| |
Key
Facts :
| Nearest
town : |
Fargues-sur-Ourbise
(small village) 1.5km; Casteljaloux 10 kms |
| Type
of location : |
Rural
location where Gascony countryside meets Les Landes pine
forests |
| No.
of bedrooms : |
9
: 5x doubles and 4x twins |
| Sleeping
capacity : |
18
|
| No.
of bathrooms : |
All
of the bedrooms are en-suite (7x with shower room and 2x
with bath and shower). Also two additional independent WC's
on the ground floor |
| Style
of property : |
New-build
luxury manor house with period/antique furnishings throughout.
|
| Quality
guide : |
|
|
Prices : |
|
| »
Check availability & prices for this property GO |
» Prices include pool heating, gas, electricity, bed linen
& bathroom towels
» Heating
in low season is charged extra & deducted from security
deposit.
» Optional extras:
• Spare linen to be supplied mid-stay - €18 per
room, charged locally
• Babysitter - €10 per hour
• Cook/chef - by prior arrangement and subject to
availability
• Wine from the cellar (price list in the house)
» Security
deposit cheque of £400 or euro equivalent required
with the balance and is cashed by the owner. It is returned
by the owner within 1 week minus any breakages/damage &
heating costs for winter lets
» Read important information about security
deposits and insurance |
| Linen
Arrangements : |
Bed
linen and bathroom towels included in the rental price.
Beds made on arrival. Optional extra to have change of linen
supplied at €18 per room |
| Cleaning
Arrangements : |
»
Read important information about cleaning
|
| Arrival
& Departure : |
Saturday
changeover - arrival 4-6pm; departure 10am
»
Read important information about
arrivals
& departures |
| Nearest
beach : |
Arcachon
90+ mins drive - approx |
| Nearest
boulangerie : |
Fargues-sur-Ourbise
1.5km; greater selection in Casteljaloux 10kms
|
|
Nearest
airport : |
Bergerac
& Bordeaux 75 mins drive; Toulouse 1hr 45 mins - approx |
| Nearest
ferry port : |
St
Malo 7 hours drive - approx |
| Swimming
pool : |
Yes,
large heated pool 12 x9 x6m. Depth from
0.50m to 1.4m with Roman steps into the shallow end. Protected
by fence and alarm. The pool is floodlit and is saltwater |
| Facilities
& Equipment : |
Tennis
court; games room with table tennis,
pool table and table football; UK satellite TV; VCR; CD
stereo; piano; wine 'cellar' (charge); central heating;
BBQ; boules |
| Suitability
for children : |
Excellent
- safely enclosed and plenty of games |
|
Suitability
for infants : |
Rural
location away from busy roads. Pool protected and has a
shallow end ideal for younger kids. High chairs, cots &
cot linen are available on request |
| Things
to see & do : |
Wine-tasting
• thermal spa • leisure lake for watersports,
horse-riding and picnics • golf • cycling •
fishing • visit markets & historic towns •
tour the region's châteaux • day-trip to the
Atlantic beaches |
| House
'rules' : |
Pets
considered. A no-smoking policy applies inside the house |
|
Location
:
Map
Ref D4
Manoir d'Albret occupies a rural location 10 kms south east of
the market town, Casteljaloux. This is Gascony
at its best - gentle countryside, historic market towns and fine
cuisine. Casteljaloux has a full range of shops, several restaurants
and a market twice weekly.
The manoir itself is just outside the small and sleepy village,
Fargues-sur-Ourbise. The property is accessed via a small cul-de-sac
track that runs through the woods. There are only 3 other houses
using this track and so there is no through-traffic to worry about.
There are many tracks through the woods to access the village.
Bergerac
and Bordeaux airports are the closest (both about
1 hour's drive). Toulouse is another option for
flying into this region.
|
Accommodation
:
Manoir d'Albret is Chris and Louisa Taylor's latest manoir renovation
and opened for business in 2005. Each has taken years to complete
and In the case of Manoir d'Albret, an early decision was made
to take down a large part of the original structure and outbuildings.This
enabled the build of a property which could retain its character
and charm but which could also more easily incorporate modern
comforts.
Manoir d'Albret is accessed from a quiet country lane - tranquility
is certainly a feature of this property - leading to the impressive
entrance marked by electric gates. The 'chemin' leading to the
house is tree-lined and at night the trees are illuminated - it's
quite a sight.
You can access floor plans for the Ground Floor
and First Floor
as this may assist you in choosing bedrooms before arrival.
Ground
Floor:
The house entrance is marked by double mahogany
doors which open into a vast living area of 95m2.
The ceiling is heavily timbered using beams from the old house
plus others reclaimed from an 18th century château in the
Médoc (Chris, now retired, made his living in the business
of architectural antiques). The living room features antique and
period furnishings, plenty of seating and an impressive stone
fireplace.
An oak-framed stained glass door leads from the living area into
the impressive dining room. With an area of 37m2
and seating for 18 people, this is a comfortable space for formal
meals. There are two double doors opening directly onto the garden
and pool area.
The second lounge is more intimate (22m2) and
can act as a TV lounge. There is an armoire stocked with wine
for guests' use (a price list is kept here too). There are double
doors leading to the garden and pool.
The games room is a real treat and very popular
with renters. Heavily timbered and decorated in a Provençal
style, it features table tennis, pool table, dart board, exercise
machine and table football. Very handily, this room has its own
WC. There is access to the garden and pool, car port and arbri
(covered terrace).
