Home description

L'Olivette is a private, well presented villa which has everything you would require for a perfect holiday. The house and Apartment are well equipped for rest and relaxtion. It nestles into the hillside in the foothills of the beautiful Montagne Noire. L'Olivette has its own private swimming pool with stunning views of the mountains and adheres to current French Pool Safety laws. Alongside the garden are some beautifully restored Olive terraces.

We are a 15 minute walk, along a quiet road, from the charming medieval small town of Caunes Minervois, with its historically famous Abbey. There are many varied walks for all ages and abilities in the Minervois region including the Montagne Noire and the Canal du Midi. We have information and maps on many of these walks.

Accommodation detail

L'Olivette is a charming villa in two parts - the Main House and separate Apartment. Ideal for extended families or two sets of friends etc. The whole villa has to be rented during the months of May to September. The Apartment only can be rented separately through the winter from October to April. The property is private and a perfect place to relax.

The Main House

• Sitting room with two large leather sofas and easy chair. Satellite TV, CD player, selection of CD’s, books, games etc.
• Kitchen/Dining room. It is well equipped with oven/grill, separate hob, microwave, dishwasher and fridge freezer.
• Bathroom. A large room with bath and shower, W.C., heated towel rail and vanity unit.
• The main bedroom has a King Size bed, wardrobe, bedside tables and chest of drawers.
• Second bedroom has a double bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers and bedside unit.
• Terrace with gas BBQ, table & 6 chairs & parasol.

The Apartment

The open-plan apartment has:

• A well equipped kitchen (no dishwasher)
• Dining and seating area (comfortable sofa bed) armchairs, Satellite TV, stereo with CDs.
• Separate Double bedroom, fitted wardrobes and en suite shower room with vanity unit, WC and heated towel rail.
• A separate well equipped utility room and drying area.
• Terrace with table & chairs, parasol and gas BBQ.

About the location

Caunes-Minervois is a small medieval town with a bank, shops and restaurants, a famous Abbey, showing off, to impressive effect, the equally famous pink marble quarried just outside the town. The old centre around the Abbey has wonderful narrow streets to wander through and explore.

If you have not explored this area of France before you will find a wealth of fascinating (and Tragic) history, dramatic scenery and of course as we are in the Minervois, a region of major and good wine production, where every town and village produces it’s own wine, you could try a different wine (or two!) every day. Of course along with the wine comes the food and there are local markets in many of the towns and villages of the area where you can try and buy locally grown produce.

Here are just a few ideas for places to go and things to see –

A visit to ‘La Cite’, the medieval city at Carcassonne and the largest remaining walled city of its type, is a fascinating day out. On the outskirts of Carcassonne is Carcassonne Plage, a lake with sandy beaches ideal for swimming just 25 minutess by car or in just 40 minutes you could be basking in the sun on the gloriously sandy beaches at Narbonne & the Mediterranean coast both north & south. A day trip to Barcelona or Andorra is possible too with both being only three or four hours drive.

There is the rich Cathar history with the amazing Castles at Lastours and the extraordinary walled city of Minerve, which are both, definitely worth a visit. The hugely impressive caves at Cabrespine should not be missed either!

Information on these and other places of interest worth visiting are available in the house and apartment.

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

How to get here

Flying to Carcassonne is the best route to your holiday. Ryan Air flights leave from Stansted Airport twice a day in the summer period and the flight takes about an hour and a half. They also fly to Carcassonne from Liverpool, Bournemouth, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Dublin, Cork, Charleroi (Belgium) and from 2010 also Leeds-Bradford and Eindhoven (Netherlands).

Alternative routes are possible from Birmingham airport to Perpignan or Toulouse with Flybe and Ryan air also have flights to Toulouse from Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Southampton. Flights to Montpellier are also available. Car hire is available at all airports.
Drive times from airports to ‘L'Olivette' are approximately as follows -
Carcassonne – 25 minutes, Toulouse – 90 minutes, Perpignan – 60 minutes, Montpellier – 90 minutes.

Nearest Train Station is Carcassonne

If you would like help with directions please let us know.

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

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Facilities

Facility	Details
Type	Villa, Apartment (Self-catering)
Bedrooms	3 double
Baby cots	1
Bathrooms	2 bathroom(s)
Capacity	8
Suitability	Non-smoking, Suitable for children, Unsuitable for wheelchair access
Changeover day	Saturday

Facility	Details
Internal facilities	CD player, DVD player, Electric heaters, English satellite TV, Exclusive rental, Hairdryer, Hi-fi system, Broadband Internet Access (Wi-fi), Owner not on site, Radio, TV
Kitchen facilities	Dishwasher, Electric hob, Electric oven, Fridge-Freezer, Ironing facilities, Microwave, Washing machine
External features on site	Barbecue, Garden, Scenic views, Swimming pool (exclusive use)
Other	The pool is not heated and is open from Mid-May to early October. It has a Safety cover which complies to the Pool Safety Laws and has a chlorine filtration system.

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Additional price information

• All linen & bath towels are included in the price and a change offered weekly.
• We ask for a 30% non refundable deposit at the time of booking and the balance to be paid 8 weeks prior to arrival.
• We offer a cleaning service at the end of your stay for €45 (for the whole villa).
• Opposite at 'Au Pont Romain' (In the peak season) we offer: a FREE wine tasting on Friday evenings, a barbecue on Sunday evenings at a cost of €18 for adults, €8 for children over 5 yrs, and an evening meal on the Wednesday evening, a three course for adults at a price of €20 and a two course for children at a price of €10 (both the barbecue and evening meal include all drinks). These must be booked in advance. During the off peak period meals are available on any evening with prior notice.
• Also at 'Au Pont Romain' we have a range of bikes, with all the accessories, for hire @ 6€ a day.
• We ask you to arrive at L'Olivette no earlier than 16.00 and vacate the villa by 10.00 on your last day.
• Andy & Su Hodgson are the property managers/keyholders of L'Olivette and can be found opposite at 'Au Pont Romain'.

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