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Key
Facts :
| Nearest
town : |
Bagnères-de-Bigorre
25kms & Arreau (smaller) is 15kms but via a hair-pin
mountain pass! |
| Type
of location : |
Small
cluster of mountain chalets overlooking the Lac de Payolle |
| No.
of bedrooms : |
3
: 2x doubles & 1x mezzanine bedroom |
| Sleeping
capacity : |
up
to 8 but more comfortable for 4-6 |
| No.
of bathrooms : |
1x
shower rooms & 2x WCs |
| Style
of property : |
Traditional
mountain chalet
|
| Quality
guide : |
|
|
Prices
: |
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| Check
availability & prices for this property
»
GO |
»
Price includes linen & bathroom
towels, tourist tax, water, gas & electricity
» Linen and towels will be left in the chalet for you but beds are not made
» A
security deposit of 400 EUROS is required. The chalet has to be given back as clean as it was provided please
» Read important information
about security
deposits and insurance
»
The chalet is available all year round. Bookings can be
made through Alternative Aquitaine for the summer season
(May through September). At other times of the year we can
refer you to the owner to book directly. |
| Linen
Arrangements : |
Bed
linen & bathroom towels provided - beds are not made
for arrival |
| Cleaning
Arrangements : |
Guests
are required to perform some basic duties prior to exit.
» Read important information
about cleaning
|
| Arrival
& Departure : |
Arrive
between 4-7 pm and depart by 10am. Changeover day is Saturday
» Read important information
about
arrivals
& departures |
| Nearest
beach : |
Biarritz
is c.2hrs 30 mins! |
| Nearest
boulangerie : |
There's
a basic bread service ('depot de pain') at the Ancla Sport
ski rental shop at half a mile walk from the chalet. There's
a basic shop at St Marie de Campan 6kms or Arreau 15kms
- the road is a very twisty mountain pass. Next to the ski
rental shop is an excellent restaurant
open all summer - "Chez Germaine" - cooking traditional
meals of the valley including the renown Garbure (regional
soup with pork) followed by sirloin steak cooked over an
open fire.
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| Nearest
airport : |
Tarbes/Lourdes
1hr; Pau 1hr 30 mins; Biarritz & Toulouse 2hrs 30 mins |
| Nearest
ferry port : |
Bilbao
4hrs 30mins; Santander 6hrs; St Malo 10hrs (approx) |
| Swimming
pool : |
No |
| Facilities
& Equipment : |
TV
(French channels only); DVD player, CD player; BBQ; microwave;
dishwasher; washing machine; parking for 2 cars |
| Suitability
for children : |
Good
for active children who like outdoors activities and who
don't mind the relatively isolated location. |
| Suitability
for infants : |
Chalet
is not particularly toddler- or child-friendly (steep staircases,
balcony) although stair gates are available (and a baby
bath too). However, it's a good location for young couples
who want to pop their infant into a back-pack to go walking |
| Things
to see & do : |
Enjoy
the Pyrénées! Hiking, mountain
biking, road cycling (this is
classic Tour de France country), fishing,
pony-trekking, rafting, climbing
and mushroom-hunting in the Autumn!
Visit the scenic Vallée d'Aure and
Massif de Néouvielle, and
Pic du Midi Observatory for stunning vistas. Plus
days out to cultural Pau, curious Lourdes,
and the pretty Basque and Béarn
regions of SW France. If that's not enough, you can also
sample another country - Spain - just over
the border in less than 1 hour! See the Local
Guide for
more ideas. |
| House
'rules' : |
No
pets & no smoking please |
|
Location
: Map
Ref D7
The chalet is situated high in the Pyrénées,
adjacent to the Lac de Payolle and close to the ski station La
Mongie. Bagnères-de-Bigorre
is the nearest main town - a lovely market town it is too with
some pretty buildings and well-kept streets. It's a 25 minute
drive.
Road - 1 hr from the main Biarritz-Pau-Toulouse
autoroute.
Rail - there is a terminus at Bagnères-de-Bigorre,
connection via Pau.
Air - Tarbes/Lourdes airport
is the closest - no more than 1 hr. Pau
airport is a further half hour and is served by Ryanair.
Alternatively, Biarritz and Toulouse airports are 2hrs 30 mins approx.
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Accommodation
:
A
traditional timbered mountain chalet with steep roof and two spacious
balconies. Built on to a steep hillside, the living room, two double
bedrooms and balcony all benefit from outstanding views of the
mountains, forests and lake.
Offering 85m2 of accommodation, the chalet is spacious too. The
accommodation is spread over two levels.
Ground Floor
Open-plan
living room, typical of mountain properties.
The room comprises a corner lounge, dining
area, and kitchen with breakfast bar,
plus, of course, direct access to the upper balcony-terrace.
There is attractive parquet flooring throughout.
The dining table can comfortably seat 6 and there's a corner sofa
seating 5. A TV, DVD and CD stereo are provided. The room is lit by
natural light coming through the double patio doors. For cold
mornings and evenings there's a cosy fireplace in the living room.
The kitchen was refurbished in 2005 and comes equipped with dishwasher,
oven and hob, microwave, fridge-freezer and toaster plus the usual French
essentials such as a coffee maker! And this being a mountain chalet,
there is a breakfast bar with stools.
An open-tread wooden staircase leads from the living room to the
mezzanine sleeping room where there is sleeping
for another 2-4 people - a double bed (140cm) plus a set of bunk
beds. The room also has a chest of drawers. A security gate is provide at the foot of the staircase.
