Vacation Rental Description
From the Black Mountains behind us to the Mediterranean sea (40km) you can discover on foot, horse, bicycle (or by car!) the typical Minervois countryside with its mythical sites not least the medieval cities of Carcassonne and Minerve with its natural caves that pierce the gorges carved by the river Cesse. A region traversed by the Canal du Midi and surmounted by the Cathare Castles such as Lastours. Swim in rock pools or the lac Jouarres (5km) with it’s lifeguards and beach. Beautiful wines such as AOC La Liviniere next door
Part of this house predates the 17th century chateau. The rue Malbec was the road between the village ramparts and the chateau and is totally safe to play in as there is no circulation of vehicles. The ramparts have disappeared into the bellies of the houses around but you can see bits of it here and there, likewise the chateau has been split up/modified over the years to accommodate family evolution. Carved out of the walls at the back of the chateau this house has charm with its old tiled floors at different levels and old walls that are not straight witnesses of the passage of time. You enter by the old kitchen which originally was the only living area apart from 2 bedrooms (for a family of 7) all the rest being used for work related activities. We have kept the entry room as a relic of times gone by and use it as a utility room for your pushchairs, bikes, the washing machine a second fridge and freezer. All the rest has changed keeping things as authentic as possible.
Facilities
Cooking Utensils
DVD
Heating
Kitchen
Microwave
Refrigerator
Sterio
TV
Washer
To bring light into the house we have moved the living areas upstairs and based them around a sunny south facing terrace. The kitchen and the lounge form two sides of the terrace, the other two sides being old flowery walls. On this floor there is a large kitchen (fridge, coffee maker, toaster, microwave, gas cooker with oven and 4 rings, stereo) next a good sized lounge with tele, DVD/DivX, broadband internet with cable and WiFi connections, telephone (free calls to most of Europe, America, Australia etc. There is also the bathroom (which blends modern chrome and glass with the rough uneven walls of the chateau), an independent toilet and the first of the double bedrooms.
There is an old staircase which leads to the bedroom with 2 single beds.
In the lounge there is a second staircase that leads to the 3rd bedroom which has a double king size bed.
The velux windows have sun deflecting blinds outside and blackout blinds inside for your comfort
Activities
Biking
Boating
Fishing
Horse Riding
Hunting/Rock Climbing
Kayaking
Mountain Biking
Restaurant
Sailing
Tennis
Water Sports
There is beautiful countryside at the end of the road in almost any direction. Within minutes you are in the vine yards or on the edge of the "Garrigue". The roads or tracks around here are all small and are totally safe for walking the dog or exercising the children, on foot or by bike. There are hills behind Cesseras with lovely views and smells and walks for the keener amongst you, but well worth the effort. Beside and below Cesseras it is mainly flat, ideal for beginner cyclists and easy strolls. And wonderful walks such as to the Ancient Chapel of St German, we will give you details if that’s what interests you. Lots of nice places to dip and cool off, rock pools in the gorges, dams and lakes set up for swimming and water sports. Site seeing could means lots of history. Stone Age history and relics, Templar knights and the crusades, Cathare castles, loads of fortified villages and towns, there’s no end of things to do, but take your time this is not an area where you rush things