No pets allowed Suitable for children No smoking at this property Self-catering
Home description
Our home offers a high level of style, comfort and facilities and is a real home-from-home. Parts of the house are more than 250 years old and it has been thoughtfully renovated to provide a careful mix of old charm and modern comfort. The house stands in a large quiet square in the centre of the village so all amenities are close at hand. Olonzac is an active village all year round, without being busy, so you will find shops and restaurants open all the time and not just in peak season.
We are situated in the heart of the region's wine industry with the Minervois area to the north and the Corbiere area to the south. We are about 45 mins from the Mediterranean beaches around Narbonne, Perpignan and Beziers. We are 5 minutes' drive from the Canal du Midi, offering canal boat trips, boat rental, walks and restaurants. And we are close to the Languedoc National Park and the Cathar castles and abbeys. And if that's not enough, we are about 1 hour from the Spanish border, and 3 hours drive from Barcelona.
The Courtyard and BBQ
Kitchen
The Courtyard
To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/14563
The Languedoc-Roussillon / Herault region
Boasting the highest number of days of sunshine per year in France, summers tend to be long and hot. The winters can be cold and windy but often offset by clear sunny skies. Spring can be wet and autumns are often mild.
The area is a long established wine making area now growing in quality and importance. Minervois wines are grown to the north of Olonzac, and Corbiere wines grown to the south. The whole area is dotted with vineyards, ancient villages, abbeys and the famous Cathar castles.
The countryside is dramatic, with the Languedoc National Park flanking the north of the valley and the Corbiere mountains and Pyrennees to the south. In the winter months, northerly ski resorts in the Pyrennees can be reached in less than 2 hours.
The historic Canal du Midi links the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean coast and provides a beautiful site for walks or boat trips. The Mediterranean itself is 45 mins drive away with sandy, shallow, clean beaches stretching in both directions along the coast.
Olonzac area
Olonzac is the administrative capital of the Minervois wine area so it is an active village all year round without being busy. There are 3 cafes/bars and 2 restaurants open all year round. There are also 3 bakeries, 2 butchers, 2 grocers shops, a charcuterie, flower shop, 2 chemists, a fish shop and a post office all within walking distance of the house. On the outskirts of the town you will find two supermarkets.
Every Tuesday there is a market offering everything from organic vegetables, handmade cheeses, speciality foods, fresh seafood and meat to baskets, clothes, shoes and hardware. As well as making an interesting outing for tourists, the market is still a lifeline to many of the local residents.
There is a lovely park with great play areas for children, pleasant walks and 3 tennis courts for hire. 3 Km outside the town is a large lake with stone beach where you can swim (life guards are on duty in the summer) and there is a nice cafe for drinks. You can also fish in designated places and there are lovely walks around the lake.
Equally close is the pretty village of Homps through which the Canal du Midi runs. There are restaurants and bars on the canalside, walks along the canal in either direction and also two boat rental companies.
Lezignan-Corbieres is approximately 10 km away and is a busy market town. Its Wednesday market is very big and bustling and there are 2 very large supermarkets on the outskirts of the town.
Beziers – about 40 mins away. A bit confusing with its directions but quite an elegant city in the centre. There is a striking cathedral, and mini train around the centre in the summer months.
Narbonne – about 30 mins away. Well signed and relatively easy to park, there is a wonderful cathedral dominating the centre with a regular market on the canal. There is a large shopping complex on the Narbonne Plage side with Carrefour and many other large outlets.
Carcassonne – about 30 mins away. The famous Cite is very impressive and open all year round. You can see Jousting exhibitions in the summer months.
Montpellier – about 1 hr 15 mins away. A handsome, historic city with a young university contingent.
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT
Minerve – a must see medieval city on the Gorge of the Cesse. The town offers easy walking with various cafes and restaurants, the gorges need reasonable footwear but are beautiful the further up them you go.
Lagrasse – beautiful medieval town with a still functioning monastery. Scenic drive to get there.
Abbey de Frontfroide – A beautiful abbey still in use today in the heart of Cathar country. Excellent guided tours with lots of facts and figures and nice restaurant.
Beaches. There are plenty of clean, sandy, shallow beaches along the whole coast. The nearest are about 40 mins drive away.
To the east, Narbonne Plage and Gruissan are a scenic drive over the Massif de Clappe. The beach is very wide when you get there so quite a walk from where you can park your car. Narbonne Plage can be very busy in summer but offers restaurants and shops as an alternative to the beach. A more cross-country route towards Fleury takes you to a less developed beach area where there is just beach and no boulevard and associated bars/restaurants etc.
To the south, the beaches to the north and south of Perpignan are within an easy 60-minute drive.
To the north-east, Valras Plage is slightly smaller than Narbonne Plage with good water, sand and restaurants, shops etc. South of here is Vendres Plage and there is a stretch of beach which is not as wide as most other places and therefore easier in the hot months.
Further north is Meze, which is about 1 hr 15 mins drive. Delightful little working harbour, pretty little beach with shallow water and a couple of nice restaurants further round for lunch.
Rivers The beautiful spot of Bize-Minervois is very pretty. The water is cold but usually very clear. If you follow the road up towards Agel, there is another lovely river spot about 1 km before Agel. Before Bize the river at the Cabezac bridge is also very pretty and shallow.
Heading towards Lagrasse in the Corbieres, the little waterfalls, rapids and shallows in the river at Ribaute is a very picturesque spot.
