Maison d Oc
General Description
- This pretty, stone cottage is in the lovely village of Oupia, close to Olonzac in the Minervois wine-producing area. It's unique in that it is a detached property, unusual in a French village. It 's newly-renovated, decorated and furnished to a very high standard.
- You can enjoy relaxing and dining al fresco in the private, walled courtyard.
- The owners have thought of everything here to make your stay more enjoyable - even down to supplying hairdryers and beach towels - great if you're flying with a low-cost airline.
- The cottage dates from 1881 and has an 'old' exterior and beamed ceilings but is otherwise modern inside with all new fittings and appliances. The layout is unusual in that the kitchen/diner, twin bedroom and shower room are on the ground floor and the master bedroom, bathroom and sitting room are on the first floor. The sitting room has french windows and a little 'juliette' balcony which overlooks the courtyard.
- The layout of the house makes it ideal for two couples holidaying together, or for a family with older children, as the bedrooms and bath/shower rooms are on separate floors.
- The lovely hillside village of Oupia has fantastic views - to the Montagne Noir in the North, and over the plains to the South towards the Pyrenees. Vineyards abound here producing some rich red wines and delicious rose wines. The village is only a 40 minute drive from both Beziers and Carcassonne airports and is a great location from which to explore this lovely region on foot, or by bicycle or car. Just a very short walk will bring you to the village grocery shop where you can buy bread, or you can enjoy lunch or dinner in the village restaurant without needing to take your car.
- The cottage many years ago belonged to the villagers who were in charge of feeding and caring for the horses who used to work in the vineyards. The red wine produced by Chateau Oupia in the village is very well-renowned worldwide. You can go and ring the bell at the 'cave' and go and buy some!
The Local Area
- The ancient, pretty, hillside village of Oupia (pronounced Oop-Yah) has just a couple of hundred inhabitants. You can walk down the narrow, windy streets to the small grocery store which sells bread, the post office, 'La Regalade' restaurant, and the 12th century chateau producing a great selection of wines. Just a couple of minutes away by car, or 10-minutes by bike, is the town of Olonzac, which has a wider range of shops, a supermarket, a bank, restaurants and cafe-bars. The area has an abundance of vineyards where the various chateaux and domaines offer 'degustations' - wine-tastings.
- Sports Facilites: Watersports lovers will find swimming, sailing, diving, wind-surfing, water-ski-ing etc at the Mediterranean coastal resorts about 45 minutes drive away, or more locally at Lac du Jouarres near Homps, just 10 minutes drive. Locally cycling and walking are fantastic things to do around here - just to enjoy the lovely views. Cycles can be hired locally and delivered to your door (please ask Joie de Vivre for details). Oupia has a village boulodrome where you can play boules in the evening sunshine; and tennis courts are available in the park in Olonzac.
- Sight-seeing Days Out: There is much to see and do in this lovely region - but a visit would not be complete without a trip to the medieval city of Carcassonne, a boat trip on the Canal du Midi, a walk around and perhaps lunch at the historic town of Minerve, a day out in the lively city of Narbonne with its fantastic indoor food market and even a day trip to Spain (the border is only about 90-minutes drive away). Joie de Vivre will send you a full information when you book.
- Markets: In this region they are colourful and interesting and full of fresh, seasonal produce. Olonzac has weekly market on a Tuesday morning - and Narbonne on a Thursday and a Sunday. Narbonne also has a fabulous daily indoor food market in Les Halles - open until about 1.00pm every day.
- Restaurants: As well as the restaurant in the village, there's a good restaurant in the neighboroughing village of Beaufort within walking distance for the more active, if you don't want to take the car. Olonzac has further restaurants, as does Homps, Minerve, Azillanet, and Aigne. Further afield there's a wide selection to suit all budgets and tastes in other nearby villages and in Carcassonne and Narbonne. Joie de Vivre will be pleased to recommend some of them to you.
- Supermarkets: The nearest is in Olonzac - 2 kms and there's another in Homps - 5kms, and in La Redorte - 10 kms.
Facilities
- Living room: This attractive room is on the first floor, and is decorated and furnished in a contemporary style. It has a beamed ceiling and a real wood floor. The french windows open onto a juliette balcony which overlooks the courtyard. A comfortable leather sofa and 2 leather armchairs ensure your comfort and relaxation. There's a TV with UK satellite and French channels, a DVD player, an iPod docking station with speakers, and a radio/CD player. There's a selection of CDs, DVDs and books for you to enjoy.
