Forcalquier holiday farmhouse rental, Sigonce with shared pool, walking, log fire, internet access, rural retreat, TV, DVD

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The Main House (farmhouse)

Home description

Save extra on your flights! We have introduced new holiday weeks called Smartdates; these weeks start on a Thursday and end on a Thursday. You will save extra travel money, as flights on Thursdays are cheaper than the traditional Sat to Sat. This coupled with our Earlybird 100€ saving and our late deals means you have plenty of reasons to enjoy this great peacefull award winning property.

Enjoy sunshine, peace and tranquillity in this award winning historical country farm house located in 30 hectares (75 acres) of private parkland in the heart of Provence, with a pool overlooking the valley

This three-bedroom stone house is tucked away on a small hillside in the hamlet of La Colle in the heart of Provence. There are only three properties in La Colle, so guests can forget all the stress of city life and relax in a tranquil natural environment, filled with birdsong and the buzz of bees. La Colle is surrounded in all directions by prairie, forest, lavender fields, and scented shrubs, overlooked by the 10x4.5 metre pool.

La Colle was built over 400 hundred years ago, and is an excellent example of a traditional Provençal farmhouse. The same owner also runs the neighbouring gîte, Galileo, which has received the coveted Five Globes Award from World One Call, a private holiday referral service, which gives an excellent indication about the quality of this property and it has received 4 golden Olives on it's own account.

As the property is accessed by a narrow country lane, it is not recommended that guests bring sports cars or caravans see main European site for details.

A special place for special people	Pool overlooking the valley
A Real country kitchen	Experiance our 400 year old 60m2 Voute

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/41338

The Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur / Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region

I’ve loved everything visual and creative all my life and having spent the greater part of it in creative advertising and marketing; therefore I know what pleases the eye.

In this region you can venture out in any direction of the compass and find things to be visually excited. Yet you can also be encapsulated by moods or enveloped by tastes or just seep down into the pleasure of relaxation at a pace of life “sans stress”.

Generally the South East of France is one of the highest areas of constant sunshine in Europe, which is why people love it and it's lifestyle.

From our spot you can range out in any direction and within a short drive get to the coast, discover the ancient cities of Aix en Provence, Avignon or Marseille. Roll through undisturbed countryside, visit huge lakes, wander through the Southern Alpes or just cool out in you own hidden domain of La Colle

Forcalquier / Sigonce area

I have literally travelled the world and was nearly born in a plane, so new places and adventures are very familiar to me. Yet one of the main reasons why I am happy to tell you about this area and why I bought and established myself here was the sense of “a very laid back way of life”, yet with all that the modern world can offer at the same time. A sort of “sophisticated relaxation!”

The principal town serving the area is Forcalquier where one will find all the necessary ingredients of such quality and variety that the preparation of a feast will become an immediate requirement. There are two supermarkets, and a host of small shops and businesses that will tempt your senses. Many of the products have been produced locally, tomatoes that taste like the real thing, local lamb that has been brought up organically on the prairies and pastures, and of course a vast selection of high quality cheeses and wines.

However there are many small interesting villages and towns to discover. Throughout the summer almost every town presents some type of festival, show, concert, special event or a local fête. In addition, there are many interesting architectural sites to see within a thirty minute radius, from churches to monasteries, beautiful villages such as Lurs -a fully restored hilltop village full of artists- a lovely countryside and some spectacular nature landmarks

How to get there

By far the best way to get here at the moment depending on where you live is via Marseille Airport with its specialised budget airline terminal known as MP2.

This hub now caters well for multiple European destinations as well as all the principle intercontinental hubs.

Marseilles has the advantage of only being about 1hr.15mins from us by road

The currant destinations supported directly from this airport are shown on MP2 own site shown here.
http://www.mp2.aeroport.fr/index.php?page=vols_directs

Easyjet (Linked car hire Europcar)
Easyjet now has a permanent hub at Marseille airport MP2 and offers a great series of flights in.

http://www.easyjet.com/en/book/index.asp

British Airways

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/globalgateway.jsp/global/public/en_

Ryan Air (Linked car hire Hertz)

Ryan Air now has a permanent hub at Marseille airport MP2 and offers a great series of flights in.

http://www.ryanair.ie/

Please note you could be adventurous and have a two centre holiday in different locations using MP2 as your cross over point i.e. Provence with us for a week and then on to Moroco for the next week retuning via MP2 to home.

Other near Airports:

If you can not get a flight direct to Marseille; try Nice or Nimes, or try one through London as it is a major hub to the rest of Europe.