There's a handy WC on the ground floor too.
Basement
Floor
There is a steep flight of stairs leading down from the living
room to the basement accommodation - there's only a few steps
but they would be unsuitable for the very young or very old. There is another stairgate for security.
Again, the floor has been relayed with parquet. The two bedrooms
are downstairs. Both benefit from superb views and direct access
to the lower terrace.
Bedroom 1 - double bed 140cm, wardrobe storage, bedside
tables
Bedroom 2 - double bed 140cm, wardrobe storage,
bedside tables
At the end of the corridor is a small shower room with
WC and basin.
There is also a washing machine at the basement level.
Outside
The
upper floor balcony will be the place where much
time is spent - and with such wonderful views it will be hard
to drag yourself indoors! The balcony
terrace includes outdoor dining table and BBQ.
There's no gardens as such - the chalet is buil into a steep-sided
hill. Plus, with the terraces and the great outdoors all around
you, there's simply no need for a garden.
There is an allocated parking space for 2 cars.
|
Guide
:
Bagnères-de-Bigorre
A little gem. "A wonderful town for eating ice-cream
and turning your brain off" - so says the Cadogan
travel guide" Gascony & The Pyrénées"!
Bagnères has
a quaint, old-fashioned-ness about it which we reather like.
Period architecture, tree-lined streets and pleasant cafés
all add to its charm. The
Place des Thermes is home to the town's fabulous spa
plus there's a casino if you fancy a little
nocturnal activitiy.
Market day is a Saturday and a great time to sample the town's
charms.
» Mountain activities in the Payolle area - Ancla Sports
» Tourism guide to Bagneres-de-Bigorre and La Mongie
» Bagneres-de-Bigorre spa
» Alternative Aquitaine's tourism guide
to the Pyrénées
The Parc National des Pyrénées offers a
wealth of exciting activities and scenes. Here's a small sample
of places to visit.
• les Cirques. One of the most-visited
sites in the Pyrénées - a stunning geological
site of eroded limestone with spectacular gorges. Head south
to Gavarnie (from Lourdes) and you'll be in the highest village
in the Pyrénées - the walk to the Cirque to Gavarnie
takes about 4 hours. One of the most spectacular sights is the
Grande Cascade which, we discovered, is the
highest waterfall in Europe.
• The Pyrénées are home to
some of Europe’s most exotic wildlife
including chamois, royal eagles and brown bears, whilst at Laruns
there is a 92-hectare reserve for the griffon vulture.
• At Lescun you will find one of France’s most
photogenic natural locations, the Needles of Ansabère,
an amphitheatre of jagged limestone peaks rising to the summit
of Pic d’Anie.
• Kids will enjoy the funicular railway
up the Pic d'Ayre - apath from the end of the
line will put you at the summit in 1.5 hours.
• Another essential visit is the superb Pic
du Midi Observatory which has one of the biggest telescopes
in Europe. There are viewing platforms with superb vistas plus
a restaurant too. Access is via cable car at La Mongie.
• Explore the Massif de Néouvielle
to the south of La Mongie and Barèges,
a huge series of lakes and jagged Pyrénéan peaks.
In 1935, the massif became France's first nature reserve. This
is a favoured spot for bird-watchers and if you're lucky you
might see a golden eagle. This is truly wonderful hiking territory.
The famous Col de Tourmalet is here too - a
favourite, sadistic, stretch of the Tour de France.
• The Vallée d'Aure has
a reputation for being one of the warmest, sunniest valleys
blessed by a favourable wind coming from Spain which sweeps
the peaks clear of mist and low cloud. The slate-roofed village
of Arreau is a centre for popular mountain
pastimes such as rafting and hang-gliding. It's a tricky route
there via the cyclists' road to hell - the Col d'Aspin - but
market day, Thursday, is a good time to visit. Carrying on toward
the Spanish border, you'll hit St Lary, another
summer haven for paragliding, rock-climbing, hiking, canyoning,
etc. Market day in this village is Saturday.
If you're staying in the Pyrénées,
visiting a city is probably the last thing on your mind. But
if you fancy a city break for a day then a short trip north
west is the stylish and compact city of Pau. Barely known
of outside of France, Pau has a variety of attractions. It sprang
to fame in the 19th century when wealthy British and Americans
were drawn to its mild climate and it became a popular winter
holiday destination. To this day Pau retains an ‘upmarket’
feel about it. There is a thriving café and bar life
plus plenty of opportunity for boutique shopping, notably along
the rues des Cordeliers and Serviez. Pau also has its own château
(and birthplace of King Henri IV) plus one of the south
west’s finest panoramic views - the spectacular array of
distant, snow-capped peaks as seen from the Boulevard des
Pyrénées.
Other suggestions for day-trips:
• Touring the historic towns of the Béarn…Orthez,
Salies-de-Béarn and Sauveterre-de-Béarn
• Wine-tasting in the vineyards of Jurançon,
Madiran and Béarn
• Crossing the border into Spain
for a visit to Pamplona
• A trip to Lourdes to satisfy the religious
or the plain curious
• The beaches, glitz and seafood of the Côte
Basque at Biarritz or St Jean de Luz
For further information try the links below. Please note that
we cannot be held responsible for the content of third party
sites.
» Pyrenees-Atlantique
Tourist Office
» Bearn
des Gaves Tourist Office
» Parc
National des Pyrenees Tourist Info
» Pau
Tourist Office
» Wines
of South West France
» UK
Tourist Office for France
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