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Summary :
Pigeonnier is a spacious cottage converted from a former stable
and hayloft of this historic, lovingly-renovated château
standing on top of a hill overlooking the Garonne valley. (The
château comprises 9 rentals - 6 cottages plus 3 apartments
- altogether.)
Pigeonnier is
a characterful cottage, once a pigeon loft and converted, like
the rest of the château, to a high standard. It has two
good-sized bedrooms and spacious accommodation downstairs; antique
furnishings throughout are very much in keeping with the spirit
of the building. With much to do around the château or further
afield, this is ideal for a family to enjoy the history and landscape
of the Gironde.
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Key
Facts :
| Nearest
Town : |
Bordeaux
(20 km) |
| Type
of Location : |
Quiet,
picturesque country location |
| No.
of bedrooms : |
2:
1 double, 1 twin |
| Sleeping
capacity : |
4 |
| No.
of bathrooms : |
2:
each bedroom has its own bathroom |
| Style
of property : |
Historic
cottage |
| Quality
guide : |
GOOD
QUALITY - what
does this mean? |
| Prices : |
|
| »
Check availability & prices for this property GO |
The price includes linen and towels
Extra charges are applied for babysitting - pay locally
Heating is charged extra from October to
May if required.
Security deposit
€150
or £100 payable by credit card on arrival and returned
on or shortly after departure (as long as property is left
clean and there is no damage/breakages)
» Read important information
about security deposits & insurance |
| Linen
arrangements : |
Bed
linen and house towels are included in the rental price |
| Cleaning
arrangements : |
The
villa is cleaned and prepared for arrival. No cleaning is
included in the rental
» Read important information about
cleaning
|
| Arrivals
& departure : |
Saturday
changeover - arrival 4-6pm; departure 10am.
Flexible arrival & departure in
off season.
» Read important information about
arrivals & departures |
| Nearest
beach : |
Arcachon,
or Grand Crohot nr Cap Ferret (75 km) |
| Nearest
boulangerie : |
Tabanac
(1 km) |
| Nearest
airport : |
Bordeaux
Mérignac (25 km) |
| Nearest
ferry port : |
St
Malo 7 hours drive, Santander 3 hours drive |
| Swimming
pool : |
Yes,
heated, 12m x 7m, usually open mid-May-mid-October,
shared with other guests |
| Facilities
& equipment : |
Microwave,
washing machine, dryer, dishwasher; BBQ. Bikes, table-tennis,
boules (all shared with other guests). Shared CD player
in chapel |
| Suitability
for children : |
Excellent
for active children who will enjoy the facilities and space |
| Suitability
for infants : |
Safely
enclosed, off quiet country road.Cot & cot linen available. |
| Things
to see & do : |
Swimming,
cycling, badminton, table-tennis, food and wine. Lots to
visit: country villages, St Emilion, Bordeaux, châteaux. |
| House
rules : |
Pets
are not allowed. Smoking outside only |
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Location
: Map
Ref C2
Tousens
Pigeonnier is situated just outside a small hamlet about 20 km
south east of Bordeaux close to the river and overlooking the
valley of the Garonne in the appelation of Premières Côtes
de Bordeaux. This is where the restful, rolling countryside of
the Entre-Deux-Mers region begins - in the middle of this peaceful
landscape and immersed in the chateau's history you feel in a
completely different time and place from the modern world.
Yet, it is just a 30 minute drive to Bordeaux or its Merignac
airport. The TGV serves the Gare St Jean in Bordeaux, also about
30 minutes drive away. The channel port of St Malo can be reached
in a good seven hour run; the other way, Santander is about three
hours' drive.
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Accommodation
:
It
is no exaggeration to say that the château that provides
the setting for Pigeonnier cottage has a certain undefinable magic
that only reveals itself as you unwind, discover and explore.
An old bakehouse, a tower where the Bishop of Bordeaux once stayed,
an original wine press, the arched walls of the old wine store
and a restored chapel, the sense of hundreds of lives and years
passed here is magical - it really is living history.
After passing under the château's main gates, you come into
the gravelled courtyard: the sandy-yellow coloured stone the chateau
is made of casts a warm, relaxing glow throughout - you immediately
begin to feel at peace.
Pigeonnier cottage is situated behind the chapel (where the owner
has thoughtfully provided a hi-fi system so guests can listen
to their own CDs!) towards the front of the courtyard. The cottage's
kitchen/dining room has many features in common with others in
the château - quarry-tiled floor, exposed wooden beams,
thick, unplastered stone walls - which give it so much character.
