Les Trois Oliviers

The Property

Les Trois Oliviers is a well appointed detached villa with large pool and beautiful views over the 1000 year old village of St-Genies de Fontedit. It is a child friendly property in an enclosed garden with lawns, shady trees and a hammock . There is a high standard of safety fencing/gates around the pool area.

The house is in a superb location, around 20 minutes from Beziers. It is half an hour from a variety of sandy beaches. It is near to the Orb river and on the on the edge of the Parc Naturel Regional de Haut Languedoc with kayaking, swimming, fishing and numerous scenic walks just 10 minutes away.

The house featured on Channel 4’s ‘Richard & Judy’ as a fine example of a property in the Languedoc.

Accommodation

The house has 5 bedrooms sleeping a total of 9:

Downstairs:-2 doubles (one of which has a kingsize bed and French windows leading into the garden) and a twin

Upstairs:- a twin and a single bedroom, both with optional air-conditioning

Additionally, we have a travel cot and high chair at the property and provide all linens and house towels (please provide your own beach towels).

Downstairs, there is a large bathroom with a WC, 2 washbasins, shower and bath, plus a further separate WC. There is second bathroom upstairs with a WC, washbasin and bath with shower over.

The kitchen is fully equipped with ample crockery and cutlery. We also provide plenty of unbreakable glasses and crockery for use around the pool. There is an eye-level oven with separate hob (gas and electric rings), a kettle, toaster, dishwasher, microwave and American style fridge/freezer.

The lounge/dining room is extremely large and has a TV, DVD player, video player and radio/cassette/CD player.

You can also dine on the verandah over looking the pool and village.

There is a separate pool house with a washing machine and tumble dryer, WC and heated shower. There is also an outdoor cold shower.

Cleaning is done at changeover or fortnightly. Additional cleaning can be arranged with the housekeeper at the guest's expense. The housekeeper can also provide for, or arrange baby-sitting, as required.

For guests requiring additional accommodation, there are two modern gites within the grounds which can be rented as a supplement to the house.

Gite 1: Sleeps 2-4

Small but well appointed studio. Open plan kitchen/dining area/sitting room. Sofa can be turned into a double bed. Shower room with WC & washbasin. Bedroom/sitting room – ‘Clic-Clak’ double bed folds into a sofa when not in use.

Gite 2: Sleeps 4-6

Downstairs: Open plan kitchen/living room/dining recess. Large shower room with WC & washbasin. Double bedroom.

Mezzanine: 2 single beds on gallery. Double bedroom.

Both gites are well equipped with cookers, kettles, toasters, fridge/freezers, washing machines, microwaves, and TV’s.

Please note that the gites are generally only let out as supplementary accommodation to the house although we would consider letting the gites out separately out of season (November-February)

The Garden

The garden is fully enclosed with automated gates.

The pool is 12m x 6m in size and between 1.1m and 2.9m deep. It is also completely enclosed to the highest safety standards.

There are sun loungers and parasols around the pool, a hammock under the trees and a rocking chair on the verandah. Further tables and outdoor seating is available for larger groups on request.

There is a barbecue, swings, a basketball hoop, table tennis table and boules.

Please note: this picture was taken prior to the pool being enclosed

The Location

St-Genies de Fontedit is situated around one hour from Montpellier airport and around an hour and a quarter from Carcassonne airport. Nimes and Perpignan airports are about an hour and a half away, and Toulouse, two hours away. Beziers has recently been added to Ryanair 's Bristol, Luton & Stanstead (seasonal) schedules - this airport is around half an hour from the house. Whilst these services are currently quite restricted , we are keen to promote the development of this airport. We are therefore now happy to consider November - March bookings for periods other than the peak season Saturday-Saturday timings.

The house itself is situated in the village, at the edge of the historic centre. It is just a 3 minute walk to collect morning croissants from the local bakery – the village also has a small general store, butcher, newsagent and bar. There is an Intermarche supermarket about 5 minutes’ drive away just outside Magalas. Magalas also has good local restaurants.

Situated in the Orb valley, there are numerous outdoor pursuits to enjoy:

The local area boasts a wide range of mapped walks to appeal to all levels of fitness.

Kayaking and river swimming is a 10 minute drive away. There are numerous local beaches – our favourite is Valras Plage (20 miles away) as it also offers swings, aerial slides and showers as well as having a safe, sandy shoreline.

There is a good golf course a St Thomas, only 15 minutes drive away which is open to non-members. Overall, there are 14 golf courses in the Languedoc (check out http://www.languedoc-france.info/0416_golf.htm)

The village has had new tennis courts built, for which we hold a season ticket. These are 10 minutes walk away and are floodlit so it is possible to play in the evenings if the daytime is too hot. In the summer you can take on the locals in the village boules contest - the winner gets a fine chicken (plucked, thank goodness!)

The historic town of Beziers is 10 miles away. Dominated by the beautiful cathedral and the famous ‘Nine Locks’ of the Canal du Midi, it offers a wealth of cafés, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife including bowling. There is a good rugby club with a magnificent stadium and a bull fighting arena.

The area also offers the following attractions, to appeal to all tastes:

The Parc Naturel Regional de Haut Languedoc, the Black Mountains and Lake Salagou. This manmade reservoir is particularly safe for young children bathing as there is a huge shallow ‘beach’ with no tides. The lake also has sailing, and windsurfing and is popular with birdwatchers and fishermen (for freshwater, you need a 'carte de pêche vacances' which is available at all fishing shops.)

The Gorges d’Heric. There are many spectacular gorges in the region, but this is perhaps the most famous one locally. In an area of outstanding natural beauty, the gorge has caves, waterfalls and challenging walks and climbs. For those wishing to see the gorge and its herds of wild ‘mouflons’ in a more relaxed fashion, there is a famous ‘little train’ that does a tour.

The area is of great interest to geologists and archaeologists below ground as well as above. Perhaps the most famous grottos are Grotte de Clamouse, an underground world of caves with spectacular calcite and aragonite formations and Grotte de Labeil with its underground river, fossils and cave safari.

There are numerous historic towns and villages in the region worth a visit. The area generally is a treasure trove of superb roman and mediaeval architecture. We particularly like Pezenas with its busy market and Carcassonne with its castle

The Sigean Wildlife Park is well worth a visit. You genuinely do get to see and experience animals in the wild at close quarters.

Aqualand at Cap d’Agde is a large waterpark of slides and water experience to appeal to all ages and levels of courage.

The area is, of course, a particularly famous wine producing region. There are numerous ‘Caves’ where the local produce can be tasted and bought. The house overlooks our own small vineyard and the local ‘Cave Co-operative’ where the village’s wine is made. All our guests are greeted with a bottle of our own wine.

For more about the region, please click this useful link

Les Trois Oliviers

St-Genies de Fontedit