Vernet les Bains holiday villa rental with walking, beach/lake nearby, log fire, balcony/terrace, internet access, rural retreat, TV, DVD

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Vernet les Bains holiday home (villa)

Home description

Nestled at the foot of Mount Canigou, the spa and arboretum village of Vernet-les-Bains is a wonderful base to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, or to explore the varied attractions and activities of the Pyrenees Orientales.
This lovely villa is peacefully situated at the end of a lane, only two minutes walk from the local swimming pool complex, tennis courts and playground, and a ten minute stroll from the charming village of Vernet, with its colourful market three times weekly, shops, restaurants, thermal spa and parks.
The spacious villa has a comfortable living/dining area with open log fireplace. French windows lead onto the south-facing terrace, pleasantly shaded by mature trees. The kitchen also has doors to the terrace, perfect for relaxed outdoor dining, while looking at the views of Vernet and Mount Canigou. The villa is well supplied with books, games, DVDs, satellite T.V. and Broadband Internet, as well as table tennis, volleyball, badminton, boules, and children’s swings. In 2009, there will also be a 10m x 5m heated private swimming pool in the back garden.
There is a host of activities in the local area to suit all ages and tastes: from Romanesque abbeys and Cathar castles, to limestone caves, thermal spas and the Little Yellow Train. Climb Mount Canigou (or take a 4x4 jeep to nearer the summit!), or enjoy gentler walks in the area. Canyoning, white-water rafting, climbing and adventure parks can be found locally, as well as horse-riding, mountain-biking, and water-sports on the nearby lake. The area is ideal for bird-watching, painting, photography and fishing.
With less than an hour’s drive to the ski slopes around Font Romeu, or towards the beaches, water-parks and golf-courses around Perpignan, you will be spoilt for choice.

front of villa with terrace and large garden	view of snowy Mount Canigou from villa
view of Vernet-les-Bains at foot of Canigou	open air pool complex 2 minutes walk from villa

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/46690

The Languedoc-Roussillon / Pyrenees-Orientales region

This area of France is famous for its average of 300 days of sunshine a year, an ideal climate for exploring the surrounding villages, valleys and mountains, or taking part in some of the many activities on offer.
5 minutes drive from Vernet-les-Bains is the fortified village of Villefranche de Conflent, with many restaurants serving traditional Catalan cuisine and a variety of craft and gift shops in its narrow streets. Above the town is Fort Liberia, which can be reached by a long, underground staircase going up inside the hill. There are also the limestone caves of Les Grottes de Canalettes, with sound and light shows in the summer months. Villefranche is the starting point for the Little Yellow Train, which takes you on a spectacular journey up the Tet valley to the mountains and ski resorts near the Spanish border.

For art and music lovers, the Pyrenees Orientales has much to offer. Picasso, Dali, Matisse and Chagal all spent time here, and there are modern art museums in Céret, Collioure and Perpignan which have exhibitions throughout the year. The Pablo Casals music festival is held in and around Prades during the summer, which attracts top-class international musicians, and a jazz festival in Perpignan, as well as many smaller music and dance events in local villages.

You can visit the Romanesque abbeys of St. Martin du Canigou and St. Michel de Cuxa, the Perfume Tower in Mosset, or travel a little further to see the Cathar castles of Perypeteuse, Queribus and Carcassonne.
Around an hour's drive away are the wide sandy beaches of St-Cyprien, Argeles, and Canet, where you can swim, wind-surf and scuba-dive, or enjoy water-parks, golf, go-carting and other attractions.
If you wish to avoid the hustle and bustle of the coast , bathing may be enjoyed at the lake in Vinca, local natural rock pools or the thermal spas of St. Thomas-les-Bains. The area has many nature reserves for bird-watching, painting, photography and hiking.

For the more energetic, there is an adventure park 15 minutes drive away in Marquixanes, which has forest aerial rope courses to suit all ages, and which organises canyoning,canoeing and white-water rafting. There are also opportunities for para-gliding, mountain-biking and climbing.

Vernet les Bains area

Vernet-les-Bains is an ideal centre for holiday-makers as it has so much to offer that you may not feel the need to leave the local area at all! The village enjoys a wonderful climate, as it is set in a sheltered valley, surrounded by mountains which trap warmer air, yet not over-shadowed by them so it is in the sun all day. Its altitude of 650m means the air stays a pleasant temperature, without the high heat and humidity that may be experienced in the coastal regions.

Vernet has its own thermal spa and fitness centre, offering aquagym, jacuzzis, sauna, steam room, massage and fitness room. Next door there is an imposing casino and its tranquil park. Vernet is also a Village-Arboretum, with over 1,500 trees in the village, of which some 200 species have been identified and listed. There is also a geological museum, with a fine collection of over 10,000 specimens, including crystals and fossils The village is dominated by the restored castle and the church of St. Saturnin, reached through the winding streets of the old village. Guided visits are available in the summer months.

Not only are there boulangeries for your morning croissants, but a wide range of shops and amenities to be found around the squares or tucked away in the narrow, climbing streets of the old village. These include 12 restaurants, 3 cafe-bars, a news-agent, butchers, grocers, delicatessen, chemists, Post Office, gift shops, 2 banks with ATM and a hairdressers. Markets are held three times a week, selling local cheeses, wine, olives, sausages, as well as fruit and vegetables, fish and seafood, clothes and jewellery. Anything else may be bought from the supermarket on the edge of the village. In addition, Prades is a 10 minute drive away with 2 further supermarkets and a popular Tuesday market.

