La Maison de Maitre

What Nancy thinks...

READ MORE FEEDBACK FOR LA MAISON DE MAITRE HERE

La Maison de Maitre was built in 1838 and has been beautifully restored, blending old with new. Many original features have been retained - stone arches and walls, wooden floors and beams. This perfectly proportioned house has a lovely, open, airy feel to it, yet manages to remain homely and comfortable. Everybody can find a place to relax indoors with the two separate living areas consisting of a comfy family room packed with toys, games, videos and DVDs and the adult sitting room, stocked with reading material, music and office facilities.

The layout of the house means that two families could share a holiday together and still retain some privacy. There is room for a family with just one child or baby in the downstairs double room. This arrangement could also suit a family travelling with a nanny or grandparents. There is a good supply of big, fluffy, towels and all your beds will be made up with "The White Company" bed linen so all you have to do is make yourself at home!!

The house has been lovingly restored by a friendly British couple with children of their own who occupy a detached converted barn next to the main house - they have a separate entrance and do not have access to the pool. Their attention to detail is evident throughout, with little touches everywhere to constantly surprise and delight. There is a large gravelled courtyard full of toys right on your doorstep from which you can look over the rest of the garden out to the panoramic views of the sun-kissed countryside and the snow-capped Pyrenees to the south. This, along with an enclosed and heated pool, pool shed full of goodies, the long list of baby and toddler equipment and toys, a pre-arrival shopping service, pre-bookable babysitting, housekeeping and delicious freshly made meal delivery or private chef services, all combine to make a stress-free, relaxing break. It is not hard to see why many guests do not spend much time away from the property!

"The house was exactly as we'd hoped it would be, beautifully presented and very well (and thoughtfully) kitted out. The old rule of thumb 'if the kids are happy, we're happy' rang true, they settled in instantly allowing us to get on with the serious business of exploring the beautiful surroundings and enjoying some serious R&R."
The Venton family

There are a wide variety of extra services at this property including:

• The White Company linen, bath and pool towels
• Pre arrival shopping service (included)
• Delicious home made meals delivery service
• Massages available
• Restaurant recommendations and booking plus advice and help when planning your day trips
• Maid service available on request
• 2 week bookings include a change of The White Company linen, bath and pool towels plus 2 hours cleaning

N.B The owners of this popular property like to undertake all of their own customer service due to them living on site. For this reason, the booking process is handled by them - please let us know if you do want to go ahead and book and we will put you in direct contact with them.

To the right of the front entrance hall there is an open plan kitchen and dining room with a fireplace containing a wood burner and a big round table which seats eight people. The kitchen is clean and tidy, tastefully designed and well equipped with all the usual trimmings, hidden fridge, oven, hob, and dishwasher. It also comes complete with a vast range of co-ordinating stainless steel Magi-mix appliances, and a full set of Jamie Oliver frying pans and sauce pans too!

Situated next to the kitchen is a utility room with an extra fridge, washing machine, dryer, upright freezer, ice cream maker and every conceivable extra you could ever want in a utility room (cook books and baking equipment etc). How about a morning sauntering around the local markets, then coming home and picking some herbs from the herb garden and cooking up a storm with the children? They have their own cookery books and equipment too! There is a big round dining table in the kitchen with plenty of space to spare, great for family meals. On the far side, there is a beautiful old double door which left open creates a great flow through to the sitting room.

Parent Point: There is a small step down between the kitchen and family sitting room. There is a Baby Dan available if you would prefer to cut children's access to the kitchen off without shutting the doors.

The living room is big, spacious and airy thanks to a huge arched window looking out onto the courtyard. It has a wood burner, three comfy sofas and an armchair, along with TV & DVD player and a huge array of toys.  Also on ground floor level, off the sitting room, is a W.C. and on the opposite side is a beautifully decorated bathroom with over sized shower. This is the en-suite for the double bedroom at the furthest end of the ground floor which also has a cot that can be converted to a cot bed. This bedroom has its own door out onto the courtyard.

To the left of the main entrance and the hall is the adult living room, a warm and cosy ‘grown up' area of the house for adults to have some quiet time. Along with a wood burner (set in a magnificent open fire place), comfy sofas, magazines and music system, it also has a desk, wifi computer and a fax machine available should you need it. This room is intended for adult use only and the fire is not guarded.

Upstairs all of the rooms lead off from a central landing area. There is a huge, light and airy master bedroom with double bed and beautiful traditional style crib. This room has a dressing room and an en-suite bathroom attached. It profits from the spectacular views and also shutters on its numerous windows.

Parent point: The window in the master bedroom's en-suite is quite low to the ground. The window can be left open a little as it has a child lock which must be used at all times, though care should be taken not to leave children unattended in this room.

Also accessed from the landing are two other lovely twin rooms and a family bathroom with sunken bath. Both twin rooms have shuttered windows and carpeted flooring. The one towards the rear of the house has two huge ‘lit bateau' beds; these are great if your little one is in the transition from cot to bed as they are so huge!

"When you are in need of quality family time 'La Maison de Maitre' is the place to be ! A beautiful setting with EVERYTHING you need for 2 small children. We will not need a holiday to get over this holiday but we will need to book again.
Last but not least to the Coleman family - a huge thank you. Your warmth and hospitality has made our holiday and we are very sad to be leaving."
Sean, Gemma, Aaran and Euan Lamont, July 2010

The property is situated in 2 acres of grounds which extend into fields offering wide open spaces and peaceful surroundings with views of the Pyrenees in the distance.

