Chateau Glycines

Description

First you see the lawns and the giant cedars of Lebanon, then the Pyrenean peaks on the southern horizon, and then the chateau, restful on its plateau, simple, elegant, perfect, with 18th-century proportions. Welcome to another world: one of art, beauty, serenity, fine museum pieces and a dash of humour.
The housekeeper is a treasure and can cater for you – though the kitchen, big, charming, classical, but modern, is an absolute pleasure to cook in. Salon, library, dining room and the grandest of bedrooms glow with French and English antiques and the entire house is a work of art – there are beautiful parquet floors and magnificent plaster ceilings, a grand staircase and oriental designer stencilling.
The rooms in the attic are more child-friendly, and if children want to play on wet days, there's a barn full of games and yoga mats for grown ups. As for the gardens: imagine 200 old roses and scattered magnolias, scalloped hedges, arcades of wisteria, secret corners, a pondful of carp and a suntrap salt water pool enclosed by an exquisite mosaic wall in the style of Gaudi.

An exquisite late 18th Century Chateau situated in the first range of foothills of the Pyrenees, built just before the French Revolution by the Comte du Pac. It sits on a hilltop with exceptional panoramic views down the valley and towards the mountains. Situated on the edge of a small village, the main house is backed by a courtyard of eighteenth century barns and enjoys 11 acres of park and gardens ensuring complete privacy.
The location of the house gives easy summer access to splendid walking, riding, canoeing, fishing, golf and many other sporting and recreational activities. Tennis courts are a very short drive. In winter skiing is available at a number of nearby resorts. Hunting and fishing are also available. The Spanish border is a short drive and the excellent road network makes access to Lourdes, Barcelona and Biarritz possible for short excursions.

The gardens and park of the Chateau, restored and developed by the present owners over the past twenty years, are well known and the subject of magazine articles. There is a large pond (which is not fenced-off), a sunken herb garden, an exotic garden, a rose garden, a stone column pergola, a bamboo walk and an English herbaceous border and many rare and ancient trees and shrubs.
The heated saltwater swimming pool (12.5x6m] has an exquisite modern mosaic wall with a mosaic seating area. Around the pool there are sun-loungers, tables & chairs, barbecue, umbrellas and indoor shower, toilet and Turkish mosaic steam room.

The interiors of the house, meticulously restored to an extremely high standard, retain many period features with exquisite plasterwork, decorative fireplaces and parquet floors to all the principal rooms. It has regained its original style and elegance whilst retaining the atmosphere of a real home. The house is wonderfully light and airy. All rooms enjoy wonderful views and are decorated with antique mirrors and furniture. There is a large, hand-built kitchen with all modern facilities connected to a formal dining room. The main drawing room has antique French furniture & tapestries. Telephone, television (French and SKY satellite English channels), video/DVD player and Wi-Fi Internet are available. The house, apart from having many decorative fireplaces, has central heating and is therefore suitable for winter lets.

During the summer months, a pretty cottage which can accommodate up to four extra guests is also available. Please note this must be booked in addition to the main chateau.


#### Features
1) Chateau + Cottage: 20 pax
2) Chateau Only: 16 pax
Chateau Interior

Ground Floor

- Entrance Hall with antique tiled floors and a grand staircase, marble columns, Empire marble table, banquettes, papier-peint scene, bookcases, large Buddha head, telephone table etc. Facing doors opening up towards the pool and the valley on the opposite side.
- Double Drawing Room with marble decorative fireplace, parquet flooring, furnished with 4 comfortable sofas, armchairs, antiques, Aubusson carpet and tapestries, stereo system, I-pod dock.
- Library with parquet floor, marble decorative fireplace, fitted bookcases, large flat screen UK/French TV, DVD/Video player, large selection of DVDs and board games, writing desk, 2 comfy sofas and large armchair.
- Formal Dining Room with antique parquet floor, large table and chairs for 14 guests, chandelier, antique buffet table, mirror and other period features.
- Huge, well stocked kitchen featuring hand-painted wooden floors, with eating and sitting area featuring a large breakfast table and chairs for 10 guests, sofa and large armchairs and a large decorative fireplace. There is a dishwasher, fridge, freezer, gas hob with large electric oven, microwave oven, toaster, kettle, espresso machines, 4 sinks etc.
- Utility/Boot Room, with antique tiled floor, a large American fridge and freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, sink etc.
Half Landing

Chinese Bathroom: large bathroom with bath, separate shower basin & WC, large mirror and decorated with antique Chinese rosewood panel doors.
- Secret 2nd staircase to first floor.

First Floor

All rooms have central heating, antique parquet floors, marble decorative fireplaces, wood panelling, cornices, friezes, chandeliers, bedside lampshades, paintings, carpets, objets d'art and stunning views):

- Blue Room- Large bedroom with king size bed, bedside tables, wall fabric, armchairs, antique Louis XV dressing table, gilded table, armoir, mirrors.. Walk-in dressing room, large en-suite bathroom with bathtub, separate shower, basin, bidet & WC, mirrors, pool and valley views.
- Green Room- Large bedroom with antique, painted double wooden bed, bedside tables, antique dressing table, chairs, stools, sofa, fitted wardrobes and mirror. Stunning valley views and separate bathroom (the Chinese Bathroom), situated on the nearby landing.
- Gold Room - Large bedroom with King-size, baldaquin brass bed, bedside tables, gilded, mirrors, antique armoir, dressing table, chairs and large en-suite bathroom with huge walk-in mosaic shower, double basin, WC, chair, mirror and swimming pool views.
- Red Room - Large bedroom with Empire-style, wooden frame, baldaquin double bed, bedside table, antique mother of pearl and rose wood dressing table with mirror, chest of drawers, large mirror, armchair and stunning valley views.
- Yellow Room - Large bedroom with antique wooden-frame double bed, bedside tables, dressing table with mirror and chair, armoir, large mirror and mountain and valley views.

