Les Tournesols

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Apartment |1 bedroom |Sleeps 4

St Chinian in Languedoc-Roussillon

from £40 / night

£277–£367 / week

3 nights minimum stay

Changeover flexible

5 out of 5

3 reviews | Write a review

Key info  Beach or lakeside relaxation, car advised, no pets allowed

Check availability and book

About the home

PERFECT FOR COUPLES.
With high ceilings, original beams and part stone walls, this large open-plan first floor apartment suite provides light, airy, luxury accommodation for two, as well as a large sofa-bed in the living room, which can sleep a further two.

A half-height wall separates the bedroom and en-suite bathroom from the living room and modern, well-equipped kitchen. Both rooms overlook the village square and the impressive hills beyond.

THE LIVING AREA
The sunny living room has a large L-shaped sofa that converts to a double bed. This can also be used as a single bed – or for watching TV with your feet-up! English and French TV, books, games, radio/CD and DVD player provide a relaxed ‘home from home’ environment. In addition, free broadband WiFi Internet access allows you to keep in touch.

Facilities

Further details indoors:
THE BEDROOM
The bedroom is furnished with a new, comfortable double bed, bedside table with lamps, built-in wardrobe, dressing table, etc..

THE BATHROOM
The fully tiled bathroom is equipped with an enclosed shower, wash basin with mirror, WC, hair dryer, etc.

THE KITCHEN
The modern, well-equipped kitchen with a breakfast table and storage cupboards provide everything you will need should you wish to cook gourmet meals, or simply eat a take-away pizza. Equipment includes a fridge/freezer, electric oven, hob with extractor, microwave/grill, washing machine and dryer, dishwasher, as well as the usual kettle and toaster, with sufficient glasses, cutlery and crockery for at least four people.

Extras:
All linen and towels are provided, meaning that airline weight restrictions do not cause a headache – or additional cost. A cot and high chair is available on request. There is a small additional charge for the hire and laundry of beach towels.

Further details outdoors:
The property directly overlooks a lovely village square where probably the best market in the region is held twice a week - on Sunday and Thursday mornings.

Saint-Chinian is a thriving wine village. It is set at the foot of the mountains of the Haut Languedoc Natural Park and within approximately 30 minutes of the glorious Mediterranean beaches - and a wonderful location for experiencing the real France.

The tree-lined village square provides shaded seats from which to watch the world go by, a children's play area, space to play boules, or you can watch the village boules team play their floodlit matches whilst enjoying a cold beer or glass of wine. The village boasts a lovely swimming pool (open from June 1st) and heated to 29 degrees C. The local rivers are full of fish (including trout); bikes may be rented in the village, and day boats may be rented on the Canal du Midi (15 minutes).

The area is steeped in history with Greek, Roman and Cathar castles all worth seeing, with the cities of Narbonne and Beziers an approximately 30 minutes drive, and Montpellier, the capital of Languedoc Rousillion, less than an hour and a half. Spain and Salvador Dali's amazing museum is also approximately 90 mintues by car.

Further details

We are flexible with dates, enabling our guests to benefit from lower mid-week fares, accepting a minimum of three nights with the exception of July and August when one week is the minimum rental period.

A €300 Euros security deposit is required, refundable within a week of the departure, less the cost of serious damage or missing items. (Our guests have all been lovely. Only once have we had cause to deduct anything - and this was for only €25.)

Photos

 

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Romantic bedroom

 

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Sunny sitting room

 

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Looking from the kitchen to the tree-lined square

 

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Fully fitted and equipped kitchen

The Languedoc-Roussillon / Herault region

The region statistically has the best weather (most sunshine) in all of France, with an average of 300 days of sunshine. Unlike coastal villages, Saint-Chinian, although popular as a holiday destination, thrives all year round on its main industry of wine-making.

Maison de la Place is situated in a perfect location, both for the village, and for exploring this stunning corner of France. Whether you like the mountains and countryside, wide sandy beaches, historical sites, art, or shopping - there is something here for everyone. You are sure to enjoy a wonderful holiday.

