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Joie de Vivre Holidays is a member of ABTOF,
The Association of British Travel Organisers to France
Domaine Marcassite
General Description
- Domaine Marcassite is a beautiful stone farmhouse in the Lauragais region between Toulouse, Carcassone and Albi, close to the interesting town of Castelnaudary and the Canal du Midi. It's situated in grounds of over two acres with chestnut, pine and cedar trees, and has a lovely garden with a large private swimming pool. The pool has a security fence in the summer months.
- It's an ideal place for a relaxing holiday for a large family or perhaps two families holidaying together, being one of the most attractive houses we have seen in this region. It is beautifully furnished and decorated and has lovely big windows that let in lots of natural light.
- The house has six bedrooms, 3 with kingsize double beds and 3 with twin beds, which can be made into doubles, and there's a cot for a baby or two! There are 5 newly fitted spacious bath/shower rooms.
- The living room is large and attractive with comfortable sofas and armchairs, a fireplace for the cooler months, and TV receiving French satellite+ channels and a CD system. The dining room is also spacious with a fabulous table and 12 chairs - the windows look out onto the garden, over the Lauragais countryside, to the Pyrenees in the distance.
- The kitchen is spacious too, well-presented and extremely well equipped with quality appliances, cooking equipment and crockery.
- Adjacent to the house, in what was previously a barn, is a stunning summer dining room with stone walls and a large glass wall with doors that open out onto the terrace and swimming pool area. A truly fabulous area for dinner parties that go on long into the night.
- For children and adults alike there's a very large games room with billiards, table football, lots of board games, a televison and a WiFi internet connection. There's also a piano - for those of you with musical talents!
- The owners have thought of everything here to make your holiday unique and memorable for all the right reasons.
The Local Area
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The local village is Labastide d'Anjou only 1km from the house. There you'll find a boulangerie, a butchers and a 'charcuterie' selling ready-prepared food. There's also a bar and a restaurant in the village, and another restaurant 2kms away.
- For activity lovers - on the domaine you can enjoy table tennis, croquet, petanque, badminton, volley-ball, basket-ball and swimming - all equipment is supplied. There are lots of lovely walks and bikes rides locally - especially alongside La Rigole - a water course leading down to the Canal du Midi. There are several golf courses close by. The Mediterranean beaches at Narbonne and Gruissan are about an hour's drive.
- As well as exploring the lovely Lauragais region, great days out can be spent at Carcassonne, Castelanudary (one of the bases of the Foreign Legion), Toulouse (with the Space City for children), Albi and Revel. You can drive to Andorra quite easily for a different kind of day out.
- Markets - in this region they are colourful and very interesting selling lots of lovely, fresh local produce. Locally you'll find markets at Villefranche de Lauragais, Revel and Castelnaudary and in Carcassonne on a Saturday.
- Restaurants - two restaurants within 2kms and several Michelin star restaurants within a short drive.
- Supermarkets- there are several in Castelnaudary - 12kms away.
Facilities
- Living Room: Spacious and stylish and ideal for a family with large comfortable sofas and armchairs. For the cooler months, you can enjoy a fire in the large fireplace. There's a music system and a TV receiving French satellite + TV channels and a DVD player.
- Dining Room: Another lovely open plan room with a dining table and 12 chairs. The windows overlook the charming garden, and have views over the Lauragais countryside to the Pyrenees in the distance.
- Kitchen: Large (40 sq.m.), open plan with quality appliances, cooking equipment and crockery. A lovely kitchen for those who like cooking! Range cooker, Microwave, fridges (2), freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, vacuum cleaner , iron etc etc. There is also a Magimix Nespresso coffee machine and a classic cafetiere.
- Welcome pack: On arrival you'll find a welcome pack of bread, butter, coffee, tea, milk, fruit, wine and beer.
- Bedrooms and Bathrooms: All the bedrooms and bathrooms have quality beds, furniture and bathroom fitments. There are 2 bedrooms on the ground floor (one ideal for an elderly couple perhaps?). The double bedroom has a view over the grounds. The twin-bedded room (ideal for children) has a view over the swimming pool. These rooms share a large shower room also on the ground floor. Upstairs on the 1st floor there are two double rooms with shower rooms which are south-facing with views to the Pyrenees. A further bedroom overlooks the swimming pool and has twin beds ideal for children. It has its own bathroom with bath and shower. And finally another double bedroom - south-facing and overlooking the countryside - also with its own shower room. Hairdryers are provided.
- Games Room: This is on the first floor and is great for both children and adults with billards, table football, a selection of board games, and a desk with a WiFi internet connection. Tourist information and brochures are available to help you plan your days out. The piano is located in a quiet spot on the landing.
- Summer Dining Room: Adjacent to the house with lovely stone walls and beams - opening out through glass doors onto the lawns with a large, attractive swimming pool area.
- Outside: the house has lovely grounds, a large garden with lawns and flower beds, 2 terraces - one in front of the dining room, and another benefiting from full sunshine. All the garden furniture and sun-loungers are of good quality. There is a large built-in barbecue with all the equipment you could need. There is private parking for several cars. Six mountain bikes are available to hire here.
- Swimming Pool: A large pool 14m long x 6m wide with a fence and is fenced in the summer months for the safety of children. It has a large platform so children can play in safety under the supervision of their parents. There's a large teak sun deck with sun-loungers and parasols, and a shady pergola.
- Additional items of interest: A library, all relevant tourist information, and a selection of games.
- Internet: You can connect to the internet here via your own laptop and a WiFi connection.
- Telephone: Sorry - there is no telephone connection here.
- Baby Facilities: A cot and a high are available on request.
- Winter Heating: The house is centrally heated and this is included in the price of your holiday.
- Gas, Electric and Water: These are included in the price of your holiday.
- End of stay cleaning: 3 hours end of stay cleaning is included in the price of your holiday. If you require a mid stay clean, this may be possible, please enquire with the owners.
- Bed and bathroom linen: Is included in the price of your holiday. Swimming pool towels are also available for you.
- Taxe de Sejour: In France it is necessary to pay a Taxe de Sejour at the end of your stay but it has been included here in the rental cost.
- Damage Deposit: The owners request a damage deposit of 600 Euros on arrival and this will be returned to you at the end of your stay less the replacement cost of any breakages, damage or further cleaning beyond the 3 hours included in the price.
- Change over day: Saturday.
- Long weekend stays: May be available in low season - please enquire.
- Pets: Well-behaved pets are permitted here.
How To Get There
- By Car: The property is situated just to the North West of Castelnaudary, between Carcassonne and Toulouse. The nearest autoroute exit is No:21 on the A61 Autoroute des Deux Mers.
- By Air: Carcassonne (Ryanair) - 40 minutes drive and Toulouse airports (BMi, British Airways and EasyJet) - also 40 minutes drive, are the closest. Other possibilities are Beziers, Montpellier, Perpignan and Girona (N. Spain).
- By Train: The nerest railway stations are at Castelnaudary and Villefranche de Lauragais. Please refer to the link to RAIL EUROPE on our Home Page for details of trains and tickets to this area.
- Full directions will be sent once you make a firm booking.
