVD and vcr. There are lots of DVDs and videos for guests' use. Only French TV channels are available here - if you are interested in watching UK TV during your stay then it is possible to do this if you bring a laptop with a VPN loaded up that can be plugged into the TV.
A wonderful, original carved wooden staircase leads from the hallway to the first and second floors.
First Floor
Four of the bedrooms are situated on the first floor. Each has a pleasant aspect and benefit from attractive, original wood flooring.
Bedroom 1 - queen-size 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, chest of drawers, dressing table. En-suite shower room with WC and basin. Views to the front of the house.
Bedroom 3 - twin beds, 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 - king-size double bed, double wardrobe, chest of drawers, bedside cabinets x2, fireplace. 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 bedrooms which is closed off for personal use/storage.
Outside:
The house lies in a generous plot of land, about 1.5 ha in total. There is plenty of space front and back for kids to play.
The breakfast terrace is south-facing and the rear pool terraces are south and west-facing. There is plenty of room for dining outside. The patio terrace can be accessed directly from the living room and basement.
The large, heated pool measures 12x6m, with a depth of between 1 and 2 metres. It is accessed via Roman steps, and protected by a cover (also helpful for retaining heat in the water). The pool is in use from May through to September. There are 6 sun-chairs and 4 sun-loungers on the pool terrace. Please note that the pool fence seen in some of the photos has in fact been removed.
Parking for several cars.
Bedrooms
2x doubles & 2x twins
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 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
- English TV channels received include BBC1, BBC2, Channel 4 & Channel 5 but not ITV
- Sony PS2
- Separate washing machine and tumble dryer
- Tennis-table is indoors, in the basement games room
House Rules
No pets & no smoking please
Location
The villa enjoys a 'standalone', hill-top location on the southern outskirts of the town. Its elevated situation affords it excellent views to the Pyrenees. The property is tucked away thanks to its long driveway and there is no passing traffic. As such the location feels very private. Oloron-Ste-Marie is a traditional Béarnais market town to the south west of Pau. The stunning scenery is a key reason to visit this area.
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 2kms
Restaurant: Oloron-Ste-Marie 2kms
Market: Oloron-Ste-Marie 2kms
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 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
Review posted on 16 Jul 2014
Service:
Product:
Service: Very efficient, la Joiliette was just as described. Good website and the information about things to do during our stay was very helpful.
Product: Wonderful property, great views, peaceful, dark at night. Well provided kitchen. So often we stay at self catering properties where nothing is provided save1 bin liner and 1 dishwasher tablet. The concept of a replace-what-you-use worked so well here, and just creates a lovely feel to staying. The children loved the pool.
On 17-Jul-2014 we responded:
Service Comment: Thank you so much for your lovely review. Justin
Review posted on 12 Jul 2014
Service:
Product:
Service: Service was very good and professional.
Product: Good
Review posted on 22 Feb 2014
Service:
Product:
Service: The holiday fitted us like a glove the house was everything they said it would be and more.They are very honest on their website if a road could be the slightest bit noisy they will tell you about it.
Product: The best holiday we have had for years,the weather was stunning 14 days out of 14; makes a change from dodging the showers in Cornwall in August .The house had everything you could need, this had obviously been thought about when the house was laid out .The BBQ and pool area made our holiday.
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