The St Chinian area

ABOUT SAINT-CHINIAN:
Saint-Chinian was founded by monks who, in 825 AD built a monastery here. They then went on to create vineyards that saw the start of the prosperous local economy. It survived unscathed from the Albigensian Crusades and went on to become even wealthier during the industrial revolution. Today, wine continues to be the main industry, and with a population of approximately 2000, the village remains full of life all year-round.

THINGS TO DO LOCALLY:
The area surrounding Saint-Chinian, and the nearby Haute Languedoc Natural Park, is a great place for walking and bike rides. Walkers and hikers will find free English language guides in the Tourist Office.

If the heat gets the better of you and you need to cool down, there are a number of options. The town has its own heated open-air public swimming pool (open from June 1st) whilst the long, free, Mediterranean beaches are only 40 minutes away by car. Alternatively, join the locals and swim in the clear water of the River Orb at Roquenbrun or the river Cesse at Bize-Minervois (we prefer the Cesse). The area also offers the chance to try lots of wine tasting, rock-climbing, fishing, painting, golf, horse-riding and canoeing.

You could also rent a Day Boat and spend a leisurely day cruising on the Canal du Midi. This stretch of water provides 54 kms of beautiful cruising without having to deal with locks.

FOOD AND DRINK:
Within a few minutes walk are several restaurants, a pizzeria, and two café bars. The renowned red and rosé AOC Saint-Chinian wines are available from local, friendly producers offering free ‘degustation’ (tasting). White wines are made, although in lesser quantities.

There is a Spar supermarket within a two minutes walk, while a larger supermarket is only a very short car ride away.

PLACES TO VISIT:
The local scenery is stunning. Safe beaches, historic chateaux, abbeys, the mountains of the Haut Languedoc Natural Park with its picturesque gorges, natural rock pools, river swimming and canoeing, are all within 40 minutes, or much less, from your front door.

Golf is available in Saint Thomas (35 minutes), Lamalou les Bains (45 minutes) or Carcassonne (one hour).

The Spanish border is about a 90 minutes drive, while in winter inexpensive Pyrennées skiing is available in a little over 2 hours drive – making it possible for a day trip.

Roquebrun (20 minutes)
The tower of Roquebrun is the sole remaining trace of a Carolingian castle built to protect the inhabitants from barbarian invasions in the year 900. The picturesque village, with its local canoe centre, is perched over the banks of the river Orb and has a Mediterranean garden that is well worth a visit. In summer the river beach is used for picnics, swimming as well as trout fishing.

Minerve (20 minutes)
Minerve a miraculous village, almost an island, perched over the meeting of two rivers where they tunnel through deep gorges, and where in 1210 Simon de Montfort massacred the Cathars during the crusades.

Beziers (25 minutes)
Entering Beziers across the river Orb. The long “Allée Paul Riquet” esplanade, with the theatre at one end and the lovely Plateau des Poèts park at the other, is an attractive center to the town. In the middle of the esplanade is a statue of Paul Riquet, the founder of the famous Canal du Midi. Béziers is an excellent town for shopping. It has shops and stores of all sizes, from the Galeries Lafayette department store to small trendy boutiques.

Narbonne (25 minutes)
Narbonne is the oldest town in the south-west of France. Founded by the Romans in the second century BC, it was a major port, although it now lies some 20 km from the sea.

Today the centre of Narbonne, bisected by the flower-bordered Canal de la Robine, is an attractive place for shopping and sightseeing. Without a doubt the best place to head for is the 100-year old Halles (covered market) by the bank of the canal. This award-winning market is said to be one of the best in France and the crowds milling around the 80-plus stalls are testimony to this claim. It was featured on TV chef Rick Stein's "French Odyssey". Open from 6 am until 1.00 pm daily, the market is overflowing with local produce: glistening displays of fresh fish and seafood, piles of melons, peppers and tomatoes, and the many varieties of charcuterie (cooked meats). It is cosmopolitan as well though … it’s one of the few places in the area with a good selection of non-local (and even non-French) cheeses.

On Thursdays there is also an open air market stretching along the canal bank near the Halles, with flower and clothes stalls, among others. The canal itself is lined with waterside cafés where you can refresh yourself in the shade of the plane trees.

