Fenouillet-du-Razes holiday gite rental with walking, beach/lake nearby, rural retreat, TV, DVD

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L'Aubaine (gite)

Home description

L’Aubaine offers comfort and convenience and the opportunity of discovering the non-touristy side of France. The village of Fenouillet is tiny, situated on top of a hill overlooking the Pyrenees and hills, valleys, rocks and rivers. The total population of Fenouillet is less than 80 and village is set out around a church square in a typical French way. Although there are no shops within the village, a bread van and an epicerié van visit the village frequently and it is but a short car ride to other villages nearby which have bakers, butchers, restaurants, bars and a small supermarket. The nearest big town is Limoux, which is well known for its Blanquette, argued to be the forerunner of champagne and of which its inhabitants are justifiably proud.

If you are looking for a casino or a trendy night life, then Fenouillet is NOT for you, but if you want to spend a few days in a car exploring the area, cooling off in the Med or the mountains, and biking or hiking the myriad of back roads and vineyards, doing wine tasting, trying local eating places, taking a ride on the Canal du Midi and meeting the people of the area, then this is the place for you.

There is so much to see and do, we dare you to be bored!

L'Aubaine	Village of Fenouillet -du- Razes
Bedroom # 1	Dining Area

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/55523

The Languedoc-Roussillon / Aude region

The Aude is part of the Languedoc Roussillon area, between Provence and the Pyrenees. The area is not nearly as well known as Provence but none the less has produce as fresh, markets as lovely and wine tastings on every corner, but without the pace and tourists of Provence.

Fenouillet-du-Razes area

The following are some of the attractions within a relatively short distance from L’Aubaine. To make it easier, we have split the various attractions and things to do into the points of the compass.

North of the house, firstly, is the town of Fanjeaux with its church of St Dominique and a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. The pretty village of Bram is also only 5 minutes away. This village was known as Eburomagus during Roman times and is famed for its circular pattern of houses and streets. There is a popular market on Wednesday along the village streets.

Carcassonne is a lively city and contains all the shops you would want including an array of supermarkets. Carcassonne mainly obtains its fame from la Cité which is a medieval castle built on top of a hill and which was used as the backdrop for films such as “Robin Hood Prince of Thieves”. Close to la Cité is a large lake with swimming facilities and water sports. Further out towards the North, one drives across a large flat plain towards the Black Mountains and passes through villages like Caune Minervois, with its famous abbey and cobbled streets, and a myriad of vineyards where one can stop for a “degustation” (tasting!) of the local wines. There are castles a plenty in this area particularly in the Black Mountains or in the Corbieres.

If one travels East, the first major attraction is the Canal du Midi – it is well worth travelling to Homps near Olonzac, which is the starting point for boat trips on Le Ferriol – this journey is 1½ hours long and a commentary is in various languages and is very interesting.

Narbonne is some ½ hour away on the motorway. Narbonne has various beaches on the Mediterranean but these are very popular and crowded during the summer season. We would recommend that you travel a little further to the south to the Leucate Plage. North of Narbonne is an area called Sete where the Canal du Midi exits into the Mediterranean. There are loads of marinas and pedestrian areas with cafés and restaurants.
Barcelona is approximately 2½ hours drive from Narbonne, again along a good motorway.

The town of Minerve, a fortress set in an island of rock, is well worth a vist. There are several restaurants within the fortress and it is an ideal place to stop for a long lazy lunch.

If one goes through Limoux down to a town called Quillan, one passes the famous Alet-les-Bains, a mineral hot spa spring which also provides bottled water for the area. There is also good canoeing to be had in this area.

A small town called Esperaza is well worth a visit for the dinosaur museum. The area around Esperaza is one of the most important for dinosaur finds in Europe. What is of greater interest, however, is that this town hosts the only Sunday market and this is really not to be missed. There are several cafés around the market area and to sit and have a coffee watching the people arguing about prices is really an interesting experience. The cheeses and sausages that one can buy at this market are also superb. A little before Esperaza is the turnoff to Rennes-le-Chateau of the Da Vinci Codes fame.

Quillan is the kick-off place for skiing in the Pyrenees. The area here is very mountainous and very beautiful and there are many walks available.

One town which is well worth going to see, also south of the house, but on a different road from that of Limoux, is Mirepoix, approximately 20 minutes from L’Aubaine. Mirepoix has 13th to 15th century timbered houses, a large market on Mondays, shops for all needs and an antiques market every second Saturday of the month and a lovely cathedral. Mirepoix is well worth a visit.

The Languedoc region is famous for a dish called cassoulet and there are as many versions of this dish as there are cooks. It is accepted that the home of cassoulet is a town called Castelnaudary and it is well worth going to one of the restaurants in this town to see how they say it should taste.

How to get there

Ryanair to Carcassonne. Avis, Hertz & Budget are all represented at the airport but advance booking is necessary. We are a gentle 25 minute drive away through lovely countryside.

Easyjet or BA or flybe to Toulouse. Being a large airport all the hire car companies have desks but again, booking in advance will ensure you have a car. We are 75mins-90mins drive away, mostly on the autoroute.

We will give you precise directions once you have booked so don't panic if you haven't been here before!

Activities near Fenouillet-du-Razes

Facilities

Further details indoors:
The house is 150 years old with thick stone walls in the typical French style but has been completely and comfortably renovated.

The house is spread over three floors, the bottom floor being the living area and the next two floors each having a double and single bedroom and bathroom.

You enter the house into a large eat-in kitchen in the French style. The kitchen is well equipped with fridge, dishwasher, gas hob, electric oven, microwave, and everything that is required for 6 people.

The salon leads off the kitchen and seats 6 in comfort. It is equipped with TV with satellite for UK programmes but also picks up local French stations in order to enable you to brush up on your French. There is a DVD player, a video and a Hi-Fi.

There are four bedrooms, two on each floor, and two of the bedrooms (one on each floor) have a double bed and the other two bedrooms a single bed. The bedrooms also have ample storage space for clothing. In order to avoid having to go up and down the stairs, a tea tray is available in the top bedroom.

Each of the upper two floors has its own bathroom consisting of a hand basin, bath with handshower and a WC

Further details outdoors:
Markets are held in towns close to the house most days per week and if you really want fresh produce, we recommend that you use these markets. They commence very early in the morning and normally are sold out well before lunch so it is best to get there early.

Further details

We regret that we have to insist on a check out of no later than 10h00 as we have to prepare the house for the next visitor before 14h00. We will, however, attempt to accommodate you as far as we are able.

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Mid Season	12 Apr 08	7 Jun 08	500£ 450	0-	0-	1 Week
High Season	7 Jun 08	6 Sep 08	700£ 631	0-	0-	1 Week

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

For rates outside the above periods, please contact the owners.

Special rates are available to use the Gite as a skiing base during the skiing season!

Guestbook for L'Aubaine

Lovely home & beautiful surroundings-what more does one need.

Yet another beautiful part of France with so many interesting places to visit. The house is warm & comfortable-look forward to returning one day.

Enjoyed our stay here. Beautiful sceneries, peace & quiet, home nice and cosy.

Availability

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To contact this advertiser please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/55523

Contact details for the advertiser of home 55523
Name:	Paulete Doods
Tel:	+33 4 68690864
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Advertiser joined: Apr 2008