Summary :
Stylish
good quality rentals are hard to come by in Biarritz which
is why we are pleased to be taking on Maison St Charles.
It
is a traditional town house in the St Charles district, recently
renovated to a very good standard. There is generous living
space, and sunny rear terrace for dining outside, plus three
bedrooms upstairs. It is located just 50m from the centre
of Biarritz's charming St Charles district, and a 10-15 minute
walk from teh beaches, shopping & restaurants in Biarritz
centre. In all, a very pleasant place to stay & become
a Biarritz resident for a week or two.
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Key
Facts :
| Location
: |
Biarritz
- St Charles |
| Type
of location : |
Residential
area close to local shops; 10-15 minute walk to Biarritz
centre |
|
No.
of bedrooms : |
3
bedrooms (master double + 2 children's twin bedrooms), plus
upstairs office/sitting area with sofa bed |
| Sleeping
capacity : |
Up
to 8 |
| No.
of bathrooms : |
2
x shower rooms |
| Style
of property : |
Good
quality, contemporary town house |
|
Quality
guide : |
GOOD
QUALITY - what
does this mean? |
|
Prices
: |
|
»
Check availability & prices GO
»
Special
offer if booking before 31.1.09 Go
|
The
price includes linen & bathroom towels (changed each Saturday),
water, gas, electricity and one reserved parking place per
apartment.
No extras. Baby-sitting available on request, payable locally
The security deposit of 700 EUR (or GBP equivalent) is payable by credit card and will be held by Alternative Aquitaine on the owners’ behalf. The card record will be destroyed within 21 days of departure assuming no breakages, damages or extra cleaning costs are incurred.
» Read important information about security deposits
& insurance |
Linen
arrangements : |
Bed
linen and bathroom towels are provided. Spare set of house
linen is left for guests staying longer than 1 week. |
Cleaning
arrangements : |
Cleaning visits are available during your stay on request – the cost is 15 EUR per hour, and is strongly recommended for a more relaxing holiday. Before you leave you are expected to leave the property clean and tidy.
» Read important information
about cleaning
|
Arrivals
& departure : |
Arrive
Saturday 5-6pm and depart Saturday by 10am. There is some
flexibility in the off season - please enquire
»
Read important information about
arrivals & departures |
| Nearest
beach : |
Grande
Plage, Biarritz approx. 500 metres |
| Nearest
boulangerie : |
100m |
| Nearest
airport : |
Biarritz
- 15mins; Pau - 60 mins; Bilbao - 90 minutes; Bordeaux -
2 hrs |
| Nearest
ferry port : |
Bilbao
90 hrs; Santander 3.5 hrs; St Malo 9 hours - all approx |
| Swimming
pool : |
No |
|
Facilities
& Equipment : |
TV;
radio; dishwasher; washing machine; microwave; iron; wi-fi
internet access |
| Suitability
for children : |
Good
- cot & high chair available for infants; upstairs office
suitable as children's play area; house & terrace is
completely enclosed. Excellent for teenagers - Biarritz
is the sort of place where they can 'roam' independently |
| Things
to see & do : |
Surfing,
golf, cycling, watersports, culture. Visit: Basque Country
villages, Bayonne, Biarritz, Pyrénées, Bordeaux,
Spain - Pamplona, San Sebastian & Bilbao |
| House
rules : |
Pets
not allowed - supplement applies; no smoking please. |
|
|
Location
: Map
Ref A6
Maison St Charles is located in Biarritz's
charming St Charles district, a local shopping area with a 'village'
feel distinct from central Biarritz. All the essentials are here:
butcher, baker, greengrocer, cheese shop, wine shop, cafe and
a couple of good restaurants! The beaches and boutiques of Biarritz
centre are about 500m away: 10-15 mins on foot.
The
nearest airport is Biarritz (15 minutes by car/taxi); Bilbao ferry
port is approx. 90 mins drive; it's approx 9hrs drive from St
Malo channel port. TGV trains run to Biarritz Negresse station,
a short taxi-ride from Maison St Charles.
|
Accommodation
:
Maison St Charles is a nicely renovated Biarritz townhouse with
character features (fireplace, arched windows, balconies, high
ceilings) from its original construction (approx. 100 years
ago) giving it a very 'French' feel. The on-street entrance
and hall are shared with the neighbouring property, but once
inside the property and terrace are independent.
The renovation was completed in 2007 to a very good standard.
The bathrooms, kitchen & equipment are contemporary and
high quality, the living areas and bedrooms good quality. Dark-stained
exposed floorboards and plain white walls downstairs give a
fresh & chic continental feel. Upstairs the same neutral
colour-scheme and sea-grass-style floor are pleasant and modern.
The house is spacious, 150m2 altogether.
Downstairs
The entrance door leads into the main downstairs living &
dining area with open-plan kitchen. The sitting room is in the
front bay , and includes a marble fireplace, 2 sofas seating
4 (one convertible into a double sofa bed if required) and television.
A dining table and chairs seating 8 is situated at the other
end of this room, separated from the kitchen by a breakfast
bar.
The kitchen is modern & well-equipped, including washing
machine, dishwasher, double-oven range & hob, fridge-freezer,
microwave, coffee-maker, and the usual utensils.
Sliding glass doors open from the rear of the dining room onto
the rear walled terrace, a small but sunny & pleasant outside
space, nicely decked and with a few plant pots and garden table
& chairs for 4. (Please note that because this is quite
a built-up location the terrace is overlooked.)
A doorway leads down from the living room to a basement with
some storage space.
Upstairs
A wooden stair case leads upstairs to a good-sized upper landing.
