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Key
Facts :
| Nearest
town : |
Benesse-Maremne
(village centre is 300m) |
| Type
of location : |
Residential
road on the edge of the village |
| No.
of bedrooms : |
3
: 2x doubles and 1x twin |
| Sleeping
capacity : |
6-9
Additional +2 in the chalet +1 on the mezzanine sofa-bed in
the house |
| No.
of bathrooms : |
3:
1 bathroom & 1x separate WC on the ground floor; shower
room with WC en-suite to the master bedroom upstairs; plus
shower room & WC in the chalet |
| Style
of property : |
Traditional
Landais-style house, simply furnished & decorated |
| Quality
guide : |
|
| Prices : |
|
» Check availability & prices for this property GO
|
Rental price includes: Spare set of linen available for bookings of 2+ weeks. Beds made for arrival. Bathroom towels and tea towels. Water, gas, electricity
Compulsory extras: Winter heating 100 EUR/wk Oct-Apr inclusive (pay on reservation)
Optional extras: End-of-stay clean €150 paid locally. Babysitting €15 per hour paid locally
Refundable security deposit: GBP 250 (or euro equivalent) is held on credit card by Alternative Aquitaine on the owner's behalf and returned within 21 days of departure assuming no breakages, damage or extra cleaning required.
»
Read important information about security
deposits and insurance |
| Linen
Arrangements : |
Bed
linen and bathroom towels provided with the rental. Beds are
made on arrival and spare bedding (not towels) is available
|
| Cleaning
Arrangements : |
There
is no cleaning included in the rental price
but an exit clean can be arranged for
a local charge if required
» Read important information about cleaning
|
| Arrival
& Departure : |
Arrive
between 4-6 pm and depart by 10am. Changeover day is Saturday
in the high season
» Read important information about
arrivals
& departures
|
| Nearest
beach : |
Capbreton
& Hossegor 8 kms |
| Nearest
boulangerie : |
Benesse
village centre 300 metres - said to the best in the area! Handy mini-market in the village square too |
| Nearest
airport : |
Biarritz
40 mins; Pau 90 mins; Bordeaux 1 hr 45 mins; Bilbao 2 hrs
(all approx) |
| Nearest
ferry port : |
St
Malo 9 hrs (approx) |
| Swimming
pool : |
Yes,
heated private pool 8x5m. Depth 1.1-1.4m with Roman steps
for access. Protected by approved security fence with lockable
gate. The pool is maintained during guests' stay. |
| Facilities
& Equipment : |
TV;
DVD player; VCR; CD stereo; BBQ; bikes; outdoor spa 'hot tub';
washing machine; dishwasher; microwave |
| Suitability
for children : |
Very
good - pool and good size gardnes. DVD player too. Tennis courts 150 metres. |
| Suitability
for infants : |
Travel
cot available (not linen). Grounds are safe and enclosed.
Pool toys available. Some care needed with the staircase (open-tread,
polished wood) |
| Things
to see & do : |
Tennis (150m), golf (lots of courses in the area),
surfing, cycling, watersports, culture. Visit: Basque Country
villages, Bayonne, Biarritz, Pyrénées, Bordeaux,
Spain - Pamplona, San Sebastian & Bilbao |
| House
'rules' : |
Sorry,
no pets. No smoking inside the house or chalet |
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Location: Map
Ref B5
Benesse-Maremne
is approximately 35 kms north of Biarritz and lies a short distance
inland from the Atlantic coastline of Aquitaine. The village is
on the RN10 main road and is just 5 minutes drive to the auto-route.
By train : Biarritz railway station
By air : Biarritz airport is the closest. Pau,
Bilbao and Bordeaux are good alternatives.
Haritzaga is situated on a residential road which runs
parallel to the RN10. There is sufficient distance from the RN10
- plus there is screening by large trees - for the main road not
to be a concern. The village centre is a 5 minute walk from the
house and its amenities include tennis courts, tabac, pharmacy
(of course), hairdresser (naturally), boulangerie and mini-market.
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Accommodation :
The
accommodation is divided into the main house and separate studio
chalet in the garden. The chalet is ideal for accommodating, for
instance, grandparents - it gives independence but is very much
part of the rental property.
House
The main house is typically French and 'gîte-ish' in style.
Whilst the facilities of the property are excellent and the accommodation
comfortable, the interior remains old-fashioned.
The main entrance to the house is via the back door into the utility
area where the dishwasher and washing machine are located.
This area leads right into a small but recently fitted kitchen
which includes oven, microwave, fridge freezer and plenty of cupboard
storage.
The ground floor accommodation is dominated by a double size living
room combining dining area and lounge. Each area has
a set of French doors accessing the front garden. There is a large
corner fireplace in the lounge. A TV, dvd player and vcr are provided.
Two of the three bedrooms are on the ground floor including a
twin bedroom leading off the living room. This
room has a wash-hand basin and looks out on to the front garden.
The other side of the house, with views out on to the pool, is
the double bedroom. These two bedrooms share
a bathroom which has bath and shower over the bath. There is a
separate WC next to this bathroom.
