Aquitaine, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Navarrenx, France

A37353CEL64 - ...

Built in 1806, this splendid country property comprises a main house, an adjoining studio apartment and several outbuildings.

Situated in a tranquil location in the heart of the beautiful Béarnaise countryside, this wonderful country house is ideal for anyone searching for a unique and characterful family home or a spacious holiday home. You also have the option of generating an income by offering B&B in the main house or renting out the studio apartment to holidaymakers, either as a gîte or as a B&B suite.

The property is set in gorgeous mature gardens of 2,487m². There are several outdoor dining terraces, along with a swimming pool (12.5m x 4.5m) and sun terrace, where you can relax poolside!

Located on a tiny country lane, a short private drive leads up to the front of the property and a sunny gravel courtyard. To the right of the house is an open-sided barn used as a carport; to the left are several outbuildings, which are accessible from both the courtyard and the gardens behind.

From the courtyard, the front door of the house opens into an entrance hall with a wooden staircase to the upper floors. The staircase also leads down half a level to a shower room with separate WC. This room is also accessible from the garden.

To the left of the entrance hall is a kitchen with a dining area and access to a terrace overlooking the gardens and pool at the back of the building; to the right of the hall is a sitting room/dining room with a wood-burning stove and access to a second terrace overlooking the gardens and pool.

From the sitting room/dining room, a door opens into the self-contained studio apartment, which has a sitting area, a kitchen area, a bedroom area and a shower room with WC. It also has its own private entrance via the second terrace and gardens, making it ideal for B&B guests, to rent out as a gîte or to use as an office.

From the entrance hall of the house, the staircase leads up to a mezzanine level with a superb covered terrace, which has fabulous views of the gardens, the pool and the Pyrénées beyond. The terrace is also accessible via wooden steps up from the garden.

The staircase continues up to the first floor of the house, which comprises a landing, a bedroom with a bathroom area and a bedroom with a shower room area. Both of these rooms are perfect for B&B guests.

Continuing up to the second floor, there is a second mezzanine level (above the covered terrace), which is a sunny conservatory/sitting room. You could, of course, use this room as an office or even a small guest bedroom.

The second floor comprises a landing, two bedrooms and a separate WC. Please note that these rooms have sloping ceilings.

Outside, there are several outbuildings, which are variously used as a summer kitchen, a garden sitting room, a garden bedroom and for storage of garden furniture and equipment. It may well be possible to get permission to transform the outbuildings into more living space, office space, gîtes... (Please note that all changes of use will require authorisation.)

With so much potential, this magical country house will not fail to charm you - and you can move in immediately and make this heavenly corner of paradise your new dream home in France!

This delightful property is located a short drive away from the pretty bastide town of Navarrenx, which is very popular with visitors all year round. There are exciting water-sports on the "gave" (river), as well as numerous cultural and sporting activities for you to participate in throughout the year. The town also has a great choice of lively bars and restaurants, shops and boutiques - and there is even a bilingual primary school (French/English). The "International School of Béarn" in Pau, which teaches the English National Curriculum, is just 40 minutes away from the property.

The larger towns of Orthez and Oloron-Ste-Marie are also easily accessible, where you will find hypermarkets, a hospital, a theatre and farmers’ markets. Pyrenean ski resorts are just over an hour away to the south - and the surfing and family beaches on the Atlantic coast are about an hour away to the west.

