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Joie de Vivre Holidays is a member of ABTOF,
The Association of British Travel Organisers to France
Villa Cachet
General Description
- Located towards the edge of Autignac, this lovely villa is full of surprises. It appears to be just a smart village house from the front until you open the door and, through the attractive hallway, you see the double height floor to ceiling windows of the main living space. Completely and stylishly renovated from what was originally a barn, this delightful well-equipped holiday villa has a private swimming pool, a delightful courtyard garden and a further separate building with private accommodation for two people. It makes the villa ideal for an extended family, or for a group of friends holidaying together.
- This charming, stone-built, 2-storey property has 2 double bedrooms and 1 twin room , all with en-suite facilities. A 4th double bedroom is in the renovated atelier across the courtyard. On the ground foor of the main house is a large open-plan living space with a sitting area, a dining area and a fully fitted kitchen. There is a secluded courtyard and a well-designed garden area with a swimming pool with a decked surround and a barbecue.
- The village of Autignac is in one of the sunniest areas of the South of France and is full of authentic French charm. You can sip a glass of cold rose or a pastis in the quaint village square. There's a few shops including a bar/restaurant and a boulangerie, so you can walk out for your morning bread and croissants. Autignac is situated in beautiful, gently rolling, countryside and is surrounded by vineyards. It's about a 25 minute drive from the town of Beziers.
- One of the most stunning features of the main house is that the 1st floor bedrooms overlook the main living area and courtyard through large windows each with an attractive juliette balcony. The other lovely feature of the property is the separate 'atelier' across the courtyard which has a study on the ground floor level, and a double bedroom with en-suite shower room on the upper floor (ideal perhaps for grandparents!).
The Local Area
- The village of Autignac is a lovely old unspoiled French village - principally involved with wine-making as it is in the Faugeres wine area. The architecture is very interesting and it has an attractive village square. There's a bar-restaurant, a grocery shop, a bakery, a pharmacy and a post office - all within walking distance of the property. For further shops, a bank, restaurants and cafes, and a larger supermarket you would go to Magalas which is about 10 minutes away by car. Beziers is the major town in the region and is a 25 minute drive - here there's a wide variety of stores and shops, restaurants and an indoor and an outdoor market - it also has a golf course.
- Sports Facilites: This area is fantastic for walking and cycling. There is canoeing, horse-riding and fishing locally. Watersports lovers will find swimming, jet skis, pedaloes, sailing and fishing at Valras Plage on the Mediterranean coast about 25 minutes away by car. You can play tennis in Murviel - 10 minutes away.
- Sightseeing: The St Chinian area is one of France's major AOC wine producers and many chateaux and domaines offer wine-tasting and direct sales of their wines. They are usually well worth a visit. Roquebrun is a local village of note clinging to a hillside beneath the ruins of a medieval tower. The Jardin Mediterranean takes advantage of the local micro-climate with a collection of exotic plants from around the world. Sete on the coast is famous for the the summer water-jousting contests, and Agde is popular for nightlife. Valras Plage has great seafood restaurants as does the lovely little port of Marseillan. The beaches on the coast have miles of long golden sands. Beziers sits upon the River Orb and it is the birthplace of Pierre Paul Riquet who built the Canal du Midi - the staircase of 9 locks at Fonteranes is an interesting place to visit. Other places of interest are Carcassonne with its two rings of fortifications and fairy tale turrets - and Montpellier, the capital of Herault, with both classical and avant-garde architecture, Opera Berlioz in the central square and a wonderful array of museums, galleries and shops.
- Markets: Autignac is visited by the local tradesmen - a charcuterie, a fishmonger etc at various times of the week. The markets in the region are colourful and interesting with lots of fresh, seasonal produce. You can go to Magalas and Beziers on a Friday morning, Lamalou-les-Bains on a Saturday morning and St Chinian on a Sunday.
- Restaurants: There's a local bar-restaurant in Autignac just 2 minutes walk away and an award winning restaurant 'Bontemps' in Magalas - well worth a visit. Other restaurants can be found in St. Chinian, Roquebrun, Beziers and the coastal resorts.
- Supermarkets: Most day to day necessities can be found in Autignac without needing to drive - there's a good grocery store in the village. However a larger supermarket Intermarche can be found in Magalas - just 5 miles away.