A polished wooden staircase with open-tread steps leads to the
first floor - some care might be needed with this staircase. There
is a spacious landing where a sofa-bed is available
for use if required.
The master bedroom has double bedroom with en-suite
shower room plus WC.
Chalet
A few short steps from the back door of the house, the
chalet provides self-contained studio accommodation including
kitchenette, double sofa-bed plus shower room with WC.
Sliding doors lead to the decked terrace by the pool.
Outside
The front gardens are totally enclosed - a gravel driveway leads
to the side of the house where cars can be parked. There is plenty
of lawn for ball games.
At the back of the house there is no lawn but more privacy and
this is where the pool, terrace and hot tub can be found. Bordered
by trees to the east, this is a lovely area for outdoor living.
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Local
Guide:
Benesse-Maremne
village offers a few essential shops and 7 kms north along the RN10
is St Vincent-de-Tyrosse - here you will find a supermarket, shops
and bars, restaurants, a cinema and a weekly market (Fridays).
Local
Area
Nearby
Hossegor is one of those seaside towns whose population
swells exponentially in the high season. It is a town that has a
lot to offer: boutique shopping, great bars and restaurants, world-famous
surfing beaches, a lovely golf course ranked in the Top 50 in France
and a beautiful lake for safe bathing. It’s little wonder,
therefore, that the town is busy. The remarkable thing is that it's
something of a French (and Spanish) secret; unless you're a dedicated
surfer, the chances are you won't have heard of Hossegor.
In the 1930s, Hossegor attracted an avant-garde fraternity and the
area around the lake became something of an artists’ community.
Plush villas and grand houses were built on the lakeside and in
the forests. Today, Hossegor is best-known for its legendary waves,
good enough to warrant the hosting of World Pro surf tournament
each year, in August. In actual fact, the best time to surf here
is in the Autumn.
Hossegor lies about 15 minutes' drive south, whilst a similar distance
north is Moliets-Plage. This is another great beach
location and activity centre with golf and surf a speciality. In
fact, the south west coast is something of an outdoor playground.
Take your pick from surfing, canoeing, sailing, cycling,
tennis, horse-riding and golf to name
a few. Golfers will enjoy the local courses at Moliets, Seignosse
and Hossegor. There are other great courses within 45 minutes drive
including Moliets and Biarritz le Phare.
Cyclists can enjoy the many safe forest tracks that connect between
the towns along the coast. Sailing enthusiasts should head for the
Capbreton Marina - 5 kms south of Hossegor. Being so close to the
Pays Basque border, sporting life also includes the legendary game
of pelota. You can watch a game at the fronton
in Hossegor.
This area of Aquitaine is rich in attractions so here are just a
few suggestions for day-trips:
• Biarritz and St Jean de Luz.
Less than an hour’s drive south are the sophisticated resorts
of Biarritz and St Jean de Luz, the south Atlantic’s
competition to the Côte d’Azur. Both provide excellent
beaches, cuisine and up-market shopping as well as a
good introduction to the Spanish-influenced Pays Basque.
If you have time, drop into the regional capital, Bayonne.
Famed for its ham and its chocolates, Bayonne was under
English rule for 300 years. It is much under-rated and worth a trip
to see its cathedral and walk its ancient streets.
• Spa and thalassotherapy.
In France, the south west is known for its rejuvenating waters,
both salt and fresh varieties. Dax
is the official spa capital of France and is a 40 minute drive from
Hossegor Lac. The Côte Basque – Hendaye,
St Jean de Luz and Biarritz - is home
to numerous thalassotherapy centres.
• Lakes. The freshwater lakes that punctuate
the forest provide a great alternative to the ocean and safer
bathing for children. Rather like the Lake District in England,
each lake, or étang, has its own atmosphere.
Apart from the local Lac d’Hossegor, there are others nearby
to try: étangs Blanc, Soutsons
and Léon; at the latter you can canoe from
the lake along the serene Courant d’Huchet to the
ocean’s edge.
• Chalosse Country. To the south of
Dax and Mont-de-Marsan you start to enter rural Gascony,
which means several things: foie gras, floc de Gascogne
(sherry) and a pleasantly slow pace of life. The food is
marvellous, the towns are half asleep except for market days, and
the countryside is entirely relaxing. Montfort-en-Chalosse,
Mugron and St. Sever are good
stopping points.
• Basque Country. The delightful rolling
green hills and picture-perfect villages of the Pays Basque are
a must. Ainhoa, Sare, Espelette and
Ascain all perfectly demonstrate Basque village
life. A little further south and you can hike in the
mountain air of the Pyrénées.
• Spain. It’s about 75 minutes to the
border and only a short distance further to the majestic seaside
city of San Sebastian, the Spanish
Basque country’s equivalent of Biarritz. The more adventurous
could drive another hour or so further along the
northern coast to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim.
For further information try the links below. There is an excellent
tourist office in Hossegor too. Please note that we cannot be held
responsible for the content of third party sites.
Capbreton
Tourist Office
Hossegor
Tourist Office
Les Landes
Tourist Office
Learn About
the Basque Country
UK Tourist
Office for France
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| updated
10.12.09 ja |
