***Long term winter rates available ***
Newly refurbished 1100 square foot apartment with private entrance comprising two spacious double/twin bedrooms, two en suite bathrooms, entrance hall, separate kitchen and sitting room.
Bedroom 1 enjoys the early morning sun and has its own balcony ideal for breakfasting. it is a beautiful light area room with a large double bed. Bedroom 2 has an original marble fireplace and has a 4' bed and a 2'6" bed. The beds are all made up with freshly laundered sheets and quilts. Both bedrooms have magnificent original tiled floors and plenty of storage space.
Both bedrooms have modern en suite shower rooms complete with WC's, wash hand basins and power shower. Toilet rolls, hand wash and plenty of freshly laundered towels are also provided. Hot water is electrically heated and the large 300L tank ensured loads of hot water for bathing and showering. Fresh towels can be provided at any time during your stay at a small charge to cover laundering.
The apartment has a fully equipped kitchen including an American fridge freezer with ice-maker and drinks dispenser, cooker, microwave, dishwasher, expresso coffee maker, kettle, toaster etc.. It even includes mugs, teapot, and tea bags! The kitchen is fully stocked with cutlery, dining sets, glassware, kitchen implements and cookware for 6 people. Basic items such as salt, pepper, dishwashing tablets and liquid, bin-bags, toilet rolls , washing powder, hand soap, tea, coffee, sugar and cleaning products are all supplied saving you the hassle and expense of buying large packs of these items. We even throw in a small welcome pack which can vary to include wine, bakery products, milk, flowers or seasonal fruit. This ensures that even if you arrive in the middle of the night you have something in the larder.
Oftentimes in the summer Chantel and Serge, who look after the property and live next door will provide you with seasonal fruit and vegetables from their expansive garden.
The kitchen also has a TV which receives English Satellite stations.
The kitchen area has a first aid kit, fire blanket and the apartment is fitted with both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
The kitchen has dining table and chairs for 4 people.
The lounge / sitting room is large and comfortable with three two seater couches.It has a wood burning stove which is lovely to light in the colder weather. The room is filled with light and catches the sun for most of the day. All windows are curtained and shuttered which allows for privacy and together with really thick walls allows you to keep the house cool in the heat of the summer. The lounge comes equipped with a large flat screen TV, UK satellite receiver and a DVD player. The TV has both French channels and also all your favourite UK television and radio stations. Located elsewhere in the house you will find a library of dvd which you are welcome to use. Also there is a video player you can borrow with over a hundred videos, including loads of kids favourite movies.
The sitting room also has a large armoire containing a hoover, brush and shovel, mop and bucket, large fan, hair-dryer, iron and ironing board and a clothes dryer.
Within minutes of the house is the local bakery, restaurant and corner shop. The main town of Prades (2km) hosts a bustling Tuesday market and is famous for its summer classical musical festival. Beautiful views make the area ideal for walking/ painting holidays.
Ski Resorts of Font Romeu and Les Angles are only a 45 minute drive away, Both have a varied mix of ski runs and are ideal for the beginner and intermediate skier. Further afield at about one and a half hours are the slopes in Andorra.
Further details
Midweek cleaning / fresh towels and pre arrival shopping all possible at a nominal charge.
Any special requests will be catered for if at all possible.
Also available is a babysitting service.
Further details indoors
The house includes a magnificent 40 foot long games room, originally known as the Jardin D'Hiver ( The Winter Garden). One complete wall is glazed and overlooks the village and the river. The room has a beautiful floor of local marble. In the room you will find a large library of English DVDs, Videos, Books and Games for your use. All we ask is for you to treat them with care and return when finished. in the room you will also find other things for you to borrow to make your holiday more comfortable such as cool-boxes, ice packs, backpacks, walking sticks, some ski gear ( for winter holidays), two bicycles and even umbrellas which have never been used! The room has comfortable seating to allow you to relax and read. It even has an easel for those of you with an artistic leaning. Paints and canvases can be purchased cheaply in the local GIFI store. On display on the the walls you can see some of the canvases painted and kindly left in the house by previous guests.
We are exploring the possibility of offering art lessons and creative writing classes this coming Autumn so please let us know if you would be interested.
The house is steeped in history, formally being the residence of the chief engineer of a mining company. It even had a dumb waiter for bringing the food up from the basement kitchen. On display in the house you will see the magnificent account books used to keep the household records from the mid 1800's The empty pages of the final record book (dated August1947) now serve as the Guest comment Book.
Finally the games room has a table tennis table for the more sporting of you. There is plenty of bats and ping pong balls ideal for keeping the kids amused. Also there is a badminton net and racquets which we normally set up in the drive in front of the house.
Further details outdoors
The house is situated on a private road shared only with the two neighbours. It is accessed through large double gates which are closed at night providing secure car parking. To the right of the house is a small shared garden with sun loungers, decked area with barbecue and outside dining furniture. There is also a hammock for you to relax on. The garden is fully fenced off making it safe for children. To the front of the house you will also find some other seating and dining areas.
