Pau

...

Built during the 18th century, this charming Béarnaise maison-de-maître of 315m² is in on the outskirts of a small village not far from Pau, Lourdes and Nay. Ski resorts in the Pyrénées are 40 - 60 minutes away; the coastal resorts of Biarritz, Hossegor and St-Jean-de-Luz are under two hours away.

Set in easy-to-maintain gardens of 3,244m², the property has a vast two-storey barn with an adjoining carport. If, however, you prefer to park your car inside the barn, the carport would be ideal to use as a summer kitchen and covered dining terrace. There is also ample flat land for a swimming pool (permission required), a barbecue area, a children's play area, a boules piste...

The front door of the maison-de-maître opens into an entrance hall with a traditional wooden staircase at the far end leading to the upper floors. To the left of the entrance hall is a dining room, which leads round to a cosy sitting room with a wood-burner.

To the right of the entrance hall is a delightful kitchen with a breakfast bar. There is also a huge stone fireplace and an informal dining area. Behind the kitchen is an "arrière-kitchen" area with a walk-in pantry, a shower room and a separate WC.

From the kitchen, a door opens into a splendid Garden Room of about 65m², which has glazed walls on the north and south façades. Doors open out to a north-facing terrace and a south-facing terrace - the perfect spots for enjoying sunny breakfasts, long, lazy lunches and romantic suppers!

A door from the Garden Room opens into a utility room in the two-storey barn. The ground floor of the barn comprises two main areas (90m² & 100m²), which are separated by a central cobbled passageway leading to the back of the barn and its adjoining carport. The unconverted first floor of the barn (230m²) is accessible via a wooden ladder in the passageway.

Back in the maison-de-maître, the staircase in the entrance hall leads up to a central corridor on the first floor, with a west-facing balcony at the one end. The first floor comprises a master bedroom with an adjoining dressing room/office area (which could be converted into an en suite shower room), two more bedrooms, a family bathroom (bath and shower) and a separate WC.

The second floor has three large bedrooms, along with a smaller bedroom/study, which could be converted into a dressing room or an en suite shower room for one of the bedrooms. This floor also has a family bathroom with a bath, a shower and WC. Please note that the rooms on this floor have sloping ceilings.

This lovely property is located in the beautiful Béarn, between the mountains and the sea. Hugely convenient for people working in and around Pau, Lourdes or Tarbes, the property is also perfect for anyone who loves skiing, surfing and water sports. Pyrénées ski resorts are 45 - 60 minutes away to the south - and Atlantic beaches are just over 90 minutes away to the west. There are also several swimming lakes nearby, some with leisure beaches and water sports.

The centre of Pau is about 25 minutes away, along with Total and the International School of Béarn. Lourdes is also 25 minutes away, as is the airport at Tarbes-Lourdes. The closest TGV station is at Coarraze-Nay, which is less than 5 minutes away.

THE MAISON-DE-MAÎTRE (315m²)

Ground floor:
- two terraces adjoining the Garden Room
- an entrance hall (18m²) with a carved wooden staircase to the upper floors
- a sitting room (16m²) with a wood-burner
- an adjoining dining room (25m²)
- a kitchen with a large open fireplace, and an informal dining area (25m²)
- an adjoining "arrière-kitchen" area with a walk-in pantry (8m²), a shower room (3m²) and a separate WC (1m²)
- a Garden Room (65m²) with a door out to a north-facing dining terrace, sliding door out to a south-facing dining terrace and access to a utility room in the barn (10m²)

First floor:
- a central corridor with access to a west-facing balcony
- a master bedroom (19m²) with an adjoining dressing room/office area (9m²), which could be converted into an en suite shower room
- two further bedrooms (19m², 20m²)
- a family bathroom with a bath and a shower (13m²)
- a separate WC

Second floor:
- a landing (18m²)
- three large bedrooms (10m², 10m², 12m²)
- a smaller room (10m²/Loi Carrez 5m²), which could be converted into a dressing room or an en suite shower room
- a family bathroom with a bath and a shower (9m²)

NB: please note that the rooms on the second floor have sloping ceilings


THE GARDENS & THE BARN

The maison-de-maître is set in enclosed gardens of 3,244m² with...
- a south-facing terrace
- a north-facing terrace
- a huge two-storey barn (Ground floor: 90m² + 100m²; First floor: 230m²)
- a carport/covered dining terrace
- ample flat land for installing a swimming pool (permission required), a summer kitchen/barbecue area, a children's play area, a boules piste...


THE POTENTIAL!

In perfect condition, this splendid Béarnaise maison-de-maître is ready for you to move into today! With 315m² of living space, it is perfect for a luxurious family home or a fantastic holiday home... and with six bedrooms to choose from, you will have plenty of room to accommodate your friends and family when they come to visit you...

For families with children, there are two primary schools within walking distance in the village; for older children there are excellent collège-lycées in Nay (5 minutes) and Pau, including the International School of Béarn.

For anyone who works from home, the property has several rooms that could be used as an office/consulting room. It might also be possible to transform part of the barn (permission required).

This super property has great potential for accommodating Bed & Breakfast guests, especially with an additional shower room on the first and second floors.

Tourists visit this wonderful area all year round, especially Lourdes, Pau and the Pyrénées, with visitors hoping to find conveniently located upmarket B&B accommodation nearby. The property is also close to the GR782, the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle and the Route d'Artagnan bridleway, so you might like to welcome pilgrims, walkers and even horse-riders (and their horses)! With hearty suppers available when your guests arrive and delicious breakfasts to enjoy before setting off again, you should be busy all year round!

During the quieter months of the year, you could also consider using the Garden Room or the barn for hosting activities for your B&B guests, such as yoga and wellness classes, or courses in painting, photography, gastronomy, Jurançon wine-tasting...


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Telephone + cable internet
Partially double-glazed
Heating: gas central heating + open fireplace + wood-burner + heated ceiling (Garden Room)
Mains gas
Mains drainage
Well


THE LOCAL AREA

This lovely property is in a charming Béarnais village, not far from Pau and Lourdes (25 minutes). The village has boulangeries and other small shops, along with a doctor's surgery, a pharmacy and several bars and restaurants. The nearby town of Nay also has a great choice of amenities, shops, bars and restaurants - and you can buy delicious fresh produce all year round from local farmers’ markets.

There are schools for younger children in the village - and both Nay and Pau have excellent collège-lycées, which offer a range of study options (some in English), as well as the chance to specialise in theatre, dance, sports… and even horse-riding! In addition, The International School of Béarn in Pau, which follows the English national curriculum, is just 25 minutes away and awards UK qualifications.

Nearby, the delightful Vallée d’Ouzom extends all the way up to the Spanish border in the Pyrénées, where you can ski at Val d’Azun. A little further on, you can ski at Gourette and Artouste, where you can also catch a small open-sided train to travel high up into the mountains...

Airports: Tarbes-Lourdes, Pau, Biarritz
Train/TGV: Coarraze-Nay, Pau, Lourdes
Coach: Pau, Lourdes, Tarbes
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Ski: Val-d’Azun, Gourette, Artouste, Eaux-Bonnes, Formigal (Spain)...
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

Attractions: Base de loisirs au Lac de Baudreix, Aqua Béarn, Petit Train d’Artouste, Grottes de Bétharram, Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Lourdes, Grotte de la Verna, GR782, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, Route d'Artagnan...