You can then pick up a good rental at say Budget, Europcar or Hertz and be here within 2.30 hrs approx. (from Nimes or Nice) rather than spending 3 - 4 times the time coming down from Paris.

Road and Rail
My research has shown that if you are coming from another continent or country outside mainland Europe i.e. the US or the UK you would be better off using a company like Easyjet, British Airways or Ryan Air hiring a car through say Europcar or Hertz ( you can get a good discounts) and then driving up from Marseilles.

When I did a cost comparison driving from London to here for a family of 4 if you take all the costs including ware and tear on your vehicle the costs come out about the same.

The advantage is that you can gain 2 extra days of relaxation and the low cost airlines are getting cheaper all the time.If you live on the continental mainland of Europe, a car drive is financially better but there are so many new budget carriers that this changes very quickly. Also if you are coming for say only a week then why get tired on a long car journey? After all you are going on holiday!

In France between the 15th of July and the 15th of August is the French national summer holidays. These two periods are split roughly 50/50 into two weekly periods, therefore the first weekend near the 15th of July, the nearest weekend in the middle two weeks latter and the weekend nearest to the 15th August are signaled as RED heavy traffic. The first weekend going South, the second North and South and the third weekend going North.

Activities near Forcalquier

Facilities

Further details indoors:
The spacious accommodation is well equipped for a family holiday. The entrance leads into the fully fitted kitchen with its exposed oak beams. The fully-equipped kitchen includes a four-burner gas stove, a full size electric oven and microwave, a dishwasher, a large fridge with a separate freezer, and everything else necessary to look after your culinary needs.

This property is a fully working home not a shell set up for quick rentals! You will find CDs for the CD player, DVDs for the DVD player. Books, orinments, and everything you would expect to find in a home.

Opening off the kitchen is the main living and dining area, a large and comfortable room with a voute, or vaulted ceiling. It was originally a stable at the turn of the century, but has since been developed into a very comfortable area for family activities, watching on the large screen flat panel 80cm (32") TV with the satellite setup, and for listening to music on the NAD Triangle hi-fi system. The huge fireplace at the end of the archway, more often used in winter, is the focal point of the room, which is filled with different seating and relaxation areas.

A large bathroom also lies on the ground floor with shower and cast iron bath.

Upstairs are the three large bedrooms. One has a Queen size double bed 200 x 200, one has a pair of single beds that can also be easily made into a comfortable very large 180 x 200 double, and the third has one large single bed.

In addition to the above facilities list there is also : Wi-fi, DVD / CD / Video, Hi-fi.
Fully modernise with great respect for the ancient ways.
English French library
Kids board games
Beds pre-made up prior to arrival.
Full cleaning service available on request.
On site bi-lingual help.
Used often by honeymooners and second honeymooners.

Further details outdoors:
Tucked away on a small hillside is our little hamlet of La Colle with its three principal properties. You will not find here; traffic jams, noises of the city, pollution, parking tickets or a grey sky. Instead you will find nature in all its glories and will, more than likely, be awaken by the birds and the bees rather than the busy cry of the city.

Our property alone has 30 hectares (75 acres) of private park land, yet this is small compared to the adjoining natural space, some of which is cultivated and some left just as it has been for centuries. Here you will find:

A real old-world natural stone agricultural hamlet
Only three property owners in the hamlet
Lavender fields within walking distance
Olive tree plantations
Huge open areas to discover
Large pool
Fantastic local area to discover
Terrace with superb view of the valley below
BBQ gas and traditional
Hidden in the countryside
Great area for photographers and artists

Further details

Welcome pack provided on arrival.
Swimming pool open between April to October.
Garden and parkland is shared yet everyone has their own space.
English-speaking representative on hand to answer any questions.
Multiple outside dining nooks.
Professionally run Photo Safaris for Photographers April to July/Oct to Dec - see Owners website link at bottom right of this page.
Professionally run Painting Holidays (Learn and improve your style) April to July/Oct to Dec - see Owners website link at bottom right of this page.
As the property is accessed by a narrow country lane, it is not recommended that guests bring sports cars or caravans see main European site for details.

Conditions

Prices shown are for a one week rental. A 30% deposit is required at the time of booking, with the balance due one month before your arrival. Discounts are available for 2,3 or 4 week rentals. Linen and towels are supplied with the rental. Beds are fully made up and the gite is inspected and presented to our standard of cleanliness for your arrival. You will be given a welcome pack and a small quantity of some products which you can use immediately. (washing powder, soap etc..)