Carcassonne (60 minutes)
The old Cité. The mediaeval walled ‘Cité’ lies on the right bank of the River Aude and is featured on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. It is still home to a population of approximately 120, is now very touristic but well worth a visit to its shops and craftsmen. The ultimate stronghold, built in the 12th century, it was the home of the Trencavels, Vicomtes of Carcassonne. While there, if time, try to see Carcassonne town, a few minutes by car from the Cité. There is a large, pleasant, mostly pedestrian area with the main square lined by restaurants.

At a distance of 800 metres from the Cité, on the commune of Pech Mary, you can see the flight of the world’s largest birds of prey. (info@citedesoiseaux.com)

Montpellier (70 minutes)
A sophisticated city with lots of museums, great restaurants and shopping – and a great tram public transport system. The Fabre Museum is one of the biggest museums in France and holds Flemish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and French collections. For more information visit the Tourist Office in the Place de la Comédie (http://www.ot-montpellier.fr/en/around-montpellier/).

Perpignan (60 minutes)
Half Catalan, half French, Perpignan is Languedoc at its most exotic. The last major town in Languedoc before the Spanish border there’s a real mix of cultures in this corner of the region: Catalan, Romany and North African all co-exist in this sunny city of palm-lined squares.

Note: Times stated are approximate and refer to driving times by car.

How to get there

Les Tournesols What's nearby: Attractions Restaurants Click map icons for more information

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To enjoy the area it is necessary to use a car. All major car rental companies are situated at the local airport and train stations.

BY AIR:
Ryanair to Carcassonne, Perpignan or Montpelleir (approx I hr 10 mins from Saint-Chinian)
EasyJet to Montpellier
From the USA to Toulouse (or Paris)

By train to Beziers

By car (the A75 over the new Millau bridge is the fastest from the UK, and Paris)

Activities near St Chinian

Reviews

Review: 1 to 3 of 3

05 Apr 2013

“Better than we hoped for” Speaking as a couple who have rented apartments to villas all over Europe, this property has to rate among one of the best we have had. The description was very accurate and the standard of the... more

24 Aug 2012

“Les Tournesols and Saint-Chinian are great” We stayed there eight days, and enjoyed the square and the life in this perfect place. We visited Roquebrun, the big wine party, Minerve, Olargues, Beziers, Valras, Gorges of Heric. The apartment is... more

17 Sep 2011

“Just what we needed” We arrived pretty frazzled from a long haul from Canada with our 16 month old daughter and we couldn't have been more pleased upon checking in. The studio was clean and well appointed and our... more

Review: 1 to 3 of 3

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Rental prices

Prices for group size 4
Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Summer	29 May 11	1 Jul 11	400€ 400	-	-	3 Nights
High Summer	1 Jul 11	31 Aug 11	400€ 400	-	-	1 Week
Winter	11 Jan 13	1 Feb 13	325€ 325	55€ 55	55€ 55	3 Nights
Valentine's	1 Feb 13	1 Mar 13	310€ 310	55€ 55	55€ 55	3 Nights
Spring & Easter	1 Mar 13	1 May 13	355€ 355	55€ 55	55€ 55	3 Nights
High Summer	1 May 13	1 Oct 13	430€ 430	55€ 55	55€ 55	1 Week
Late Autumn	1 Oct 13	16 Nov 13	375€ 375	55€ 55	55€ 55	3 Nights
Winter / Christmas	16 Nov 13	1 Jan 14	325€ 325	55€ 55	55€ 55	3 Nights

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

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

All lined and towels are included, and provided freshly laundered each week. Beach towel hire is available for €5 Euros each, and additional linen and towels if sofa beds are occupied is €25 Euros per week. We accept Euros payment by PayPal, Euro cheques, or bank transfer.

Availability

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

Contact the owner

* Required fields Please check the following errors: First name * Last name * Email *   Did you mean ""? Yes / No Phone number Arrival date Departure date   Ignore calendar - enquire anyway No. of adults No. of children Message * Send me ideas on where to stay

2 years listed You are contacting Elise & Jason Naughton Landline n/a Mobile 33 (0)6 88641227 Web Visit site Payment accepted Credit cards accepted PayPal accepted Languages spoken The owner is based in France and has advertised with Holiday Lettings since 2011. This apartment has received 3 reviews from previous guests.

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