Pau

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Dating back to the 19th century, this superb maison-de-maître of about 530m² has been beautifully converted into a spacious 3-bedroom apartment for the owners, two large gîtes for holidaymakers and a huge function room (100m²) for weddings and events.

Many of the property's original features have been retained and sympathetically restored, such as the carved stone fireplace in Gîte 1, along with arched windows and exposed stone walls throughout. These delightful architectural features complement the property's modern equipment and décor - and offer guests luxury and authenticity.

The maison-de-maître is approached along a private drive lined with mature trees. The drive leads up to a gravel courtyard in front of the property, where there is plenty of room to park. Gîte 1 is on the left of the building, the owners' private apartment is on the right and Gîte 2 is between them. Three private shower rooms have been provided for yurt guests, accessible via a door between Gîte 1 and Gîte 2. Beyond the shower rooms is a staircase up to the events space on the first floor.

The owners' private apartment has a large open-plan main room on the ground floor with a sitting area with a fireplace, a dining area, an office area and a kitchen area. (It is possible to access Gîte 2 from this room.)

A solid wooden staircase leads up to the apartment's first floor and to a gallery, which overlooks the main room. The first floor comprises a bedroom with an adjoining dressing room, two further bedrooms, a family bathroom and a separate WC. The new owners can continue to live in the apartment, or it could be rented out as a large gîte for groups.

Both Gîte 1 and Gîte 2 are furnished and equipped for 6 - 8 people. Gîte 1 has a large first-floor bedroom for six people and a sofa bed in the sitting area on the ground floor; Gîte 2 has two ground-floor bedrooms (one for two people, one for four people) and a sofa bed in the sitting area.

Three yurts each provide accommodation for up to five people. The yurts - and their furniture - were sourced directly from Mongolia! To add a bit of luxury, each yurt has its own private shower room on the ground floor of the maison-de-maître.

Along with the marquee in the grounds, the property has a wonderful function room of 100m² for hosting celebrations, courses and events. Two smaller rooms adjoin the main room, one of which has a kitchen area. If required, one or both of the rooms could be incorporated into the main room to create a total floor area of 160m². There is also an unused mezzanine area above the main room (currently only accessible via a ladder).

Outside, the owners have created a covered terrace and barbecue area in the property's former pressoir - and there is a decked terrace equipped with sunloungers and a Nordic hot tub. Behind the maison-de-maître is a small barn, which has been beautifully restored - and a covered summer kitchen for caterers to use when there are weddings and events.

There is also room in the grounds for installing a swimming pool (permission required), a children's play area and flat lawn for croquet and crazy golf! Let your imagination run wild...

The property is situated in a very peaceful village in the Béarn, yet is easy for holidaymakers, wedding guests and corporate clients to get to from Pau, Tarbes, Biarritz, Toulouse, Bordeaux... Tarbes-Lourdes airport is 30 minutes; Pau airport is 40 minutes.

If you have children, there is a primary school in the village for younger children - and older children have a choice of secondary schools in towns located 10 minutes away. The closest supermarkets are also about 10 minutes away.

THE OWNERS' PRIVATE APARTMENT (160m²)

Ground floor (100m²):
- an open-plan sitting room/dining room (80m²) with a fireplace and direct access into Gîte 2 (kept locked)
- an adjoining office space(7m²)
- a kitchen with a pantry (12m²)

First floor:
- a gallery
- a bedroom with an adjoining dressing room (20m²)
- two further bedrooms (12m², 10m²)
- a family bathroom (10m²)
- a separate WC


GÎTE 1 (75m²; 2 - 8 people)

Ground floor:
- a covered terrace and barbecue area
- an open-plan main room (40m²) with a carved stone fireplace, a sitting area, a dining area and a kitchen area
- a utility room
- a shower room (5m²)
- a separate WC

First floor:
- a huge bedroom with three sleeping areas for up to 6 people (25m²)


GÎTE 2 (85m²; 2 - 8 people)

- a small terrace
- an open-plan main room (45m²) with a sitting area, a kitchen/dining area and doors (locked) into the owners' private apartment
- a bedroom (for 4 people) with an en suite shower room (23m²)
- a bedroom (for 2 people) with an en suite shower room (13m²)
- a separate WC