We have now spent over ten years providing high quality holiday accommodation and in our continued search for improved ideas for people who want to get away from it all at a reasonable price we have developed Smartdates and this policy now also allows people on smaller travel budgets to obtain quality accommodation for the same price of cheaper but less comfortable holiday accommodation. We have changed the rental week to Thursday to Thursday meaning that you can save on your flights by booking Thursday flights instead of Saturday flights.

If you are a frequent flyer you will know that some days of the week are less expensive than others (especially on low cost airlines).

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Mid	12 Sep 09	19 Dec 09	1150£ 1,027	180161	0-	Flexible
Christmas & New Year	19 Dec 09	9 Jan 10	1250£ 1,116	0-	0-	1 Week
Winter	9 Jan 10	10 Apr 10	1050£ 938	0-	0-	1 Week
Spring	10 Apr 10	19 Jun 10	1250£ 1,116	200179	0-	Flexible
Mid	19 Jun 10	10 Jul 10	1450£ 1,295	0-	0-	1 Week
Main	10 Jul 10	4 Sep 10	1650£ 1,473	0-	0-	1 Week
Mid	4 Sep 10	25 Sep 10	1450£ 1,295	225201	450402	Flexible
Indian Summer/Autumn	25 Sep 10	18 Dec 10	1250£ 1,116	200179	450402	Flexible
Christmas & New Year	18 Dec 10	8 Jan 11	1450£ 1,295	0-	0-	1 Week
Winter	8 Jan 11	2 Apr 11	1150£ 1,027	0-	0-	1 Week

The property's weekend rates apply to: Friday and Saturday nights

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

Our prices as most French gites are based on Saturday to Saturday rentals it is inpossable* to break these in the high and peak seasons. If you wish to request rental periods other then weekly we can consider them in the shoulder or off season months.

You can change the rental week to Thursday to Thursday outside the Main period, meaning that you can save on your flights by booking Thursday flights instead of Saturday flights with our Smartdates.

Smartdates are available from 30th Aug 2008 to the 3rd April 2010 in the periods shown as "Flexible". *In the event that there is sufficient demand for the main season we will make them available as well.

We regularily offer specials for "Earlybird booking" and "You pick your price" offers on weeks still available near their take up times. You could save greatly on either of these offers, Look at our website see link below at the end of this page.

Guestbook for The Main House

What a wonderfully equipped gîte. Thanks for your charming hospitality; it was much appreciated. We will miss La Colle.
Adrian, Fay, Jessica and Liewella O.. - Banbury, United Kingdom

This is the second three-week stay for us at beautiful La Colle in two years. We all enjoyed this holiday as much if not more than last time. We are very sad to leave.
Adrian T. - Little Stanghton, Great Britain

What an adventure in the wilds of Provence. The country is beautiful, the little restaurants, markets and the friendly people. Each night when we returned it was like coming home. You were both most helpful & welcoming. I’m sure we will think about the sunrises & sunsets & starry nights at La Colle. Thanks for many fond memories.
Bob N. - Portland, Oregon, USA

We wondered what we were coming to as we drove down the track, but on arrival, we saw the sky at night – magic! Then the sunrise – spectacular! The views – breathtaking! Even though we visited places of interest, we were just as happy to stay at La Colle. Thank you very much for a memorable holiday.
Brian R. - United Kingdom

So many memories all very positive. The children will remember this holiday with as much happiness as will we. Thanks Rod for all your hard work and good company. I just didn’t want the holiday to end.
Rob and Sue L. - Headcorn, Kent, United Kingdom

We had a beautiful time, a warm and relaxed week. Rod is an admirable host – both attentive and discrete, and we happily took in the great view.
Tomer B. - Israel

Our stay here at La Colle is over. Had a wonderful week here and enjoyed our various trips; Aix, Lac St Croix, St Tropez, Forcalquier. Thanks Rod for your hospitality
Robert W. - Oakville, Ontario, Canada

We had a wonderful holiday. A welcomed two weeks of hot weather with a swimming pool to refresh ourselves, was a real delight. In addition to all the other things to do we found a beautiful waterfall/river with some amazing rock pools to swim in, which the locals use a lot.
Mr & Mrs S. - Sittingborne, Kent, United Kingdom

Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Send Enquiry

To contact this advertiser please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/41338

Contact details for the advertiser of home 41338
Name:	Rod Cook
Tel:	+44 208 1331516
Be aware of time-zones Please mention Holiday Lettings when contacting this advertiser
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Advertiser joined: Jun 2007

Other homes from this advertiser

Gite Galileo in Forcalquier, France