Activities in Vernet include the large swimming pool complex with one indoor pool (open in the winter) and three outdoor pools (paddling, children's pool and deep pool with diving board), three tennis courts, boulodrome and children's playground- which are all within a 2 minute walk of the villa. There are horse-riding stables at the bottom of the road, a small football stadium and a discotheque. There is also a mountain zoo 5km up the valley in Casteil , and the popular river pools in the Rotja river near Sahorre. You can walk from the villa to scenic spots such as the waterfalls of the Cascades des Anglais, or the viewpoint at the Tower of Goa, or climb Mount Canigou (4x4 trips can be arranged in the village).

The tourist information office in the village square can provide details of local walks and the busy programme of entertainments in the summer months, including free tuition of the traditional Catalan dance "le Sardane". Local festivals include the "Belle Epoque" festival in May, which recreates the period in the 1840's when Rudyard Kipling and the cream of English society flocked to the spa, casino and hotels of the village, the Festival of the Fires of the Night of St.John (June 23rd), the Canigou mountain race (August 5th), the Festival of Trees (October), and the Festival of St. Saturnin (November).

How to get there

-Fly to Perpignan, Beziers, Girona (Spain), Carcassonne, Montpellier, Toulouse or Barcelona (in order of closeness) via the low-cost airlines - Ryanair, Easyjet, Flybe or with British Airways or Air France.
Vernet-les-Bains is about 45 minutes from Perpignan and 2 hours from Girona airport.
All major car rental agencies have a desk at all the airports.

-By train- TGV ( 8 1/2 hours) London to Perpignan, then local train to Villefranche de Conflent (5 minutes taxi ride to Vernet-les-Bains).
It is even possible to put your car on the train as far as Narbonne, then drive from there.

-By car- approximately 12 hours from Calais by autoroute.

Please ask for advice if needed.

Activities near Vernet les Bains

Facilities

Further details indoors:
A high chair, cot and a children's table and chairs are available for use if required.
Two of the single beds are daybeds with low rails on three sides, which may be turned around to provide additional safety for younger children.
There are 3 double bedrooms on the ground floor and a fourth double bedroom upstairs, all newly furnished. Most of the beds are single English size 2m beds without foot-ends, ideal for taller adults, which can be made up as doubles if required.
There is a bathroom downstairs with a separate toilet, and an en suite bathroom with the upstairs bedroom.
A wide range of family DVDs and videos for young children is provided.
A variety of store cupboard essentials e.g. salt, pepper, sugar are kept in stock.

Further details outdoors:
There is a private and mature garden of over 1/2 an acre with a variety of trees, shrubs and roses.
Patio furniture for ten people, and sun loungers are provided.
The swing set includes a single swing, a 2 person swing-boat and a trapeze/ring set.
A double garage is available for use on request.
AVAILABLE FROM 2009- 10m x 5m HEATED PRIVATE SWIMMING POOL IN BACK GARDEN

The raised front terrace has recently been extended and surrounded by a balustrade for additional safety (not shown in current photo of house)

Further details

Welcome pack provided upon arrival.
Central heating is available at a small extra cost if required in cooler months.
Other utilities and Internet costs are included in the rental price.
Linen and bath towels are provided, but please bring extra towels for swimming.

Conditions

Deposit of 20% required to secure booking
Balance and a refundable breakages deposit of £200 due 8 weeks before holiday starts.
Breakages deposit to be refunded within two weeks of your departure (subject to satisfactory property inspection).
Strictly no smoking.
No pets, sorry.

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
	27 Sep 08	20 Dec 08	420£ 420	0-	0-	Flexible
	20 Dec 08	10 Jan 09	530£ 530	0-	0-	Flexible
	10 Jan 09	4 Apr 09	420£ 420	0-	0-	Flexible
	4 Apr 09	23 May 09	530£ 530	0-	0-	Flexible
	23 May 09	4 Jul 09	850£ 850	0-	0-	Flexible
	4 Jul 09	29 Aug 09	1100£ 1,100	0-	0-	1 Week
	29 Aug 09	26 Sep 09	650£ 650	0-	0-	Flexible
	26 Sep 09	19 Dec 09	420£ 420	0-	0-	Flexible
	19 Dec 09	9 Jan 10	530£ 530	0-	0-	Flexible

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

Reduced rates may be available for smaller groups. Check with owner.

Refundable £200 breakage deposit required with final balance payment

We can accept payments by cheque or bank transfer in GBP or Euros.

Guestbook

The area has everything you need for a fantastic family holiday. The villa was lovely and had wonderful views to Mount Canigou. Thank you and we will certainly be back.- The Lewis family

We loved the villa, which easily accommodated our two families, and there was so much to do in the area. Villefranche and Fort Liberia were fascinating, and the whitewater rafting was very exciting!- The Rigbys

We had 9 of us staying very comfortably for 2 weeks. Loved our times sitting on the terrace and relaxing in the garden. The pool will be a good addition although we enjoyed the local pool very much too. The kitchen was very well furnished, your game cupboard and videos were exceptional, and overall it was just what we wanted. We felt very at home here. We had a great time exploring the villages, the mountains and the beaches
It was great. Vernet was a lovely base & the market a real pleasure. -the Adlam-Hill family

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/46690

Contact details for home 46690 Please mention Holiday Lettings
Name:	Heather Hutber
Tel:	+44 (0)1684 569146
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Advertiser joined: 14 Jan 2008 This property added: 14 Jan 2008

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