Two Apartments in Lovely Old Country House with Pool

Ground Floor Apartment details

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Les Tilleuls

The apartment at dusk

Home description

There are two apartments that are on the upper and ground floors of a self-contained wing of this lovely country house. The house is situated near the village of Bardos, which straddles the Basque / Bearn border, 20km from Bayonne, 25km from Biarritz. Les Tilleuls has superb mountain views, the peace and tranquillity of the countryside, yet is only 25 minutes from the superb Atlantic beaches and the fantastic resorts found there.

The house is a "maison de maitre" style mansion, built in 1875. It was reputedly owned by a Polish count who lost it as a gambling debt in a Biarritz casino! The owners hope not to go the same way!

The house and apartments are on a ridge, facing south with stunning views of the Pyrenees. It is possible to see from "La Rhune", on the border of France and Spain by the sea, all the way along the chain inland - on a good day you can be sunbathing by the pool, whilst looking at snow capped mountains. The countryside is green and rolling, typical of Southwest France, very unspoilt and largely agricultural. Bardos is 3 minutes drive away, about 20 minutes walk. There you will find an incredibly good value restaurant / hotel, a small supermarket, tabac, butcher, boulangerie and another restaurant. There is a bigger supermarket 10 minutes away in Urt, and a huge hypermarket, 20 minutes away in Bayonne.

A final word on the weather - the warm summer season has tended to be a long one in the past. The owners were on the beach, sunbathing and dipping in the sea on Nov 1 last year - it was 30.9C on 31 October! Although the weather can't be guaranteed, it has has traditionally been nice into October.

External features on site

• Garden
• Scenic views
• Swimming pool (exclusive use)

Accommodation detail

Ground floor living room

The apartment is designed to sleep 4 people, although it would be possible to place an extra bed for a child if required.

Ground Floor Apartment

•  Kitchen - is fitted with gas hob/electric oven and a dishwasher and has all the facilities to comfortably self cater.
• Living room - is very large - 39 sq.m. - containing a sofa, 2 chairs, a dining table with 4 chairs, TV, Stereo, and has a big traditional fireplace. There are large French windows leading out to the apartments own terrace area, where there is a metal table and chairs. The living room is very light with two more south facing windows.
• Two bedrooms - one contains 2 single beds and the other has a large double bed. Both bedrooms have large windows with views up the drive and over fields.
  Bathroom (with WC) interconnecting the two bedrooms. It has a bath with shower attachment.
• Separate WC - off the living room.

Outside & Facilities

See details for First Floor Apartment.

About the location

A great place for a day trip is San Sebastian - just over the border in Spain (45 minutes). There are hundreds of excellent tapas bars, a great beach and castle and there are lots of things to do. The local area around Les Tilleuls is famous for its gastronomic delights, and there are a number of excellent restaurants at all prices. The local restaurant, Odile's, does excellent country fare (you'll never leave hungry!) with menus staring from €10 including wine. There are a number of Michelin starred restaurants within easy drive - if you're interested ask the owners for a recommendation – they've done a lot of market research in this area! There are also a number of weekly markets selling very good locally grown produce whether it be exquisite foie gras, local goat's cheese or a whole suckling pig!

The summer time is festival time in south west France and these are not to be missed. The Fete de Bayonne runs from 3rd to 7th August this year and involves 200,000 people per day on the streets eating, drinking and generally partying. There is a children's day and the atmosphere is very welcoming and open.

There is a mini-version in the village of Bardos from 11th to 14th August which again is very welcoming – the owners went with guests last year and came home at 7am the next morning!

There are a number of information sheets that are useful to your stay at Les Tilleuls. For example, there are sheets on Restaurants, Walking, Water Parks, Climbing, Emergency & Health Care information amongst others. These contain pertinent information, telephone numbers and internet links to help you enjoy your time here. If you would like to receive any of the sheets before your stay, the owners can e-mail them; otherwise they will be here for you when you arrive.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and facilities.

Activities nearby

Swimming, Water sports, Boating, Canoeing, Cycling, Fishing, Horse riding, Mountain biking, Rock climbing, Golf, Gourmet dining, Wine tasting

See Activities and attractions for more information on nearby activities and places of interest.

How to get here

25km from Biarritz airport. Very easy access by road.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and airports.