Spacious Gîte in Aude with Terrace, Computers & Original ArtSpecial offer

First Floor Apartment details

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Spacious 2nd floor lounge - gite in Couiza, Aude

Pretty South facing terrace used by all apartments

Spacious gite with 3 apartments,each with computer

Ground floor bedroom with king-size bed

Kitchen with dining table that expands to seat 10

Carcassonne old city is 40 minutes away

Photo of Rennes le Chateau from Couiza

Market in Couiza

One of several lakes and rivers that are nearby

Horse riding, walking and cycling in Aude, France

Markets are in Couiza, Esperaza (shown), Limoux...

One of many paintings hung at Mode d'Artiste, Aude

Home description

Couiza is a thriving village with all amenities, set between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains of the Pyrénées in an area of outstanding beauty. At Couiza’s heart lies Mode d’Artiste, comprising 3 comfortable apartments in a C17th house, on the river Salz, near to Rennes-le-Chateau and the historic city of Carcassonne.

The gite holds up to 14 people and has a South-facing terrace with river view.  Each of the three apartments are tastefully decorated and have their own well-equipped kitchen with washing machine, full oven and hob, etc., a spacious lounge with comfortable sofa-bed, music system and computer with free ADSL Internet access and original artwork, as well as separate bathrooms and WCs.

Languedoc-Roussillon offers a wide range of holiday activities, making Mode D'Artiste the ideal place from which to enjoy your holiday in the South of France.  Local attractions include thermal spas, river swimming and other water sports, walking, restaurants and markets.  There’s pony-treking on the much loved horses of the Camargue, golf, a casino, a dinosaur museum and a museum of hats, truly something for everyone!

Children and well behaved pets are welcome, with a high chair, toy box and plastic utensils available for children under five.  Please note that the gîtes are non-smoking throughout.

Long Winter Lets

Special discounts are available for long-term winter lets of 4 weeks or more, please contact the owners for details.

Accommodation

The apartments are individually decorated in their own style and include original artwork by five talented local painters and sculptors. All apartments have double glazing and are designed in the French style, to stay as cool as possible in the summer and as warm as possible in the winter.  Electric heaters and fans are provided in each apartment and the top floor also has a wood-burning stove and high-beamed ceiling.

There is a computer with ADSL Internet access in each apartment, which is free to use, saving you the expense and inconvenience of a visit to the Internet Cafe. This makes it an ideal base from which to find local attractions, locate French houses or keep in touch with clients or friends via email, as well as providing entertainment for the kids.

The terrace (55 m²) is a south facing sun trap with two trees that provide ample shade in the long Mediterranean summer and has seating for eight. There is a short path from the terrace to the river Salz, a gently flowing tributary to the Aude, where you can watch trout swimming while sipping your favourite tipple. There is also river swimming in the Salz a short walk away at several beautiful, secluded spots. All guests have use of the terrace.

Please scroll down for information about the local area.  To the right of the Features Section, you will also see a link to the Owner's Website, which has more information and photos, plus a page for each different type of holiday activity - walking, horse riding, river and lake swimming, etc. and a page on each of the local towns, including Couiza, Arques, Rennes le Chateau, Rennes les Bains, Esperaza, Quillan, Limoux and Carcassonne.

Computer courses

Each apartment at Mode d'Artiste has a computer with free ADSL Broadband Internet access, so if all you need to make your holiday perfect is the private use of a computer, then you will have this at no extra cost.

If you would also like to learn how to create and maintain an attractive website which is easy to navigate and appears well with search engines, we can offer tuition or create a website for you to your specifications while you are enjoying your holiday in the South of France. Please contact us for more details and prices.

The gite has a pretty terrace with 2 tables and seating for 8 and overlooks the river Salz, a tributary to the river Aude.  It is close to all amenities, including a Spar supermarket, restaurants and patisseries and Couiza is on both a bus and train route.

Accommodation detail

Well-equipped kitchen with table that can seat 10

1st floor lounge with computer and free internet

One of the paintings in the apartment (may change)

Bedroom of holiday gite in Couiza, South France

1st floor bathroom

Floor plan of 1st floor holiday apartment

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• Kitchen - well-equipped, including washing machine, cooker, microwave, percolator, juicer, kettle, toaster, etc.
• Lounge/dining room - a light and airy room with comfortable sofa bed, computer and music system.  It also has a dining table that expands to seat ten, so large groups can eat together in comfort
• Bedroom 1 - a large master bedroom with built-in wardrobe
• Bedroom 2 - a twin room with built-in wardrobe
• Bathroom
• Separate WC

Fans and electric heaters in both the bedrooms and the lounge

About the location

Aude and Languedoc-Roussillon

Couiza itself is a thriving and friendly village (population: 1,280), complete with all amenities, including two patisseries, a tabac, a local grocery store, two excellent restaurants and two cafe bars.  There’s ample well-lit off road parking within sight of Mode d’Artiste.  If it's Cordon Bleu you're after, then Languedoc-Roussillon boasts the finest food, cooked to perfection.  There are also many restaurants within a short drive in both Limoux and Quillan, so you'll be spoilt for choice.  Languedoc Roussillon is the home to some of the most recognisable and sought after names in wine-making, Fitou, Fleury, Minervois and Corbieres to name a few, and of course the blanquet champagne from the local town of Limoux.

Near to Couiza are the health giving thermal spas of Alet les Bains and Rennes les Bains with outdoor swimming pools fed by natural springs with temperatures at a steady 30 degrees all year round.  Rennes-le-Chateau is 4 km away, which has incredible views and is shrouded in mystery, said to hide clues to a lost treasure.

The gite is 34 km from the medieval city of Carcassonne, famous for its walled city within a city.  Carcassonne has many museums and historic monuments to visit and is a highly recommended holiday attraction.  8 km South of Couiza is the attractive market town of Quillan, which heralds the beginning of the climb into the Pyrenees and some amazing drives along roads hewn literally from the mountain side.

East of Couiza is the forest of Arques and its swimming lake, to the West another two lakes, Montbel, where you can wind-surf, canoe, kayak or hire pedalos and lake Puivert, which also has one of the most outstanding Cathare castles.  The castles of the Cathars dot the beautiful valley of Aude from Narbonne to Foix, the evidence of a remarkable era in France's history is cast on the landscape in the form of ruins and forts standing proud on promontories around Couiza and the Aude region.

Just over an hour away to the East are huge swathes of beautiful Mediterranean beaches - plenty of room to find a secluded spot on your holiday, should you so desire.  If, however hotdogs, buckets and spades and cheeky postcards make your heart sing, Narbonne Plage will come high on your list of must sees.

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

Activities near by

Bird Watching, Boating, Boules, Canoeing, Canyoning, Caving, Cycling, Drawing and painting, Fishing, French tuition, Golf, Gourmet dining, Hiking, Horse riding, Mountain biking, Photography, Rambling, Riverside activities, Rock climbing, Shopping, Sightseeing, Skiing, Spa, Swimming, Tennis, Tree adventure park, Walking, Water sports, White water rafting, Wine tasting

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

How to get here

The nearest airports to Couiza are Carcassonne (34 km), Perpignan (60 km) and Toulouse (100 km).  There is a train service from Carcassonne to Couiza and a bus service from both Perpignan and Carcassonne to Couiza. There is also now an aerobus service straight from Carcassonne airport to Couiza.

Please contact us and we will email you details of our website, which includes maps, links to travel companies and airlines, etc.

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