One of our new collection of houses in France, Maison Jeanton (3-bed House) is an intriguing village house, which is literally two minutes' walk from the beautiful riverside, in the exceptional village of Sorde l'Abbaye in south west France, close to Biarritz. The house is approached from the main street through a long cottage garden, which has shady trees, an eating area and a barbeque. A 12ft wide gravel verge outside the gate provides off-street parking. The sitting/dining room is the oldest part of the house and has exposed beams, original fireplace with wood-burning stove, and a stone basin, which is now purely decorative. Off the sitting room is an open-plan kitchen in the style of the area, with a hatch through to the sitting room, and it has a large fridge with ice compartment, 4-ring cooker with oven and grill, microwave oven, washing machine, coffee machine, kettle and toaster. On the ground floor there is a shower room with basin and WC. The staircase leads up to three bedrooms, one of which has a picturesque view through palm trees and the village houses to the wooded hillside rising behind. Two of the bedrooms have double beds (one with a king-size mattress) and the third has two single beds.
SORDE L'ABBAYE is a quite exceptional village, which has grown up around the Abbey and what was a large and important monastery, holding sway over much of the area, on the banks of the river. The ruins of the monastery remain, overlooking a dramatic weir. The Abbey was built on the remains of a Roman villa (the Villa Sirtius, from which the name 'Sorde' derives) and sections of well-preserved Roman tiled mosaic floors can be viewed inside the church. Due to its important history, both as a resting-place for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain (who pass through the village to this day) and also because of its Roman origins, the entire village has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Amenities: An auberge, with a terrace overlooking the Abbey, just a few minutes' walk along the river from the house (unfortunately the boulangerie has closed, however the Champion supermarket at Peyrehorade has an excellent in-house bakery, open 7 days a week). Recreation ground, including a tennis court and childrens' playground, a Fronton court (similar to squash) and boules/petanque is played nearby, under the trees. Within minutes there are wonderful walks along the river and also on the bluff overlooking Sorde l'Abbaye PEYREHORADE, the nearest town, is 2.5km (under 5 minutes' drive) from Sorde l'Abbaye, and is a bustling market town situated on an estuary, where the two large rivers of the area, the Gaves (meaning mountain torrent) de Pau and d'Oloron converge, and boasts an attractive chateau. Amenities: An excellent large and colourful market, every Wednesday Supermarkets, petrol stations, banks, chemists, doctor's surgery, bars, bakers and restaurants. A good supervised outdoor swimming pool and swimming in the leisure lakes nearby, as well as boat trips up-river to Port-de-Lanne and Dax A railway station, with a direct connection to Bayonne/Biarritz and Pau in under half an hour A motorway connection, providing fast and easy access to the sea, the mountains and Spain beyond. THE AREA: The surrounding countryside is lush and exotic: thickly wooded, rolling hills, green valleys dotted with palm and banana trees and wide rivers, against the spectacular backdrop of the magnificent Pyrénées (although they are not always visible in the heat haze of summer), making the area wonderful for walking, cycling, golfing, horse-riding, swimming, canoeing, rafting and fishing. Highly recommended are the Grottes (caves) of Sare and Bettharam, the Kakuetta Gorge and the 'petits' trains (La Rhune and l'Artouste). During the summer and autumn there are numerous fêtes in the various towns and villages of the area, all of which are great fun and very lively. TO SEE AND DO: Half and hour away: The unspoilt sandy, pine-fringed beaches of the Atlantic coast; Surfer's paradise, chic Biarritz, with a renowned golf course; Fascinating, vibrant Bayonne, which hosts a jazz festival in the summer; The Roman spa town of Dax, with the finest spa facilities in France, as well as a water-sports centre and golf course, and a Salsa festival in September. The smaller spa town of Salies-de-Béarn, under 15 minutes' drive away, has a golf course and very good indoor and outdoor swimming pools and spa baths. The dramatic and historic town of Sauveterre-de- Béarn, perched high above the Gave de Pau, which also has a white water centre. An hour away: The magnificent Pyrénées for more serious walking in summer and skiing in winter; Spectacular towns of St Jean Pied-de-Port, St Jean de Luz and Pau, and San Sebastian in Spain Further afield: Lourdes Pamplona, Bilboa and Santiago de Compostello in Spain.
PRICES 2009 - prices shown are per week Dates Amount 17 - 30 May £200 31 May - 4 July £275 5 July - 22 August £350 23 August - 12 September £275 13 - 27 September £200 Linen £5 per bed, per week Security/Breakage deposit £50 Property Location Pool ............................. Restaurants ................. Shops .......................... Main Town .................. Airport ......................... Port .............................. Linen ........................... Arrival day ...................   No Short drive, approx. 5-10 minutes Walking distance, approx. 200m Peyrehorade 5km Biarritz 56km, approx. 40m or Bordeaux, 2h Calais, approx. 10h or St. Malo, approx. 7h 15m Provided for a small extra charge SATURDAYS Bookings and further information: e-mail: bookings@directCorsica.com. For your convenience, payments for this property can be made in sterling via The direct Holiday Company. | Accommodation | Flights | Ferries | Overnight Accommodation |