Facilities
- Living Room: This lovely room is part of a large open-plan living space which is full height to the roof - it is very light and bright as one wall is almost completely glass. There are two comfortable sofas with a large coffee table in wood. There's a TV receiving French channels with a DVD player and a CD player. There's a large unit with ornaments from the Far East and a selection of books to browse during your stay. French windows open onto the attractive courtyard.
- Dining Room: Again part of the spacious living area with a fine dining table and 8 comfortable chairs.
- Kitchen: This is open plan to the dining and living areas making it a very convivial space. It is newly fitted and well lit. There's a hob, oven and extractor hood, a large fridge/freezer, and a dishwasher. Quality tableware and cutlery are supplied. There's also a washing machine, iron and ironing board.
- Entrance Hall: The entrance to the villa is elegant with a marble floor and antique carpets. The main living and sleeping areas of the property are at the rear offering seclusion and a quiet environment. There's a door to the garage from the hall.
- Bedrooms: In the main part of the house, one of the double bedrooms is on the ground floor with doors opening out onto the terrace. This bedroom has en-suite facilities with a corner shower. On the first floor, there's a master double bedroom with luxury bathroom and a twin bedroom with en-suite shower room. Both the beautiful bedrooms on this floor have original beams and large windows with Juliette balconies overlooking the sitting room and courtyard. The windows have sheer curtains for privacy and additional skylights making them feel very light and spacious. A further double bedroom with en-suite shower room can be found on the 1st floor of the renovated atelier - a completely separate building on the other side of the courtyard.
- Bathrooms: All bedrooms have en-suite facilites as described above.
- The atelier: This separate building across the courtyard used to be the main living accommodation when the villa was a barn. it is now completely renovated. On the ground floor is a small sitting room/study - a lovely room to relax in which has French doors leading to the garden. A staircase leads to the 1st floor where there's a private, double bedroom with an en-suite shower room. The bedroom windows overlook the garden with long-reaching views over the surrounding countryside. This is ideal accommodation for perhaps grandparents, or friends holidaying with your family.
- Outside: The house and the atelier are joined by a private, secluded courtyard with plants. An archway leads to a further paved area with a tree and more planting. In turn this leads to the pool area and barbecue. The three areas are all joined but create 'rooms' so that you can enjoy eating, cooking, and reading in the garden separately to swimming and sunbathing. There is a garage for private parking for one car.
- Swimming Pool: The swimming pool is 6m x 4m in a decked surround. It has a safety cover. There are 8 sun-loungers for sunbathing.
- Internet: There is currently no internet connection here - sorry.
- Telephone: No landline telephone is installed here - sorry.
- Baby Facilities: Please enquire - the owners prefer to let the villa to families with children aged 5 and over only.
- Winter heating: heating for the cooler months is included in the rental price. Electric and Water: are included for you in the rental price.
- End of stay cleaning: Is included in the rental price.
- Bathroom and bedroom linen: Is included in the rental price.
- Taxe de Sejour: In France it is necessary to pay a Taxe de Sejour at the end of your stay. It has been included for you here in the rental price.
- Damage Deposit: The owners request a damage deposit on arrival of 200 Euros. This will be refunded to you at the end of your stay less the replacement cost of any breakages.
- Change Over Day: Saturdays in July and August. In other months alternative days will be considered subject to availability, please enquire.
- Long weekend and mini-breaks: May be possible outside the peak summer season subject to availability - please enquire for the price.
- Pets - a small dog might be considered by prior arrangement and agreement - please enquire.
- Smoking: is not permitted at this villa - sorry.
How To Get There
- By Car: Autignac is a village situated to the North West of Beziers, in Languedoc Roussillon. The nearest autoroute exits are No's 35 and 36 on the A9 Languedocienne.
- By Air: Beziers-Agde airport is the nearest serviced by Ryanair form the UK (www.ryanair.com) - it's approximately a 30 minute drive away. Carcassonne Airport (again Ryanair) and Montpellier are the next nearest - about a 1hr drive. Alternatively you can fly to Nimes or Toulouse airports - both about 75 minutes away.
- By Train: For train tickets to this region from the UK, please consult the website www.raileurope.co.uk. The nearest station is Beziers.
Full directions will be sent after your have made a booking