The Yellow and Red Room share the Stencils Bathroom, a large family bathroom with cast iron, French antique bathtub, separate shower, basin, bidet and WC, armchair, antique display cabinet and mountain views.

All rooms feature large windows, great proportions and extremely high ceilings.

Second Floor

- Clouds Room- Large bedroom with wooden floor, double bed and 2 twin beds, bedside tables, mirror, chest of drawers and en-suite bathroom with shower, basin, WC (suitable for children/nanny and with swimming pool views).
- Moroccan Room- Huge and bright Moroccan-style bedroom with double height ceiling and exposed ancient beams; features metallic frame double bed, bedside tables, leather armchair and foot stool, built in closet with antique Chinese rosewood panel doors, small table, central heating and en-suite bathroom with shower, basin with slate worktop and WC (stunning views of the valley and the mountains)

*A further single bed can be arranged on request in the top floor rooms for those who do not want to share a bed.
**There's a Poolside Bathroom with shower, basin and WC and a mosaic Steam Room with another shower by the swimming pool.
Detached Garden Cottage
The self-contained 2 bedroom Garden Cottage is located behind the swimming pool (about 60km from the chateau) and can be hired in conjunction with the main chateau at an extra cost to accommodate up to 4 additional guests.
On the ground floor there is a small hallway with stairs leading to the upper floor, a large open plan kitchen/dining/living Room, a utility room next to the front door in a little annex and a lovely and private terraced area for outdoor dining).

On the first floor there is a large bedroom with double bed (the Sunflower Room), 1 small bedroom with double bed (the Bijou Room) and 1 shared bathroom with bath.

Swimming Pool area:
- Huge, paved area around the pool with sun loungers, small tables and sun umbrellas, larger iron table with chairs, mosaic sitting area, BBQ and BBQ area.
- Large heated salt-water swimming pool with pool cover to keep the heat in at night.
- Games/Summer Room next to pool to put cushions and games, including ping pong table.
- Steam Room next to the pool with stunning mosaics and shower
- Bathroom with shower, sink and WC
The pool area is surrounded by ancient stone barns covered in old rambling roses and giant wisteria and has a scalloped hedge around it for extra privacy. There's a pool alarm.
Garden and Woodland:
- The Chateau is complemented by a large, stunning, landscaped garden with innumerable ancient trees, roses & rare plants; it includes:
- Formal garden with old English roses
- English borders
- Colonnade with wisteria alba and climbing roses
- Sunken sundial Herb Garden
- Vegetable garden
- Fountain
- Mediterranean garden
- Exotic garden
- Greenhouse with exotic plants and cacti
- Bamboo walk
- Large Koi Pond
- Croquet lawn
- Landscaped parkland with beautiful trees and shrubs
- Woodland down the hill with donkeys

#### Location
The property is situated on a hilltop at the foot of the Pyrenees in open countryside mid-way (10 min) between the towns of Saint-Gaudens and Aspet in an area of outstanding natural beauty and on the official Tour De France route.
All amenities are just a 10 mins' drive away, including boulangeries, butchers, newsagents, cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, weekly food markets and a train station. Being locate in the deep countryside by the Pyrenees, local restaurants are are simple and rustic. For fine dininghead to Castet (25/30 mins drive), St Lizier (35/40 mins drive), Bossost in Spain (45 mins drive) or Toulouse (around an hour's drive).
International airports: Toulouse (50 min), Lourdes (40 min), Pau (75 min), Carcassonne & Biarritz (around 90 min).
Many sights are nearby, including:
Aspet (10 min), a charming village with its twice weekly farmers' market, its traditional cafes and restaurants, perfect for a lazy morning coffee watching the world go by;
Saint Bertrand de Comminges (20 min), officially one of the most beautiful villages in France and one of the stops of the Camino de Santiago De Compostela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site;
Aurignac (25 min), a stunning hilltop Medieval town with its charming cafes;
Toulouse (50 min), the Ville Rose, a bustling, pretty university city with a great history, beautiful monuments and wonderful shopping and food;
Bossost, Spain (40 min), a charming mountain village on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees with Michelin quality food and great shopping.
Auch (90 min), the heart of the Gers and a beautiful town to visit;
Biarritz (90 min), a wonderful city on the Atlantic, great for surfing, eating out, sunbathing and shopping. A perfect day trip.
Carcassonne (90 min), a Mediaval city with an incredible history and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Activities nearby: cycling (Tour de France route), hiking, mountain climbing, skiing, white water rafting, speleology, horse riding, paragliding, golf etc.
DISTANCES
Toulouse Airport - 50 minutes
Lourdes Airport - 40 minutes
Pau Airport - 1hr 10 minutes
Biarritz Airport - 1hr 45minutes
Carcassonne Airport - 1hr 30 minutes
Nearest supermarket 10 mins
Nearest Farmers' Market 8 mins

There are 3 daily British Airways & Easyjet flights from London Gatwick and Heathrow to Toulouse, as well as further direct flights to Toulouse from many UK and European Airports. Air France offers daily flights (via Paris) to Toulouse and Pau. Ryanair offers flights from London Stansted to Lourdes 2 to 3 times a week, Carcassonne & Biarritz. There's also a high speed TGV train service from Paris and Bordeaux to Toulouse. From Toulouse there is a train service to the local station (St Gaudens), 10 min away.