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Key
Facts :
| Nearest
town : |
Oloron-Ste-Marie
town centre 2kms; local square 1km |
| Type
of location : |
'Standalone',
hill-top location on the outskirts of the town |
| No.
of bedrooms : |
5
: 2x doubles & 3x twins |
| Sleeping
capacity : |
8-10 |
| No.
of bathrooms : |
5
shower rooms / bathrooms and 5x WCs in total |
| Style
of property : |
Stone
cut maison de maitre on four levels, architecture traditional
for the region |
| Quality
guide : |
|
| Prices : |
|
| » Check availability & prices for this property GO |
What's included:
Beds made for arrival, bathroom towels, tea towels. Fresh linen & towels each Saturday. Exit clean. Pool heating. Water, gas & electricity.
What's extra:
EUR 100/wk for heating Oct-Apr (add to payment). Refundable security deposit EUR 300 held on credit card by us on the owner's behalf
What's extra - optional:
Mid-stay cleaning EUR 40.
» Read important information about security
deposits and insurance |
| Linen
Arrangements : |
Bed
linen & bathroom towels (not pool towels) provided.
Beds are made for arrival and a spare set is available for
guests to change over |
| Cleaning
Arrangements : |
Mid-stay
clean can be pre-booked if required - 40 EUR (pay locally)
An exit clean of 4 hours is provided with the rental. If
additional cleaning over and above this is required, it
would be deducted from your security deposit. Guests are
required to perform some basic duties prior to exit.
» Read important information
about cleaning
|
| Arrival
& Departure : |
Arrive
between 4-7 pm and depart by 10am. Changeover day is Saturday
» Read important information
about
arrivals
& departures |
| Nearest
beach : |
Biarritz
or Hossegor coastlines are c. 1hr 30 mins |
| Nearest
boulangerie : |
In
the square 1km or Oloron-Ste-Marie 2kms. There's a very
good creperie in the square, otherwise Oloron centre for
restaurants |
| Nearest
airport : |
Pau
45 mins; Biarritz 1hr 30 mins (approx) |
| Nearest
ferry port : |
Bilbao
3hrs 30mins; Santander 5 hrs; St Malo 9 hrs (approx) |
| Swimming
pool : |
Yes
- large, heated pool 12x6m. Chlorinated. Depth range 1.0 - 2.0m. Roman
steps. Will be protected by fence. Pool in
use May through September. |
| Facilities
& Equipment : |
TV
with standard SKY channels; DVD & video players; CD
player with i-Pod input; PS2 & games; table tennis; BBQ; bikes (2 adult bikes, 1 for older teenager
and 1 younger teenager's bike); laundry room with washing machine-dryer;
microwave; dishwasher |
|
Suitability
for children : |
SKY
TV and table tennis plus bikes. Lots of DVDs and videos. |
| Suitability
for infants : |
Large,
secluded garden, no passing traffic. Cot & high chair available. |
| Things
to see & do : |
Enjoy
the Pyrénées!
Hiking, mountain biking, road
cycling (this is classic Tour de France country),
fishing, wine-tasting,
golf and horse riding.
Visit the scenic Valleys d'Aspe & d'Ossau,
cultural Pau, curious Lourdes,
and the pretty Basque and Béarn
regions of SW France. If that's not enough, you can also
sample another country - Spain - just over
the border in less than 1 hour! |
| House
'rules' : |
No
pets & no smoking please |
|
Location
: Map
Ref C6
The house is situated on the outskirts of
Oloron-Ste-Marie, a traditional Béarnais
market town to the south west of Pau.
Road - 30 minutes from the main Biarritz-Pau-Toulouse
autoroute.
Rail - there is a train station in the town,
connection via Pau.
Air - Pau
airport is only 40 minutes drive and is served by Ryanair.
Of a similar distance is the airport serving Lourdes
and Tarbes. Alternatively, Biarritz airport
is a c.1hr 30m drive west, whilst Toulouse airport is two hours’
drive east.
|
Accommodation
:
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 property has had a colourful past too. The house was built
in the mid 1800's for the Bishop of Oloron. It was owned by the
Church until the 1920's, and by one family since then, until an
English family bought it in 2005. For some years, from the 1960's
until the mid-1980's it was a small hotel and restaurant and the
new 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!
The accommodation is spread over four levels.