How to get there
- Carcassonne Airport is 45 mins drive away served by Ryan Air from Stansted.
- Perpignan Airport is 60 mins drive away, served by Ryan Air from Stansted, BMI from Manchester and Flybe from Southampton (approx Easter to Oct only). Also used by Air France.
- Montpelier Airport is 1 hr and 15 mins drive away and is used by budget as well as larger carriers. Ryan Air to Stansted, GB Airways to Gatwick, Air France to Paris, KLM to Amsterdam, Easy Jet to Gatwick.
- Toulouse Airport is 1 hr and 30 mins drive away and is the biggest airport for the region. Connections from around Europe on KLM (Amsterdam), Air France (Paris), Lufthansa (Frankfurt). Flybe operates to here in winter months. Easy Jet to Gatwick/Bristol and BMI to Manchester and various Scottish airports.
By Train - the nearest TGV station is Beziers.
Nearest Travel Links
Airport:
Carcassonne: 25 km
Railway:
Beziers: 30 km
Activities near Olonzac
Sports: Tennis in town Watersports Horse Riding Fishing
Great for: Walking holidays Rural / countryside retreats Beach or lakeside relaxation Cycling holidays
Bedrooms (3), Bathrooms (2), En suite (1), WCs (3)
Furniture:
Single beds (2), Double beds (2), Cots (1), Dining seating for 8, Lounge seating for 6, Sleeps maximum of 6
Other:
Linen and towels provided.
Outdoors:
Balcony / Terrace, Private garden, BBQ, Bicycles available
Access:
Secure parking
Further details indoors: This is more a home than a holiday house and has been renovated to sensitively blend old with new and comfort with modern conveniences.
The ground floor displays impressive stonewalls and a beautiful and original mosaic floor. There is a fully equipped kitchen and utility room with toilet, washbasin, and washing machine and tumble dryer. There is access to the garage and a second door off the kitchen leading to the courtyard.
The dining room contains a teak dining table and chairs and ample crockery and glassware in an old Javanese dresser, also home to several board games. The living room has double doors looking out to the courtyard and is smartly furnished with a sofa and armchairs. There is a wood burning fire for winter nights, a HiFi and a TV with inbuilt DVD player, although we do not receive any tv channels.
The old stone stairway leads to the first floor where you will find a smart double bedroom with en suite shower room including shower, toilet and washbasin. There is a spacious and bright twin bedroom and another double bedroom with its own small roof terrace. There is a large bathroom offering bath, separate shower, toilet and washbasin.
Further details outdoors: The house is located in a large square where there is ample parking in the square. There is also secure, dry parking within the garage.
There are two adult bicycles for use, and one child's one.
The courtyard is a lovely, private, green space providing a relaxing and peaceful haven. There is an olive tree, lemon tree, various jasmines and a small herb garden amongst the flowerbeds. Something is flowering pretty much all year round. You will find a table and chairs and gas BBQ for outside eating and cooking in summer months and there is a stone seating area at the rear with ample cushions to sink into.
Further details
* Longer term rentals of several months happily taken. (We are an ideal base for house hunting in the area, or if you are renovating or moving house.)
* We can provide wireless broadband access at an additional fee of 30 Euros per week.
*Telephone available but requires additional €100 deposit, refundable only after the bill arrives. These come once every two months.
Conditions
* Sorry, no pets. * No smoking indoors. * Refundable deposit required against breakages. * A telephone line can be provided but an additional deposit of €100 will be required, refundable only after the bill is received (they come every two months). * Due to the old style stair case, we are not suitable for disabled people or the very frail.
Rental rates
Rental prices originally quoted in: Euros €
Convert to:
Period
From
To
Weekly
Nightly rate
Minimum stay
Weekday
Weekend
Nov 2009 - Mar 2010
7 Nov 09
1 Apr 10
500£455
0-
0-
Flexible
Apr - May 2010
1 Apr 10
1 Jun 10
650£591
0-
0-
Flexible
June, July, August 2010
1 Jun 10
1 Sep 10
890£809
0-
0-
1 Week
Sept - Oct 2010
1 Sep 10
1 Nov 10
650£591
0-
0-
Flexible
Nov - Dec 2010
1 Nov 10
1 Jan 11
500£455
0-
0-
Flexible
41
NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.
* Bookings are Saturday to Saturday but can be flexible if bookings allow.
* Rates include all utilities, fire wood, bed linen, towels and welcome basket.
* For Longer term bookings, rates can be agreed as per requirement and meter readings will be taken at the beginning and end of the booking period for utilities.
Guestbook for Maison de Vigneron, Olonzac
"I just wanted to write and say that you have a lovely home in Olonzac and we enjoyed our stay very much. You have decorated it in a modern style which I loved. I was very impressed at how clean everything was as some places we have stayed in the past have been disappointing in that respect. I would recommend your home to anyone and felt very privileged to enjoy it for a week."
"Many thanks for the hire of your property, its one of the best that we have rented and we really enjoyed our stay there."
"We had a wonderful time in your house. The rooms and decor were wonderful and the children loved the shop etc. We hope perhaps some time in the future to return."
Availability
See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here
Key:
11
12
Booked
11
12
Available
11
12
Unknown
11
12
Arrival/Departure dates
Send Enquiry
To contact this advertiser please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/14563
Contact details for the advertiser of home 14563
Name:
Samantha Van Kuijk-Hague
Languages:
Contact Notes: Email anytime, Dutch language also possible.
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