The rear part of teh landing is configured as a working space,
additional sitting/reading area or could be a suitable play
area for children. It contains a desk, and convertible sofa
bed; French doors open onto a small balcony overlooking the
rear terrace.
There are three bedrooms in all: a large master bedroom with
large double bed, plus two twin bedrooms; one of these is decorated
in a style making it more suitable for children.
There are also two shower rooms upstairs, each also with basin
and WC.
In
all we think Maison St Charles offers smart, modern accommodation
for groups of friends & families wishing to explore this
stylish and varied French sea-side town.
|
How
To Book :
STEP 1.
Check availability. NB Website availability is
refreshed daily but not "live" so please contact us
to confirm availability. Call 0870 6092845 or
email us
Once we have confirmed availability we can normally hold a property
for up to 48 hours if you need to confer with friends or family).
STEP 2.
Call or email us
if you want to go ahead and make a provisional booking.
STEP 3.
To confirm a provisional booking we need, within 5 working days,
your completed Booking Form and your deposit payment of 35%.
|
Guide
:
Biarritz:
Biarritz is back in fashion. Celebrities and sports
stars are flooding back to live in the region, turning their
back on the Côte d'Azur. Biarritz is an eclectic place;
it somehow manages to mix an affluent elderly population with
a steady flow of well-dressed surfers plus a sprinkling of super-rich
jetsetters on top. A compact and stylish town, Biarritz really
does have something for everyone...famous beaches, museums,
fine restaurants, boutiques, casino, golf
courses, horse-riding and the south west's famous spa
and thalassotherapy centres. Maison St Charles
is ideally placed to enjoy all of the town's attractions. Daily
provisions can be purchased from the local shops and Biarritz's
daily market at Les Halles.
The Basque Country:
The Basque Country is a little world all of its own.
The regional cuisine and architecture provide character enough
but more than that, this ‘country’ also has its
own language. For a ‘formal’ introduction to Basque
culture, try the Musée Basque at Bayonne.
However, the best way to soak up the culture is to visit one
of the many fêtes or ‘festivals of strength’
that take place in the high season, or, even better, watch a
game of pelota. The fastest ball game in the
world, this is perhaps the most vivid image of Basque country.
St Jean de Luz is also on your doorstep and
whether its beaches, shops, restaurants or festivals you are
looking for, both of these towns are hard to beat. Stylish but
without the pretence of the Riviera, both are colourful and
vibrant seaside towns with plenty of family evening entertainment.
They are the sorts of places where you will see whole families
sitting down to start dinner at 10.30pm! St Jean de Luz is recognised
as the capital of Basque cuisine and is noted for its seafood
(it is one of Rick Stein’s favourite places) and use of
the spicy Basque staple pimento. For sampling pretty
Basque villages on the coast, try Bidart and
Guéthary
A few kms inland is the local mountain pass into Spain, the
Col d’Ibardin. This was formerly a smuggling
route and today is still a place to buy cheap wine and spirits.
These mountain pass towns exist all along the Pyrénées.
A great trip for the kids is a ride on Le Petit Train
de la Rhune. Standing over 900m high, La Rhune is the
distinct and symbolic peak of the western Pyrénées.
It can be reached by foot – a lovely day’s walking
– or by funicular train. The 360 degree views from the
summit are spectacular.
There are great beaches all along the coast
from the Spanish border at Hendaye, north into the Landes and
Gironde départements. Because the Côte d’Argent
is so vast, the beaches are less crowded than on the Mediterranean.
The area is totally under-visited for its golf
despite the game’s rich history in this region and the
presence of some wonderful courses: Chantaco, Nivelle, Biarritz
Le Phare, Arcangues, Makila, Chiberta, Hossegor, Seignosse and
Moliets are all within an hour’s drive. José-Maria
Olazabal’s course, Fuenterrabia, is just across the border
into Spain. Horse-riding, mountain-biking and
fishing are also popular. Surfers
will already be familiar with the Côte Basque, and there
are plenty of surf schools for beginners.
Thalassotherapy and thermal spa
are big attractions in this area – people come from all
over France for sea and freshwater therapies; there are venues
across the region including Hendaye, St Jean de Luz, Biarritz
and Dax.
The countryside is a delight; the rolling green hills are popular
with the few British visitors that the region receives. The
foothills rise to the mountains of the Pyrénées
which are home to dozens of hiking trails including
the famous coast-to-coast GR10 track. Eagles, wild horses and
the occasional brown bear make this one of Europe’s most
exotic wildlife locations. Bird-watchers will
be kept busy twitching. The Pyrénées also provide
thrill-seekers with a range of extreme sports from white-water
rafting to paragliding. The mountain
landscapes are at their finest in the Haut-Béarn
region.
Other suggestions for day-trips from the house :
• A tour of Basque country villages:
Ascain, Ainhoa, Sare, La Bastide Clairance Cambo-les-Bains,
Espelette and St-Jean-Pied-de-Port
• A visit to Bayonne, the under-rated
‘capital’ of the Pays Basque
• Wine-tasting in the vineyards of Irouleguy
• A visit to the city of Pau for sight-seeing,
boutique shopping and café-crawling
• Crossing the border into Spain for
a visit to San Sebastian, Pamplona or the Guggenheim
museum at Bilbao
For further information try the links below. Please note that
we cannot be held responsible for the content of third party
sites.
Alternative Aquitaine's Biarritz Guide
Biarritz
Office de Tourisme
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Office de Tourisme
Pyrénées-Atlantique
Tourism
Guide
to Wines of the South West
Introduction
to the Basque Country
UK Tourist
Office for France
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