THE HOUSE (156m²)

Ground floor:
- two terraces overlooking the pool and grounds
- an entrance hall (3.5m²)
- a kitchen (20m²) with a dining area and access to a covered dining terrace
- a sitting room/dining room (23m²) with a wood-burning stove, access to a second dining terrace and a door into the studio apartment
- a shower room with a separate WC (8m²)

First floor:
- a covered terrace (8m²)
- a bedroom with a bathroom area (21m²)
- a bedroom with an en suite shower room (20m²)

Second floor:
- a conservatory/sitting room (8m²), which could be converted into a bedroom, a luxurious bathroom, an office...
- two bedrooms with sloping ceilings (floor area: 19m², 14m²)
- a separate WC


THE STUDIO APARTMENT (floor area: 25.5m²)

- a terrace
- a sitting area
- a kitchen area
- a bedroom area
- a shower room with WC

NB: the studio apartment and the rooms on the second floor of the house have sloping ceilings


THE OUTBUILDINGS AND THE GROUNDS

- a private drive
- an east-facing courtyard at the front of the house
- an open-sided barn, ideal for parking cars
- a barn of 13m², currently a summer kitchen
- a barn of 17m², currently a garden sitting room
- a barn of 15m², currently a garden bedroom
- a swimming pool (12.5m x 4.5m)
- a pump room
- grounds of 2,487m² with fabulous views of the Pyrénées!


THE POTENTIAL!

Whether you're looking for a wonderful family home, a chic holiday home or a property with business potential, this splendid country house will be perfect for you!

Ready to move into straight away, you can accommodate friends and family in one of four bedrooms or in the self-contained studio apartment, which is accessible from the main house.

The studio apartment would also be perfect for a teenager/young adult to use as a bedroom suite - or for grandparents to use as a "granny flat", especially as it is all on one level and directly accessible from the main house. It would also be perfect to use as an art studio or as an office, if you work from home. In addition, the studio apartment has its own private entrance from the garden.

Alternatively, you could rent the studio apartment out as a small gîte for self-catering holidays or even as a luxurious B&B suite. You could also temporarily move into the studio apartment yourselves during the summer months and skiing season, so that you can offer B&B accommodation in all four of the bedrooms in the main house... or you could even rent out the whole house as a holiday villa for large groups.

Throughout the area, there is year-round demand for rental accommodation from tourists, walkers, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse-riders, who come to explore the beautiful Béarn and the Pyrénées. You may also have regular requests for overnight accommodation from pilgrims who are following the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, which is not far from the property.

As well as providing delicious breakfasts for your guests, you could also offer afternoon teas and evening meals on the superb terraces... and even gourmet picnic lunch hampers, which you could fill with mouthwatering Béarnaise and Basque delicacies...

... and with such fabulous surroundings, you could even host yoga and wellness retreats or offer your guests walking and cycling tours, or leisure activity workshops, such as painting, photography, music, gastronomy, Jurançon wine-tasting...


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Telephone + cable internet
Some double glazing
Heating: electric radiators + wood-burning stoves
Mains water
Septic tank (requires updating)


THE LOCAL AREA

This superb property is close to the delightful bastide town of Navarrenx in the Béarn. Navarrenx has a great choice of specialist boutiques, restaurants and bars - and you can also can go white-water rafting and canoeing on the "Gave" (river), which flows through the town.

Situated halfway between the mountains and the sea, there are several ski resorts in the Pyrénées just over 60 minutes away, where you can go downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snow-shoeing. For those who prefer beach-based activities, the Atlantic coast is an hour away to the west, where you can surf, swim and picnic on the beach at Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

If your interests are gastronomic, you'll love exploring the many farmers' markets throughout the Béarn, where you can sample locally produced Jurançon wines, tasty Bayonne ham cured using salt from Salies-de-Béarn and fabulous Brebis (a cheese made from ewes' milk), which is normally eaten with delicious black cherry jam from Itxassou!

Airports: Pau, Biarritz, Tarbes-Lourdes
Train: Orthez, Pau
Coach: Orthez, Pau
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Ski: Issarbe, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Iraty, Eaux-Bonnes, Gourette, Formigal (Spain)...
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

Attractions: Parc'Ours, Le Petit Train d’Artouste, Le Train de La Rhune, Aqua Béarn, Base de Loisirs d’Orthez-Biron, Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte, Grottes de Sare, Grotte de la Verna, Grottes de Bétharram, Golf de Salies-de-Béarn, Thermal Spas, Casino, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle...