A 3 bedroom village house with large garden and river swimming 3 minute walk away
Sleeps 6 to 8
Spacious house with large garden in Bize-Minervois a charming mediaeval village in Languedoc-Roussilion, Cathar Country. River for swimming is 3 minutes walk and it is 23 Kms to Mediterranean sea.
Driving through gently rolling hills and vineyards, at the hamlet of Cabezac, just off the D5 between Beziers and Carcassonne, visitors will notice the Oulibo, a co-operative that produces some of the best olives and olive oils in France. About 2 kms. down this road lies the small and picturesque village of Bize. The village has a butcher, baker, two grocers, post office, hairdressers, newsagents, sweet shop and a wine cellar. There is also a bar and several restaurants. Every Wednesday morning there is a market by the river.
Rent payable in either Euros or Sterling a minimum of six weeks in advance. There is an additional charge of €15 per head to be left in cash for the cleaner. Bedlinen and towels provided but beach towels are not. A deposit of £250 will be held against cancellation or breakages until the end of the rental period. Special Offers : 10% off the 2nd week and 10%Late Booking discount (start date within 4 weeks).
Bathroom 1 - Toilet, Bath with shower, Bidet, Ensuite
Bathroom 2 - Toilet, Bath with shower,
Notes:Shower-room with bidet basin, it also has its own terrace, running the length of the house. bathroom 2 with shower over bath, basin, a laundry room.
Bedrooms:
3 Bedroom(s)
Bedroom 1 - 1-Double bed(s),
Bedroom 2 - 1-Double bed(s),
Bedroom 3 - 2-Single bed(s),
Notes: Bedroom 3 with separate dressing room and bedroom 2 with additional space for a single bed or cot. The second sitting room has a pull out sofa bed. It makes a good children's bedroom, if needed, with room for a second bed.
Entertainment:
Audio tape player
Stereo system
Cd
DVD
Tv
Satellite or cable
Internet access:
Outside:
Balcony
Barbecue
Garden
Parking
Terrace
Swimming pool:
Outdoor pool
Suitability:
Children welcome
Activites:
Cycling
Diving
Horseriding
Mountain biking
Swimming
Walking
Arrival day:
Saturday
Notes:
The sitting room is entered through a porch, good for storing sandy beach clothes. It has a high, wood-beamed ceiling, large open fireplace, coffee table, armchair and sofa. A wide archway connects the adjoining dining room which has a table to seat 8 people, off which is the kitchen overlooking the front garden. Turning right at the front door is a second sitting room or television room, with a staircase to an upstairs. This second sitting room has a TV with free to air French and English satellite programs, DVD player with films available to hire from "Utile" around the corner.
You enter the walled front garden past flowerbeds planted with roses and honeysuckle onto the patio, perfect for al fresco dining, shaded by a mulberry tree and vine, with the house on the left. Stone steps lead up to the back garden which has a shaded gazebo and lawns for sunbathing, a comfortable hammock, space for the paddling pool and is filled with mediterranean plants - lavender, mimosa, hibiscus, and various fig, apricot and olive trees. There is also a portable barbecue and garden furniture available. Swimming : Running through the village is the Cesse, a river dammed here to provide a clean (tested by the local authorities), natural swimming pool with grassy banks bordered by weeping willows, which is constantly being refreshed as the river flows downstream. It is attended by lifeguards in the summer and there is a small cafe/creperie with outdoor seating. There is another dammed pool about 1 km upstream.
Local area information
History : At the centre of the walled village is the church that dates back to the 13th century, as does the Porte Saint-Michel. The walls of village you see now date back to Mediaeval times as the whole region was on a historical crossroads, and was occupied successively by Etruscans, Greeks, Phoenicians and of course Romans who ruled Gaul from their Capital of Narbonne from 60 BC to 476 AD. There were further invasions under the Romans and following their fall the area was occupied by Saracens in 900 AD. After the massacres of the Cathers the region changed hands many times until the Edict of Nantes in 1598 ended the Protestant Catholic Wars of Religion by guaranteeing freedom of worship. Today the moats have been filled up and transformed into gardens and houses although tunnels from the castle (Le Logis Colbert), originally used to escape the marauders , survive. So
Local area information
Sorrounding area : Bize is in the Minervois region (which is to be found in the Departements of Aude and Herault) and which is named after the captivating village of Minerve - the former capital - 10kms. to the north, that straddles two deep river gorges and was the site of the historic siege and massacre of Cathar “Parfaits” by Simon de Montfort. Towards the east and south are the towns of Beziers and Narbonne with splendid cathedrals, excellent markets, shops, museums and much else. Ten minutes drive further south are the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean that run from Cap d'Agde to Gruissan, and further north and south. Forty minutes drive west is the mediaeval city of Carcassonne. The City is spectacular, with magnificent walls, views, shops, restaurants, museums. For castle devotees, go to the Corbieres and visit the peaks where Queribus and Peyrepetuse are found. These castles defy gravity and provide stunning views over the surrounding hills and valleys towards the Pyrenees.
Outdoor pool 
Unknown
Booked
Available