Basement Floor
Games
room with table tennis table and CD
stereo (with iPod input) - a great place for the kids to spend an hour or two each
day. There is a handy shower & WC here also - ideal for when
you are relaxing by the pool. Also handy is the drinks fridge.
For 2009, the games room now has a
separate TV and Sony Playstation (PS2), with various games. This can also be used for DVD's, so kids can amuse themselves away
from adults.
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 séjour.
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, hopefully 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 to use whilst they are staying.
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 attrative, 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 is Bedroom 5, the
smallest of the five bedrooms. This also has twin beds. Whilst
there is a sky-light, the room, being at the top of the house,
can get hot in summer (fan available). The room has a chest of
drawers plus a bedside cabinet.
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.
This is the pool area and there is plenty of room for dining outside.
The patio terrace can be accessed directly from the living room
and basement.
There are 6 sun-chairs and 4 sun-loungers.
There is parking for several cars.
|
Guide
:
Oloron-Ste-Marie
The nearby market town of Oloron-Ste-Marie (10 kms) is
located at the junction of the rivers Aspe and Ossau
and was in fact two separate towns until 1858. It is a pleasant
town worthy of a visit particularly on market day (Friday).
In the past it was an important staging post on the pilgrim’s
route to Santiago de Compostela and in memory of this route
there are contemporary sculptures located at historic points
of interest in the town. For a great view up the Vallée
d’Aspe to the mountains extending into the Pays Basque,
walk along the top of the old ramparts (near Église Ste-Croix).
Other sites worth a visit are the Ste-Marie cathedral
which began life in the 12th century; the Pont de Ste-Claire
over the Gave d'Aspe - an early work of Gustav Eiffel; the Quartier
Ste-Croix has a delightful medieval square; and the
genteel Jardin Publique with its own Victorian
bandstand.
Local
Area -
visit our
Tourism Guide
to the Pyrénées
The
Haut-Béarn is a wonderful landscape that forms
a natural boundary between France and Spain. It is also a haven
for outdoor pursuits. Two beautiful
river valleys – d’Ossau and d’Aspe
– offer great walking/hiking, mountain
biking and, in Spring, good white-water potential. Parasailing,
rock-climbing, horse-riding and fishing are also popular. Skiing
is possible at nearby stations such as Gourette.
In the Parc National des Pyrénées lives
some of Europe’s most exotic wildlife including chamois,
royal eagles and brown bears, whilst at Laruns there is a 92-hectare
reserve for the griffon vulture. At Lescun you will find one
of France’s most photogenic natural locations, the Needles
of Ansabère, an amphitheatre of jagged limestone
peaks rising to the summit of Pic d’Anie.
Also in the Haut-Béarn and a great day out for the kids
is a ride on Le Petit Train d’Artouste. Built for
dam workers, this 10 kms train journey tales passengers along
the flanks of the Pic de la Sagette.
A short drive north is the stylish and compact city of Pau.
Barely known of outside of France, Pau has a variety of attractions.
It sprang to fame in the 19th century when wealthy British and
Americans were drawn to its mild climate and it became a popular
winter holiday destination. To this day Pau retains an ‘upmarket’
feel about it. There is a thriving café and bar life
plus plenty of opportunity for boutique shopping, notably along
the rues des Cordeliers and Serviez. Pau also has its own château
(and birthplace of King Henri IV) plus one of the south
west’s finest panoramic views - the spectacular array of
distant, snow-capped peaks as seen from the Boulevard des
Pyrénées.
A little known fact is that Pau is home to continental Europe’s
first golf course, built in 1856 by a resident Scotsman.
Pau also hosts horse-racing events, a vintage car race and a
Formula 3 street race every year.
Other suggestions for day-trips:
• Touring the historic towns of the Béarn…Orthez,
Salies-de-Béarn and Sauveterre-de-Béarn
• Wine-tasting in the vineyards of Jurançon,
Madiran and Béarn
• Crossing the border into Spain for a visit to
Pamplona
• A trip to Lourdes to satisfy the religious
or the plain curious
• The beaches, glitz and seafood of the Côte
Basque at Biarritz or St Jean de Luz
For further information try the links below. Please note that
we cannot be held responsible for the content of third party
sites.
Pyrenees-Atlantique
Tourist Office
Bearn
des Gaves Tourist Office
Parc
National des Pyrenees Tourist Info
Pau
Tourist Office
Wines
of South West France
UK
Tourist Office for France
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