- Dining/Kitchen: This is on the ground floor - it has a beamed ceiling, a stone tiled floor and a door opening out onto the completely private courtyard. It has a newly-fitted and well-equipped kitchen, with a fridge/freezer, microwave, electric oven, 4 ring electric hob and a dishwasher and a washing machine. The glass dining table seats four in comfort. A lovely french dresser and a glass dining table with 4 chairs complete this attractive room.
- Bedrooms: On the ground floor, next to the shower room, is an attractive bedroom with good quality twin beds, a wardrobe and two chests of drawers. It is a very light and airy room having two large windows. On the first floor, the master bedroom has a high cathedral ceiling with original beams, a king size double bed, with bedside tables and lamps, storage and hanging. The master bedroom is directly next door to the main bathroom.
- Bath/shower rooms: Fully tiled with crisp white tiles and with high quality fittings. The ground floor shower room is small but perfectly formed with a shower, washbasin and WC. Upstairs the spacious main bathroom has a large bath, a separate shower cubicle, a washbasin and a WC.
- Pricing Information: For a 2 week booking a discount is available on the second week - please enquire.
- Welcome Pack: On arrival you will find a welcome pack of coffee, tea. milk, sugar, some mineral water and a bottle of wine.
- Extras: To help with your luggage allowance if you are flying on one of the low-cost airlines the owners supply the following: two hairdryers, 4 beach towels, a picnic set and a cool box.
- Suitability Note: The property has a short staircase from the hall to a landing; from there a left hand staircase leads to the sitting room, the right hand staircase which is steeper leads to the master bedroom and bathroom. The property lends itself to adults and older, independent, children. It is not thought to be suitable for young children, or for those who find stairs difficult.
- Outside: Is a private walled courtyard ideal for eating and drinking, or relaxing with a book. It is equipped with a Weber barbeque, a quality acacia wood table and 4 chairs for dining and a large parasol. Two fold-up sun-loungers are also available for sun-bathing. Parking is on the quiet village road which runs by the side of the cottage.
- Internet: sorry - there is not currently an internet connection here. There is an internet cafe in Olonzac - just 2kms away.
- Telephone - sorry there is no telephone connection here.
- Winter heating - is not included in the rental price. There is a supplement of £35 per week applicable from early October to early May. Heating is supplied by electric wall heaters.
- Electric and water: Are included in the rental price.
- End of stay cleaning: Is included in the rental price.
- Bed and bathroom linen: Quality towels and bed linen are included in the rental price, with a complete change of bed linen and towels mid-holiday if you are staying for 2 weeks.
- Taxe de Sejour: in France, it is necessary to pay a Taxe de Sejour at the end of your stay. It has been included here in the rental price.
- Damage Deposit: The owners request a damage deposit of 250 Euros or £250 on arrival. This will be refunded to you at the end of your holiday less the replacement cost of any breakages or damage.
- Changeover Day: Saturdays only during July and August. May be flexible at other times of the year depending on availability - please enquire.
- Long weekend stays and mini breaks: May be available outside the Peak Season - please enquire for price and availability. There's a minimum booking period of 5 nights. Mid week arrival days are possible, subject to availability, outside of the period 26th June - 18th September 2010.
- Pets - sorry pets are not allowed in this cottage.
- Smoking - is not permitted in the cottage - sorry.
How To Get There
- By Car: Oupia is situated 2kms east of Olonzac - a town which is roughly halfway between Beziers and Carcassonne. Access is from Junction 36 Beziers Ouest on the A9 Languedocienne autoroute or from Junction 24 Carcassonne Est on the A61 autoroute.
- By Air: The nearest airports are Beziers and Carcassonne - both about 40 minutes drive. Other airports in the region are Toulouse, Montpellier, Nimes, Perpignan and Girona (N. Spain). All these are serviced from the UK by low cost airlines such as Ryanair, Flybe, bmi and EasyJet.
- By Train: Please visit www.raileurope.co.uk for details of the overnight Motorail service to Narbonne (summer months only).
Full directions will be sent to you once you make a booking