Immediately in front of the house is a large courtyard area, perfect for bikes and trikes, which leads onto a huge flat lawn area complete with numerous outdoor play equipment, from swings, slides, sandpits, football and basket ball nets. There is a fenced pond with nets and buckets for pond dipping, plus a chicken pen on the opposite side of the lawn where guests are welcome to hunt eggs and feed the chickens.

Also accessed from the central courtyard area is a beautifully thought out, totally enclosed pool area which has a pool alarm as well. The pool is for guests use only. It is 8m x 3.5m [depth1.40m] and is heated, with roman steps. This enclosed area has a shady terrace right next to the pool, furnished with numerous sun loungers (with comfy cushions), and a CD player. There is also a picnic table out on the grass, but under a huge old oak tree for shade, and a big shed full of swimming toys and inflatables.

There is a fantastic opportunity for shade away from the pool area in the form of an "abri" shelter where the Weber Genesis gas BBQ and the Weber Charcoal BBQ are kept. There are also tables and benches here, which can be used for anything from arts and crafts to an alternative dining space.

"Thank you so much for all your kindness, we had a lovely time and Sam loved all the toys, tractors and pool. You have created a special place and worked hard to keep it so lovely. It wouldn't be such a wonderful place though if it weren't for the wonderful family who are lucky enough to call La Maison de Maitre home!" Linda, Don and Sam Howell  (21 and 1/2 months)  (June 2011) 

• Enclosed heated swimming pool with roman steps
• Small paddling pool
• Shed full of inflatable pool toys
• Baby and toddler swings
• Sand pit & accessories
• 3 Activity frames incl. swings, rope ladder, gym rings and a slide
• Outdoor games equipment (goal posts, basket ball net, swing ball, boules)
• Portable baby shade/tent
• Electric steam steriliser
• Hand blender
• Plastic cutlery, bowls, plates and beakers
• Annabel Karmel's baby & toddler recipe book
• Children's cookery books, cutters and rolling pins
• Socket guards
• Night light
• Mattress protectors
• Stair gates and door gate
• Bouncy chair
• Toddler loo seat
• Non-slip bath mats
• Bath toys
• 1 baby strollers with umbrella attached
• Back-pack for walking/hiking
• Toys and children's CDs, DVDs & videos
• 2 plastic steps
• 2 bed guards
• 2 cot bed pillows and duvets
• Anti mosquito plug-ins with refills

For the children...
This property really is a haven for fun loving children with a vast array of toys for both indoor and outdoor play:

Inside
0 to 5 years - Soft toys, books, videos, Lego, dolls, cars, wooden train set, farmyard animals, puzzles, games and much more. There are also plenty of books, videos and DVD's for young children (5 - 9 years). In the TV/family room there is a small trampoline and an old school desk which is ideal for drawing/colouring on. The large (127cm) LCD TV receives French and a good selection of UK satellite channels. This room remains cool when the temperatures outside are high and is a great place for every age group to chill out.

Outside
On the large flat grassy and most importantly, enclosed garden, there are goal posts, balls of all shapes and sizes, swing ball, a badminton/volleyball net, swings, a slide and a sandpit with buckets and spades.

On the flat courtyard area is a basketball net, table tennis table, boules, toddler pusher, sit-on pedal digger and tractor, bike with stabilisers, kids bikes up to 10/11 years, helmets and 2 adult bikes 2 with detachable child seats and 2 pedal Go-karts.

The chicken coup and pond mean that children can be both entertained and educated by life in the country.

Tim & Razia & their lovely children we're all so welcoming & warm, helpful, friendly, accommodating & professional - they even drove us out to a restaurant & then baby sat 4 children for us one evening - fantastic!!' The Foord Family.  May 2010

La Maison de Maitre is situated in old Gascony where it feels as if the modern world has passed it by. The regions of Gers and Hautes Pyrenees border each other and offer equally beautiful scenery of rolling green wooded hills, rivers, valleys with golden yellow sunflowers and maize with shimmering views of a lake or the snow capped Pyrenees in the distance. It is situated on the same latitude as Nice with lovely warm summers but without the hoards of people and traffic congestion. Enjoy the quiet uncrowded roads of this sparsely populated farming area, and breathe in some of the cleanest air in Europe.
There are a variety of charming towns to explore close by, and various music festivals in the area including a famous jazz festival at Marciac (28km) in August.

There are plenty of activities too: three 18 hole golf courses within 50km and a leisure lake at Mielan (9km) which offers swimming and fishing. There is an  excellent outdoor tree top adventure park near Pavie (40km) which is great fun for all the family.  White water rafting is available in the Pyrenees which is fantastic fun for the older family members.  Specifically for younger children in Mirande (20km) is a water park with aqua slides.  A pony riding centre, pottery classes and an animal park can also be visited nearby.

Not forgetting that grown-ups need pampering, there is a 'centre of well being' 10 minutes away offering lovely relaxing hot stone massage, reflexology, Swedish massage, Indian head massage, Reiki, Zen Shiatsu massage and acupuncture.  Another option is a harder sports massage at the house so you don't even need to leave the comfort of the pool side.  The owners of the property are more than happy to book appointments in advance for you.

'The service and attention to detail by the owner was exceptional, and probably the best I have ever seen.' Mr Heeger  July 2009

The owners of this popular property undertake all their own customer service as they are on site, so the booking process is handled by them - please let us know if you do want to go ahead and book and we will put you in direct contact with them.

Before booking, please read our Terms and Conditions.

Fixed 2 week start dates on 7th July 2012, 21st July 2012, 4th August 2012 and 18th August 2012