Port Leucate holiday apartment rental with walking, beach/lake nearby, balcony/terrace, TV, DVD

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Med and Mountains (apartment)

Home description

The 2nd floor apartment is situated in a quiet leafy cul-de-sac 300 metres from a long, sandy, Blue Flag beach with a backdrop of the Pyrenees and is a good place to escape the hustle and bustle of the marina if you want a quieter, relaxed evening. The apartment is tastefully furnished with a bright, modern interior that has a well equipped kitchen and living area to ensure you have everything you need for a great holiday. You can also enjoy the open terrace which is in the sun from late morning until the sun sets late evening

The apartment is only 300 metres from one of the largest marinas in the Mediterranean. The marina is a delightful place to sit in the day having a coffee and watching the world go by and in the evening there are plenty of restaurants and bars to suit all tastes. In high season the marina is alive with market stalls and entertainments of all types. With a host of outdoor activities on offer locally, beautiful mediaeval towns and historical monuments to visit, exquisite mountain and coastal scenery and walks through areas of outstanding natural beauty the area can meet the needs of all types of holiday maker.

The beach at Port Leucate is vast and even at the height of summer there is no shortage of space and during high season lifeguards are on duty.

Our French Retreat. 2nd Floor apartment Port Leucate	The Marina at Port Leucate
The main living area	Living area with stairs to mezzanine

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/46417

The Languedoc-Roussillon / Aude region

With its long, sandy beaches, rugged mountain peaks and medieval hilltop villages, the Languedoc-Roussillon boasts one of France's most diverse landscapes. Officially the sunniest region in the country, over 300 days of sunshine a year, it is also France's wine growing capital and the largest wine-growing area in the world.

Few French regions are more steeped in history than the Languedoc, home of the heretical Cathars. The walled city of Carcassonne, the largest fortress in Europe, and the towering ramparts of Aigues Mortes, recall the area's crusading past.

Languedoc Roussillon boasts exeptional plant and wildlife and has 200 kilometres of coastline filled with long sandy beaches, small coves, mediaeval villages and fishing ports where you can still buy fish straight off the boats. It is also a bird watching paradise where it is possible to see Golden Eagles soaring over the mountains and there are frequently flamingoes on the etang.

The region has fantastic skiing facilities, used mainly by the French, and therefore tends to be cheaper and quieter than the Alps. The resorts are well managed and have runs to suit all levels of expertise and have snow machines for when the weather doesn't come up trumps. These ski runs turn into great walking and hiking routes in the summer months with outstanding secenery and views. Walkers can take advantage of the ski lifts to get to the higher levels.

Port Leucate area

Port Leucate is a well maintained resort offering every amenity for a complete holiday experience without the necessity of further travel if you don't want to. By the same token it is within easy driving distance of many areas and historical monuments and towns and an immense range of outdoor activities.
The local shops and market provide all your every day needs but there are large hypermarkets within a 15 minute drive if you prefer.
Bikes are available for hire and there is an adventure park and also a water park within easy cycling distance.

The port is very lively in July and August where live entertainment is available at many of the bars and restaurants but the noise cannot be heard from the apartment.

Outdoor activities include: swimming, diving, hang gliding, para gliding, rafting, horse riding, climbing, skiing, golf, cycling, walking, fishing, quad biking, go-karting, boat trips and fishing trips.

Must see sites and places to visit include:

Collioure - a beautiful fishing port where Picasso and Matisse stayed and painted. Visit the Bar du Templiers where these painters paid for their stay with paintings which still hang on the walls. Explore the small cobbled streets to find wonderful little cafes and restaurants and unusual shops or just soak up the atmosphere in the small harbour.

The Cathar castles of Queribus and Peyreperteuse perched on impossible cliff tops. Well worth the death defying drive through the mountains and the effort of the climb, the views are breathtaking.

The Gorge of Galamus. Park your car at 9.00 am and walk the gorge. A two hour stroll through outstanding scenery and deep drops to the gorge bottom will leave you ready for an al fresco lunch at the Moulin at the end. Relax for a couple of hours here before strolling back to collect your car.

The Little Yellow Train that travels through the Pyrenees. Take the trip starting at Villefranche de Conflent to Mont Louis-the station just before the highest point-this is the most popular trip. Be prepared to be rattled and thrown around corners as if on a fair ground ride-we were amazed at the speed it travels at, but a truly memorable journey with every bend delivering a new breathtaking view.

The Fortress of Salse. A masterpiece of military architecture and work of Francisco Ramirez, Spanish Minister of War, was built at the request of King Ferdinand d'Aragon at the end of the fifteenth century. Built as a garrison and remains in wonderful condition-well worth a guided tour.

Carcassonne is probably the most famous city in the area and definitely a huge tourist attraction. It contains all the usual tourist gift shops you would expect but also many delightful small cafes, restaurants and quiet streets. In the summer months they hold jousting competitions exactly as they were held in mediaeval time with magnificent horses, costumes and much drama. Even if you don't speak French you can still enjoy the pageantry and follow what is happening.

Agde on the Basin de Thau is worth driving to to see the water jousting in the summer months - full of excitement and many wet jousters! Some of the buildings in the town have outstanding wall paintings - trompe-l'oeil at its best.

The Dali museum at Figueres, Spain. Only a 40 minute drive over the mountains will let you visit a museum housing the extraordinary art work of Salvador Dali. The museum itself is a fascinating piece of architecture. In the summer months it is extremely busy and you may have to queue for several hours to get in. To help with this the museum has a late night opening at about midnight.

