Our fully renovated three storey 18th century village house is located at the historic heart of this charming village in the shadows of the Alberes mountains, which are the mediterranean foothills of the mighty Pyrenees. It has been furnished in a stylish mix of modern and traditional and has been modernised to a very high standard with excellent outdoor spaces including a second floor rear balcony, a first floor rear terrace and a substantial garden with large terrace and heated pool.
From the front windows you can admire the impressive Eglise Saint Michel with its cloisters and historic main door lintel. There are also tennis courts available for hire, a pétanque terrain, a small gourmet food store and a park with children's play area and a twice weekly morning market (Tuesdays and Fridays) in the square opposite the house.
From the rear terraces you can enjoy views of Alberes mountains above the beautiful garden with a 7m x 3.5m heated pool. The pool is sanitised with a low dose of salt rather than chlorine and so is safe for use by those with very sensitive skin.
The house is 120m2 and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms and features electric heating throughout and a spectacular wood burning stove in the main living area.
At ground floor there is an entrance hall, WC and a large double bedroom with an ensuite shower room. The renovated original staircase rises from the central lobby up to the 1st floor 7m x 7m open plan main living area with lounge, dining area and well equipped kitchen - range cooker, microwave, fridge, kettle, toaster and dishwasher. The dining table comfortably seats 8 people and the living area has a sofa and two armchairs, a TV with access to some French and British TV and a DVD player with a collection of popular movies. There is also a CD player/Iphone dock with speakers and a collection of CD's.
From the living area there are 4 full height double doors leading out to a large terrace with an 8 seater table for al fresco dining. There is also a small utility room with washing machine.
Steps down to the main terrace with four sun loungers and plenty of deckchairs and Weber barbecue, then a small lawn with a Seville Orange and Mandarin tree which have been conjoined to grow together (the previous owner was an arboriculturist). Then the tiled pool surround leads onto a shady, secluded area at the rear of the garden with Passionfruit, Grapevine, Banana plants, Olive Tree and a hammock and a small outhouse which originally housed goats, now converted to outside storage with pool toys. There is also a rear access gate. Parking is free at the front and rear of the property.
The final flight of stairs leads up from the living area to the second floor landing. From this lead two front double bedrooms a family bathroom and seperate WC. At the rear is a large double bedroom with ensuite shower room and a rear balcony with a small table and chairs to enjoy a morning coffee and croissant while taking in the spectacular views. All of the upper floor bedrooms have ceiling fans to keep you cool even in the height of summer.
Within a few minutes walk there are numerous places to eat including traditional French cuisine, a pizzeria and Asian/Phillipino delicacies. There are also two boulangeries, two small supermarkets, a pharmacy, a tabac, a bank, two bars and two wineries.
Further afield, 2km away is the medieval village of Laroque des Alberes with its pretty narrow streets and hilltop ancient chateau with more bars and acclaimed restaurants to choose from. The beaches of Argeles Sur Mer are a 15 minute drive away and offer everything from the busy Plage centrale with all of the facilities and water-sports that you would expect from a popular seaside town to the more secluded, intimate, laid back beach at Le Racou with its beach houses, eateries and cocktails bars (our favourite).
After another 10 minute drive down the beautiful Cote Vermeille you will reach the beautiful picture postcard town of Collioure, Roussillon's answer to St Tropez. It has 3 beaches and it's pretty, winding, narrow streets are filled with bars, restaurants and art galleries.
The brightness of the colours are what has attracted so many artists to Collioure over the years. There are now more than 40 art galleries and artists’ studios dotted around town, many of them dedicated to Fauvism, the art movement that flourished here in the early 20th century, drawing in luminaries such as Henri Matisse, André Derain, Étienne Terrus, Aristide Maillol and George-Daniel de Monfreid. Other famous artists such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Raoul Dufy also came here to paint. “No sky in all France is more blue than that of Collioure,” Matisse once famously enthused. Nowadays, the Maison de Fauvisme offers several guided tours.
The Spanish border is only another 30 minutes drive from here past the working fishing port of Port Vendres where you can enjoy a port side lunch (with less tourists!) and buy some freshly caught fish directly from the fishermen at Les Poissonneries De La Cote Catalane. Other notable places in the area are the cool, bohemian town of Ceret, a 30 minute drive inland with its popular Saturday market. There are swimming and watersport lakes 20 minutes away near St Jean pla de Cort. Perpignan has a pretty, pedestrianised centre with a huge array of shops. There are lots of walking and cycling routes and looming over everything in the area is the majestic Pic Canigou, at 2784m it was described by Rudyard Kipling as “a magician among mountains”.
Access to the home is easy by car from the autoroute A9, Perpignan Airport is just over half an hours drive away, Girona Airport an hour and Carcassone and Bezier airports 90 minutes away. Indeed Barcelona itself and its airport are 2 hours away and the Catalan cultural influence is very evident in this region which has the best climate and more sunny days per year that any other part of France.
