Aquitaine, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau, France

Superb and spacious maison-de-maitre dating back to the 19th century, with extensive living space of about 530m2 which has been beautifully converted into a spacious 3-bedroom apartment for the owners, two large gites for holidaymakers and a huge function room (100m2) for weddings and events.

Many of the property's original features have been retained and sympathetically restored, such as the carved stone fireplace in Gite 1, along with arched windows and exposed stone walls throughout.

These delightful architectural features complement the property's modern equipment and decor - and offer guests luxury and authenticity.

The maison-de-maitre is approached along a private drive lined with mature trees leading up to a gravel courtyard in front of the property, where there is plenty of room to park.

Gite 1 is on the left of the building, the owners' private apartment is on the right and Gite 2 is between them.

Three private shower rooms have been provided for yurt guests,

accessible via a door between Gite 1 and Gite 2.

Beyond the shower rooms is a staircase up to the events space on the first floor.

The owners' private apartment has a large open-plan main room on the ground floor with a sitting area with a fireplace, a dining area, an office area and a kitchen area. (It is possible to access Gite 2 from this room. ) A solid wooden staircase leads up to the apartment's first floor and to a gallery, which overlooks the main room. The first floor comprises a bedroom with an adjoining dressing room, two further bedrooms, a family bathroom and a separate WC.

The new owners can continue to live in the apartment, or it could be rented out as a large gite for groups.

Both Gite 1 and Gite 2 are furnished and equipped for 6 - 8 people.

Gite 1 has a large first-floor bedroom for six people and a sofa bed in the sitting area on the ground floor;

Gite 2 has two ground-floor bedrooms (one for two people, one for four people) and a sofa bed in the sitting area.

Three yurts each provide accommodation for up to five people.

The yurts - and their furniture - were sourced directly from Mongolia.

To add a bit of luxury, each yurt has its own private shower room on the ground floor of the maison-de-maitre.

Along with the marquee in the grounds, the property has a wonderful function room of 100m2 for hosting celebrations, courses and events.

Two smaller rooms adjoin the main room, one of which has a kitchen area. If required, one or both of the rooms could be incorporated into the main room to create a total floor area of 160m2.

There is also an unused mezzanine area above the main room (currently only accessible via a ladder).

Outside, the owners have created a covered terrace and barbecue area in the property's former pressoir - and there is a decked terrace equipped with sunliving rooms and a Nordic hot tub.

Behind the maison-de-maitre is a small barn which has been beautifully restored - and a covered summer kitchen for caterers to use when there are weddings and events.

There is also room in the grounds for installing a swimming pool (permission required), a children's play area and flat lawn for croquet and crazy golf.

The property is situated in a very peaceful village in the Bearn, yet is easy for holidaymakers, wedding guests and corporate clients to get to from Pau, Tarbes, Biarritz, Toulouse, Bordeaux. Tarbes-Lourdes airport is 30 minutes; Pau airport is 40 minutes.

If you have children, there is a primary school in the village for younger children - and older children have a choice of secondary schools in towns located 10 minutes away. The closest supermarkets are also about 10 minutes away.

This well-established gite and events business is ready to open for business as soon as you move in. All the furniture and equipment s included in the price - and current owners have provided everything that you could possibly need. As well as offering accommodation to holidaymakers in the two gites and three yurts, you can host private weddings and events for guests who are staying on site, as well as corporate conferences and seminars, art and music courses, cookery and wine-tasting courses, yoga and wellness retreats, writing and craft workshops. The property has several large areas for groups to meet up together for courses and meals, comprising. . a huge event space on the first floor, which is ideal for activity workshops, seminars and formal dining. . a large room in the owners' private apartment, which could be used for spa treatments, wellness workshops and informal group meals. . a marquee in the garden for group meals, activities and meetings. . a summer kitchen for caterers to use, but which could be used for cookery and wine-tasting courses. There is huge potential for you to introduce new and different activities, as well as benefiting from the current owners' network of course leaders, caterers and suppliers.

The gites can accommodate 2 - 8 people and each yurt sleeps up to 5 people, offering a range of possibilities for all group sizes. In addition, the owners' private apartment has three bedrooms, which could be rented out, as well. The owners' apartment also has doors (locked) which open into Gite 2, so the gite and the apartment could be combined to create one huge gite for a large group. The yurts could be ideal for hosting B&B guests for short breaks - and you might even like to offer accommodation to horse-riders - and their horses - who are following the Route d'Artagnan bridleway (about 5km away). As well as providing comfy beds and delicious breakfasts for your B&B guests, you could offer evening meals and picnic lunch hampers full of local Bearnaise delicacies. They might even be tempted to book some spa treatments and activity courses to prolong their stay in this little corner of paradise.

SERVICES & TECHNICAL Telephone + ADSL (cable available) Double glazing Electricity Heating: wood-pellet boiler + electric radiators + open fireplaces Mains water Septic tank (conforms to current regulations)

THE LOCAL AREA The property is located in the beautiful Bearn region in south-west France, not far from Pau (25 minutes to the ring road), Tarbes (30 minutes) and Lourdes (40 minutes). Toulouse, Bordeaux and San-Sebastian in Spain are all about two hours away. The region is popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, white-water rafting and fishing. There are also several ski resorts (70 minutes) which offer a choice of winter sports, including downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snow-shoeing. For those who prefer beach-based activities, the Atlantic coast is about 90 minutes away, where you can picnic, swim and surf at Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor. If your interests are gastronomic, you'll love exploring the many farmers' markets throughout the Bearn, where you can sample locally produced Jurancon and Madiran wines, tasty Bayonne ham cured in salt from Salies-de-Bearn and fabulous Brebis, (a cheese made from ewes' milk), which is normally eaten with delicious black cherry jam from Itxassou. Airports: Tarbes-Lourdes, Pau, Biarritz Train: Pau, Tarbes Coach: Pau, Tarbes Ferry: Bilbao, Santander Ski: Val d'Azun Cauterets. Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor. Attractions: Park National des Pyrenees, Cirque de Gavarnie, Petite Train d'Artouste, Lourdes, Grottes de Betharram, Jazz in Marciac, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, Route d'Artagnan.

REFERENCE: 251461