The kitchen is spacious and sectioned into two
separate rooms. The main part of the kitchen is 28m2 whilst the
second area of 16m2 is devoted to food preparation and storage.
Equipment includes a large cooker; 2x fridges; 2x washing machines
(situated in the utility area); 2x dishwashers and 2x microwaves.
Bedroom 1 - Double bed. Accessed via the smaller
kitchen room, this bedroom opens directly onto the garden. The
room is en-suite providing both bath and shower. It is a useful
room for an elderly couple or less mobile guests.
First
Floor:
A further 8 bedrooms, all leading off the wide
hallway and all en-suite. One of these bedrooms has a private
balcony, sofa and the en-suite includes a bath as well as a shower
fitting; all of the other rooms have a shower only. Each bedroom
benefits from pleasant views, whether it's over the pool, woods
or front garden. The room entrances have quite low doorframes
to accommodate the beams - mind your head!
Outside:
The huge (89m2) arbri is an excellent place to
take meals (there are two large tables seating 18) or just relax
in the daytime and take shelter from the sun. There are several
'easy chairs' and it's a very secluded spot. For eating outside
there is a BBQ at the far end of the arbri.
The term "gardens" is a bit of a misnomer at Manoir
d'Albret. With 8.5 acres of land, "grounds"
is probably more appropriate! The land is surrounded by pine forests
- this is the eastern fringe of Les Landes des Gascogne which
stretch over 100 kms west to the Atlantic coast. The entrance
to the house is lined with poplar trees with meadow either side,
whilst nearer to the house are some 2 acres of woods.
Around the house, the garden is more formal with flower beds but
there is also a good size grass area for garden games (boules
provided). The whole 8.5 acres of land is bordered by fence (a
not inconsiderable achievement!) and several hundred trees have
been planted. This helps to provide privacy - only two other properties
are visible when standing in the garden although Manoir d'Albret
is not overlooked in any way.
The swimming pool is large even for a property
of this size (surface area 12x9x6 metres). The pool is heated
and floodlit at night and protected by fence (with lockable gate)
and alarm. It is also in direct line of the arbri making it more
convenient for children to be supervised. The saltwater filtration
is much nicer to swim in than chlorinated pool and it's not salty
like the sea. The first section of the pool - 3x2 mtres - is suitable
for very young children. Several sun-loungers and parasols are
available around the pool.
Very few rental properties have their own tennis court
and this has become an ever-popular rental because of this feature.
The court is fully maintained and fenced.
There is covered parking for 5 cars to the right
of the house.
|
|
Local
Guide:
Casteljaloux
Casteljaloux literally means jealous castle but no-one seems
to know quite how the town earned this rather curious name.
It’s a pleasant market town with plenty of shops and restaurants.
The market is held twice weekly including Saturday.
Just to the south of the town is the large lake of Catelajaloux,
Lac de Clarens, which is great for a day out
for the family. Here you can fish, cycle, walk in the
woods, ride a horse, go boating or go for a swim.
There's golf too plus tennis courts
and swimming pool in Casteljaloux..
New in Casteljaloux is the Thermal Spa. Locals
inform us that is really is a luxurious place to wallow and
revitalise the body and mind; below we have provided a link
to the spa’s website.
Local Area
This area of France is very rural and almost untouched by time.
It is an ideal territory for exploring the ancient towns, vineyards
and châteaux of Gascony and thus avoid the tourists and
traffic of the ever-popular Dordogne.
Nérac, La Bastide d’Armagnac, Mézin,
Pujols and Villeneuve-sur-Lot are
popular ancient towns to visit. Agen, the capital
of Lot-et-Garonne, has a fine Musée des Beaux-Arts, not
to mention a host of opportunities for buying prunes –
Agen is the prune capital of the world!
For day-trips into the Lot valley, drive east
towards Cahors. Also worthy of a day-trip is
Auch with its famous cathedral
and pretty setting over-looking the Gers river.
There are golf courses in the area including
Casteljaloux, Barbaste and Marmande. For cyclists
there are numerous tracks which enable you to safely see the
countryside. For the really adventurous, there is an airstrip
near Marmande for private flying.
Naturally there are plenty of wine-tasting
opportunities and if you are interested in undertaking a private
visit to some of Bordeaux’s finest châteaux, this
can be arranged for you by a local contact of ours. Whether
it’s St. Emilion, Sauternes, or Entre-Deux-Mers, this
could be your chance to sample a selection of grand cru wines.
Festivals for wine, food and music occur in the region throughout
the year. Further south and you enter Armagnac country
– more opportunities for tastings!
Beach lovers should head to Arcachon or Biscarrosse.
These resorts are approximately 80-90 minutes driving distance.
Arcachon has numerous attractions including the magnificent
Dune du Pyla – Europe’s highest
sand dune – and a stroll around the Winter Town
which is home to a range of eclectic villas.
The
city of Bordeaux is less than an hour away
and is a good option for a day-trip, whether it’s boutique
shopping, sight-seeing or culture. Walking around the 18th century
old town centre (Quartier St. Pierre), you can begin to imagine
the city’s commercial and maritime past.
For
further information try the links below. Please note that we
cannot be held responsible for the content of third party sites.
Lot-et-Garonne
Tourism Guide
Bordeaux
Tourism Guide
Bordeaux Wine
Guide
Thermal
Spa at Casteljaloux
UK Tourist
Centre for France
|
|
