Self-Catering Holidays in Atlantic Aquitaine, South West France - Villas, Cottages & Apartments

Villa de la Quinta is a modern, luxurious villa with spacious open-plan living areas for relaxed, convivial living. Fittings, furniture and equipment throughout are of very high quality. The décor is stylish and contemporary. Until very recently it has been the owners' main residence, and so has the feeling and thoughtful touches of a family home rather than a holiday rental. (The owners have five children and know what it takes to achieve a relaxing enviornment with kids around!)

Indoor living areas:

The House is constructed all on one level. A large entrance door leads to the spacious open plan kitchen and dining area, offering a sociable space with which to relax and eat breakfast or for pre-dinner drinks and appetizers.

The kitchen, in the corner at one end of this area, is very modern and fully-equipped, including dishwasher, range with extractor, microwave, water cooler, coffee-maker, etc. Double glass doors from the kitchen open directly out onto the alfresco eating area that easily seats 10/12 people.

The dining area includes table and chairs comfortably seating 8 people for indoor dining; there is a large plasma screen TV on one wall.

The lounge area is adjacent to the dining area with patio doors leading directly to the poolside area. The sunken lounge with two large comfortable sofas, coffee table and plasma TV is perfect for relaxing in the evening with a glass of Bordeaux red.

Entertainment-wise the living areas are extremely well-equipped, and include DVD player, 2 plasma TVs, Sky TV, X-Box & PlayStation and Bose iPod docking station.

Sleeping:

Bedroom 1 is situated off a short corridor from the dining area, and is a large double bedroom with en-suite bathroom including deep relaxing bath and shower and doors opening directly out onto the poolside area.

Bedroom 2: situated next to Bedroom 1 is a large twin room with mezzanine that can sleep two more. There is an en-suite shower room and doors out onto the poolside terrace as well.

There is a separate WC in this area too.

Two further bedrooms are situated off a longer corridor leading from lounge:

Bedroom 3: a twin room looking out across the lawn towards the rear of the property, with en-suite state-of-the-art compact bathroom.

Bedroom 4 is the Master Suite. A very spacious double bedroom with featured lighting, and views of the pool, and walk in wardrobes. Screened behind the sleeping area is a designer bathroom with ambient bath lighting and a huge deep bath where two can easily relax, and revitalizing rain shower.

Bedroom 5 is situated just off the kitchen, and is the smallest twin bedroom with wash-basin, power shower with jets and built in storage.

Outside

The house is constructed in an L-shape with patio doors leading from the kitchen, lounge and two of the bedrooms onto a secluded, south-facing decked terrace with kidney-shaped swimming pool. There is a outside dining area with table and chairs for 10-12, and barbecue. The terrace area is a spacious 200m2 (including the pool). In summer the dining area is sunny until dusk.

The pool is 6m x 4m, depth ranging 1m - 2m, the deepest point in the centre. It is located in a sun-trap so the average temperature is 26-29 degrees in summer. There is also an external solar-heated shower to rinse off after a swim. It is located close to the house so, for example, adults can supervise children swimming while cooking in the kitchen or barbecue area, or just relaxing on the terrace. A toddler-proof net barrier surrounds the pool and can be removed if required. (The owners have lived in the house with five children and vouch for the security of this system.) A pool alarm may also be installed for summer 2007.

At the rear of the house is a secluded lawn, partially shaded by pine trees, with space for croquet, boules or to kick a football.

There is gated, off-road parking for one car.

In summary, Villa de la Quinta is an exceptional rental for one or two families to relax in style. Taken on in March 2007 and in its first year of rentals, we expect it will be booked up very quickly!

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Alternative Aquitaine's guide to the Côte Landaise

Seignosse / Capbreton / Hossegor:

Seignosse Golf: Villa de la Quinta is 2 minutes walk to the course club-house, very welcoming to non-members with a restaurant and bar (serving meals midday-5pm each day) with fabulous views of the course from the terrace. The course hotel serves excellent, more formal à la carte meals in the evening.

The Seignosse / Capbreton / Hossegor area is famously known for its high quality surfing spots, beaches and golf courses, as well as spa and thalasso therapy, and much to offer anyone looking for a combination of relaxation and active holiday activities. Horse-riding, cycling, fishing, canoeing, and all manner of other water sports are available too.

Seignosse-Bourg is the nearest centre, 3kms away inland. It is a small Landais village 5 kms from the coast, and offers a bakery, grocers and a couple of local restaurants to choose from. There's also a tennis centre with several good courts.

Two kms to the west is Seignosse-les-Estagnots, a mostly residential area with lovely sandy coastline popular with surfers, and offers the closest beaches.

Nearby Hossegor (5kms from the villa) 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.

Capbreton, adjoining Hossegor to the south, has a pleasant 'village-by-the-sea' feel, a lovely beach and a good choice of restaurants.

Golfers will enjoy the renowned local course, Seignosse Golf, a water and forest monster of a course ranked in Continental Europe’s Top 50. The 1930s-built Golf d’Hossegor is also close by; the traditional club house is also a delight. 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 - 2 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.

Further afield:

• 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.

Alternative Aquitaine's guide to the Côte Landaise
Hossegor Tourist Office
Les Landes Tourist Office
Learn About the Basque Country
UK Tourist Office for France