Perhaps Pigeonnier's most striking aspect is the large tiled lounge
conservatory with wood-burning stove; with windows on two sides,
light and views pour in from Pigeonnier's garden and the château's
orchard beyond.
The kitchen comes equipped with washing machine, dishwasher, microwave,
fridge frezer, coffee machine, kettle and electric oven.
Stairs
lead up from the kitchen/dining room to the two bedrooms on the
first floor, one double with a bathroom and wc on the adjacent
landing, one twin with en-suite bathroom and separate wc.
Both are very comfortably and tastefully furnished.
French doors from the lounge conservatory lead to a private garden
with plenty of garden furniture, a barbecue and outside light
for sitting out in the warm summer evenings with views over the
rest of the château's gardens.
Pigeonnier's guests have shared use of the château's 12
x 7 heated swimming pool; the pool and terrace is surrounded by
a protective fence in the middle of a beautiful meadow with palm
trees, sun terrace, swings and badminton. It has a shallow end
for children.
There are a further fifty acres of grounds shared with the château's
other guests, offering a variety of walks. Four bicycles and six
mountain bikes are available for guests' use (including one with
a baby seat) to explore the many quiet, safe roads around the
château.
All in all, it is a unique chance to experience the history and
landscape of the Gironde, a fantastic place to meet like-minded
people and to have a holiday that is as relaxing or as active
as you wish.
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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%.
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| Guide
:
Visitors
to l'Esprit Tousens often have little need or urge to venture
more than a mile away. Getting to know the fifty acres
of grounds surrounding the château, on foot or
even on horseback, cycling the
nearby lanes, badminton, boule, and swimming
on site, plus free tennis courts a mile down
the road in the nearest village, it is tempting not to stray!
If you do, l'Esprit Tousens is situated on the edge of the Entre-Deux-Mers
countryside, one of the loveliest parts of the Gironde - soft,
undulating hills, ancient villages (St Macaire, Sauve-Majeure
and Cadillac should be high on anyone's list for a
visit), baroque châteaux and some excellent white wines.
St Emilion, just over the Dordogne river to
the north, is another must-visit.
Talking of which, wine-lovers - beginners and more experienced
- are spoilt for choice here. For an intelligent, entertaining
and informative introduction to the wines of the Bordeaux region
Planète Bordeaux is worth a visit (it's
rather less cheesy than the name may suggest to English ears!),
about half-an-hour's drive north. Alternatively, Château
de Malle (near Langon, 30 km to the south east) organises
recommended tours and tastings in its exceptional surrondings.
Further afield, many of the highlights of Aquitaine are within
60-90 minutes drive, easily day-trippable. There's the endless
expanses of golden sand and rolling waves characteristic of
the Atlantic coast's beaches - Le Grand Crohot,
about 10 km due west of Lège-Cap Ferret is particularly
recommended, you can always find a quiet spot to yourself. Alternatively,
there's the very family-friendly resorts of Lacanau-Océan
and Arcachon, or for a change from the ocean
beach, there's bathing at Lacanau lake (Etang de Lacanau) -
with shade from the forest and no currents to worry about families
with young children often prefer it here. The oyster-farming
villages and pine-and-sand-dune landscape of La Presqu'Ile de
Cap Ferret are another world.
The other way (east) is the rich gastronomic and cultural heritage
of the Dordogne - its truffles, many caves
(eg at Sarlat, Lascaux, Font-de-Gaume) and
fortified towns are within an hour and a half's drive. Closer
to home, there are many good local restaurants, many offering
children's menus. For a special meal at the château itself,
most of them will also usually deliver for a small charge.
Other activities include 10+ excellent golf courses
within an hour by car; the château's owners will assit
with addresses and booking. Canoeing is available
on local rivers - this is a fantastically diferent way of seeing
the landscape, with over 40 miles of circuits nearby.
This is just a taster. The owners of l'Esprit Tousens know the
region intimately and will provide suggestions for all ages
and interests when you meet them.
Alternative
Aquitaine's Guide to the Pays des Vins
Tourist
information - Entre-deux-Mers
Guide
to St Emilion
Sources
Caudalie - grape-based beauty treatments
Gironde
Tourist Information
Hostens
Lac guide
Landes
National Park - information
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