THE THREE MONGOLIAN YURTS

Each yurt...
- sleeps up to 5 people
- is furnished with authentic furniture from Mongolia
- has a private, individual shower room with WC in the maison-de-maître


THE FIRST-FLOOR EVENT SPACE/FUNCTION ROOM

- a huge space with a wooden floor (100m²) and a desk/bar and window seats
- an adjoining room of about 30m², which can be used for smaller groups or for storing furniture
- a second adjoining room of about 20m² with a kitchen area equipped for catering
- a mezzanine area above the main room


THE GROUNDS & OUTBUILDINGS

The property is set in wooded grounds of 4,576m² with...
- a decked terrace with a Nordic hot tub
- a marquee for weddings and events
- a covered terrace with a barbecue area
- a boules piste
- a renovated stone barn (currently used for storage)
- an open-sided barn with kitchen equipment for caterers to use
- a vegetable garden

There is, of course, plenty of room for installing a swimming pool (permission required), a pizza oven, a children's play area...


THE POTENTIAL!

This well-established gîte and events business is ready for you to open for business as soon as you move in! All the furniture and equipment is included in the price - and current owners have provided everything that you could possibly need.

As well as offering accommodation to holidaymakers in the two gîtes and three yurts, you can host private weddings and events for guests who are staying on site, as well as corporate conferences and seminars, art and music courses, cookery and wine-tasting courses, yoga and wellness retreats, writing and craft workshops...

The property has several large areas for groups to meet up together for courses and meals, comprising...

... a huge event space on the first floor, which is ideal for activity workshops, seminars and formal dining...
... a large room in the owners' private apartment, which could be used for spa treatments, wellness workshops and informal group meals...
... a marquee in the garden for group meals, activities and meetings...
... a summer kitchen for caterers to use, but which could be used for cookery and wine-tasting courses...

There is huge potential for you to introduce new and different activities, as well as benefiting from the current owners' network of course leaders, caterers and suppliers.

The gîtes can accommodate 2 - 8 people and each yurt sleeps up to 5 people, offering a range of possibilities for all group sizes. In addition, the owners' private apartment has three bedrooms, which could be rented out, as well. The owners' apartment also has doors (locked) which open into Gîte 2, so the gîte and the apartment could be combined to create one huge gîte for a large group.

The yurts could be ideal for hosting B&B guests for short breaks - and you might even like to offer accommodation to horse-riders - and their horses - who are following the Route d'Artagnan bridleway (about 5km away).

As well as providing comfy beds and delicious breakfasts for your B&B guests, you could offer evening meals and picnic lunch hampers full of local Béarnaise delicacies. They might even be tempted to book some spa treatments and activity courses to prolong their stay in this little corner of paradise!


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Telephone + ADSL (cable available)
Double glazing
Electricity
Heating: wood-pellet boiler + electric radiators + open fireplaces
Mains water
Septic tank (conforms to current regulations)


THE LOCAL AREA

The property is located in the beautiful Béarn region in south-west France, not far from Pau (25 minutes to the ring road), Tarbes (30 minutes) and Lourdes (40 minutes). Toulouse, Bordeaux and San-Sebastián in Spain are all about two hours away.

The region is popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, white-water rafting and fishing. There are also several ski resorts (70 minutes) which offer a choice of winter sports, including downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snow-shoeing. For those who prefer beach-based activities, the Atlantic coast is about 90 minutes away, where you can picnic, swim and surf at Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

If your interests are gastronomic, you'll love exploring the many farmers' markets throughout the Béarn, where you can sample locally produced Jurançon and Madiran wines, tasty Bayonne ham cured in salt from Salies-de-Béarn and fabulous Brebis, (a cheese made from ewes' milk), which is normally eaten with delicious black cherry jam from Itxassou!

Airports: Tarbes-Lourdes, Pau, Biarritz
Train: Pau, Tarbes
Coach: Pau, Tarbes
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Ski: Val d'Azun Cauterets...
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

Attractions: Parc National des Pyrénées, Cirque de Gavarnie, Petit Train d'Artouste, Lourdes, Grottes de Bétharram, Jazz in Marciac, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, Route d'Artagnan...