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Joie de Vivre Holidays is a member of ABTOF,
The Association of British Travel Organisers to France
Le Grand Manoir au Coeur de Vignes
General Description
- Stunning 3-storey manor house in a village location near to Olonzac, the 'capital' of the Minervois wine-producing region of the Languedoc. Stylishly renovated with a great deal of empathy for the style of the property and the many original features, such as beautiful stained glass windows. Tastefully modern where it needs to be i.e. the kitchen and luxury modern bathrooms.
- The accommodation of over 450 sq.m. comprises: a stunning dining room, a sitting room with TV, a magnificent hallway, a large fully-fitted kitchen, a sweeping staircase, 6 very large splendid bedrooms; 4 of them with luxury en-suites and 2 with their own shower rooms, a games room, a landscaped garden, a terrace for dining alfresco, a lovely private swimming pool and parking for several cars.
- Situated on the edge of Pepieux and close enough to easily walk in for your morning croissants, the house has beautiful views over the vineyards towards the montains in the North. It's in a superb location for enjoying all that the stunning Languedoc has to offer, miles of golden sands, the Mediterranean, Carcassonne, the Canal du Midi, the Cathar castles, fine wine and gastronomy, and a wealth of history and culture.
- This property would suit an extended family, two families, or a group of friends holidaying together.
The Local Area
- The local village is Pepieux to which you can eaily walk has a boulangerie, a general grocery store, a wine cave, a typical french bar/restaurant and has stunning views over the acres of vineyards to the Montagne Noire to the North. Just 4kms away is Olonzac which has further shops, restaurants, cafe-bars and a great street market on a Tuesday morning.
- Sports activities: At Lac du Jouarres, a 5-minute drive away, fishing, sailing and watersports as well as swimming from a man-made beach. At the coast (approx. 40 minutes drive) long, fine, sandy beaches and all watersports - windsurfing is especially popular on the coastal lagoons. Walking, hiking, and cycling (we can help here with bikes delivered to your door). Ski-ing in the winter in Andorra and the Pyrenees. Golf in Carcassonne and Beziers.
- Sightseeing: There's much to see and do in this region. However a visit would not be complete without a trip to the medieval city of Carcassonne, the lively and attractive town of Narbonne, Beziers, various villages on the Canal du Midi, the beach resorts of Gruissan and St Pierre la Mer, the vineyards of the Minervois and Corbieres, Minerve, the abbeys at Fontfroide and Lagrasse and the Cathar Castles. Children and adults alike will enjoy a day at the African Nature Reserve at Sigean where you can see over 3000 species of animals in close-to-nature surroundings. A day trip to Spain is also a possibility as the border is only about 1hr 30 mins away.
- Wine-tasting: Enjoy many of the fantastic wines this region now has to offer by visiting the local vineyards most of which offer wine-tasting and direct sales of wine. An organised wine tour, enabling you to learn lots about wine and wine-tasting may also be possible, please enquire.
- Shopping and markets: The best local market is on a Tuesday morning in Olonzac just 3 kms away. Carcassonne has a market on a Saturday, Narbonne on a Thursday and a Sunday. Additionally, the indoor food market (very interesting!) in Narbonne is open 7 days a week in the mornings and is well worth a visit. For gift shopping try La Cite (Carcassonne), for fashion, shoes and handags - Montpellier, Beziers or Toulouse.
- Restaurants: The village has typical French cafe-bar. Local good restaurants are to be found in: Homps, Olonzac, La Liviniere, Carcassonne etc.
- Supermarkets: The nearest supermarkets are in Olonzac (3 kms) and La Redorte (5kms) - and larger ones in Lezignan Corbieres (15kms).
Facilities
- Living Room: With high ceilings and original features this is a lovely comfortable space with leather sofas, armchairs, occasional tables and a large antique French dresser called a desserte. For cooler evenings it is possible to have a cosy fire in the magnificent marble fireplace. There's a large flat screen TV receiving English speaking satellite channels, a DVD player and a CD player.
- Dining Room: This room definitely takes you back to a different era with original features and an antique dining table and 12 chairs - perfect for that special family and friends dinner party.
- Kitchen: A very large and ultra modern kitchen with everything you could wish for in terms of appliances, quality tableware, glassware and cutlery. American larder style fridge, hob, oven, central island, dishwasher, microwave, iron and ironing board.
- Laundry Room: Washing machine and tumble dryer - leading to a ground floor WC.
- Bedrooms: 6 spacious and splendid bedrooms spread over 2 floors. Two have king size double beds and the other four have twin beds. All the bedrooms can easily accommodate a baby's cot. There is plenty of storage and hanging space in each bedroom.
- Bathrooms: Four bedrooms have superb en-suite bathrooms/shower rooms - all newly fitted. The other two bedrooms have their own shower rooms close by. There's an additional WC on the ground floor.
- Games Room: The games room on the ground floor has a full size table tennis table, table football and a variety of other games. There is a direct link to the internet as well as WiFi in this room.
- Outside: Is a private courtyard garden with a south-facing terrace leading towards the private swimming pool. Shade is provided by trees and there is pretty planting. There's a large outdoor dining table and chairs and a barbecue. Sun-loungers are also available. There is private secure parking for up to 3 cars.
- Swimming Pool: The private swimming pool is 4.6m x 4.0m x 1.3 m deep and has a security alarm.
- Internet: The house is equipped with WiFi for use with your own laptop - and a direct connection to the internet.
- Telephone: There is no fixed landline here, but you can make calls via the Internet and Skype. Mobile phone signals in the region are quite good.
- Baby Facilities: A cot and a high chair are available by prior request.
- Winter Heating: Is not included in the rental price, please enquire for the price. All floors of the 'manoir' are equipped with radiators for early and late season bookings.
- Electric and water: Are included in the rental price.
- End of stay cleaning: Included in the price provided the house is left in a clean and tidy condition.
- Bed and bathroom linen: These are both included in the rental price.
- Special price for smaller groups: Please enquire for a special price if you are a group of up to 6 people, This is available outside of July and August only.
- Taxe de sejour: This is incldued in the rental price.
- Damage Deposit: The owners request a damage deposit of 500 euros to be paid at least 4 weeks prior to your holiday. This will be refunded to you less the replacement cost of any breakages within 7 days of the end of your holiday.
- Change Over Day: Saturday normally. Other arrival days may be considered out of the main summer season.
- Long weekend stays: May be possible subject to availability out of the main summer season. Please enquire for the price.
- Pets: Sorry, your pets are not pemitted at this property.
- Smoking: Is not permitted at this property.
How To Get There
- By Car: The property is just 15-20 minutes drive from the nearest autoroute. Driving time from the channel ports by the fastest route and with a minimum number of stops is approx. 11hours 30 mins.
- By Air: The nearest airports are Carcassonne (30 mins) and Beziers ( 45 minutes) both serviced by Ryanair from the UK and other parts of Europe. Alternative airports are Toulouse, Perpignan, Montpellier, Nimes and even Girona (N. Spain).
- By Train: The nearest railway station will be Beziers or Carcassonne. Please click on the link to Rail Europe on our home page to enquire about rail tickets to this region.
Full directions will be sent to you once you have made a booking