Eating and Drinking in Port Leucate
Brasserie du Port is great for daytime coffees and drinks as it is situated right on the marina front. We use frequently for lunchtime and evening meals too. The food is good and inexpensive with friendly service.

Le Mediterranee serves excellent pasta and pizza dishes and a wonderful paella (has to be ordered a day in advance). Again good food and friendly service at the right price.

Le Bistro des Copains-this is a more expensive and elegant place to eat and has an extremely good reputation.

Le Tempico is more of a bar but has excellent live music every night in high season.

For a truly gourmet experience the Domaine de Rombeau in Rivesaltes is worth the trip. The restaurant is located in the old wine chais, typical of the Catalan cayrou style. It is a true Catalan gem and has been in the de la Fabregue family for centuries. They still produce a huge amount of wine and the restaurant serves only their own wines and charges cave prices, The menu is typically Catalan and many of the dishes are cooked over an open fire using vine cuttings. It is always fully booked and therefore you do need to book several weeks ahead. They do have a website and when we went we booked on-line a few weeks before travelling.

How to get there

The easiest way to access Port Leucate is via the budget airlines.
Ryanair fly from East Midlands to:
Carcassonne which leaves a 1¼ hour drive through spectacular scenery.
Girona in Spain, which leaves a 1½ drive. We have just used this route and found it very accessible with flights on offer for 1p!
Ryanair also fly from Bristol to Beziers and Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham to Girona, Carcassonne and Marseille. They have just added Birmingham to Perpignan starting in July 08.
We recommend Hertz car hire for efficiency and good deals as they are Ryanair's partners.

Easyjet fly from Gatwick and Bristol to either Montpellier or Toulouse.
Perpignan is the nearest airport but flights are very limited. Flybe flies from Southampton and BMI Baby flies from Manchester. By prior arrangement at the time of booking our agents operate a collection service from Perpignan.

If ferry is your preferred transport then we recommend Portsmouth overnight to Caen. It is then a driving distance of approximately 961km which is either a 2 day drive with one overnight stop or a more leisurely 3 day drive with 2 overnight stops. We always use budget hotels such as B & B which can be booked on line before you go, basic but clean and adequate. Driving also gives you the chance to experience the new 'sky bridge' at Millau!

Motorail runs from Calais to Narbonne.

By Train - Eurostar from Waterloo or Ashford to Paris or Lille and then SNCF to Narbonne or Perpignan. Total time around 8 hours.

Activities near Port Leucate

Facilities

Further details indoors:
The apartment has been tastefully refurbished this winter to reflect a bright and modern interior. The main bedroom downstairs has its own small balcony and a fitted convector heater for those out of season breaks.
The second bedroom is on the mezzanine floor approached via an open staircase from the living area. This room has a small lounge area with chairs and coffee table as well as the bedroom area and is a lovely place to sit with the evening sun slanting through the window.

The living and kitchen areas are both bright and modern and contain all the utensils and equipment you need for a relaxed holiday. There is a four ring electric hob, mini oven and grill, electric kettle, cafetiere and a plentiful supply of crockery, utensils and glasses. Again a convector heater is provided for out of season breaks.
The bathroom contains a shower, wash basin, toilet and houses the washing machine.

For your safety smoke alarms and fire extinguishers are installed.

Cooling fans are provided for the hot summer months.

Further details outdoors:
The open terrace is in sun from late morning until the sun sets late evening. We provide patio table, 4 chairs, parasol and two sun loungers for your relaxation. There is an external socket for the electric bar-b-q.

Further details

The apartment is ideally suited for one or two couples sharing, but because of the steep concrete steps to access on the outside and the narrow open plan staircase inside it is unsuitable for the elderly or infirm.

Conditions

A non-refundable deposit of 25% of the total cost is required to secure a booking.
A refundable security deposit of £150 is payable along with the balance of the letting 8 weeks before departure.

All linen and towels are provided. Beach towels are not provided, but we do provide 4 beach mats.

We operate non-smoking (including the terrace) and no pets policies.

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
	1 Nov 08	1 Jan 09	180£ 180	0-	0-	1 Week
	1 Jan 09	28 Mar 09	210£ 210	0-	0-	1 Week
	28 Mar 09	2 May 09	280£ 280	0-	0-	1 Week
	2 May 09	4 Jul 09	375£ 375	0-	0-	1 Week
	4 Jul 09	29 Aug 09	480£ 480	0-	0-	1 Week
	29 Aug 09	4 Oct 09	375£ 375	0-	0-	1 Week
	4 Oct 09	1 Nov 09	280£ 280	0-	0-	1 Week
	1 Nov 09	3 Jan 10	210£ 210	0-	0-	1 Week

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

We offer a £50 discount on two week holidays.

We also offer short breaks and winter lets. Please enquire about prices.

Change over days and length of stay are flexible, although this may prove more difficult in the main months of July and August.

A change of linen and towels can be provided for stays longer than a week at a cost of £10 per person.

Bookings confirmed for next summer before 31 January 2009 will be at 2008 prices!

Guestbook

Our first season of letting so we would welcome comments and feedback.

Availability

See below for next 6 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Contact owner

To contact this owner please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/46417

Contact details for home 46417 Please mention Holiday Lettings
Name:	Diana Davies
Tel:	+44 121 3536069
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Contact Notes: Week days after 6pm any time at weekends
Advertiser joined: 13 Jan 2008 This property added: 13 Jan 2008

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