Château Ventenac gîte with pool in Languedoc region of southern France

Summary

Château Ventenac provides excellent accommodation for self-catering holidays with a large family or group.

Description

You will have the whole house, gardens and pool to yourselves!

Château Ventenac is a large, extremely well-appointed gîte with pool situated in the Languedoc region of southern France

Take over the whole house for your group holiday…

Château Ventenac provides excellent accommodation for self-catering holidays by a large family or group. Our six bedrooms and five bathrooms accommodate up to 12 adults and 4 children in style and comfort. You will have the whole house, its spacious gardens and pool to yourselves. The Château is easy to get to, whilst the Languedoc has an exceptionally good Mediterranean climate and claims over 300 days of sunshine a year.

Situated on the banks of the picturesque Canal du Midi, the Château faces south and nearly every room overlooks our gardens, lush vineyards and beyond to stunning views of the Corbières hills and, on a clear day, the Pyrenees and majestic Mont Canigou. Enjoy these spectacular views whilst sitting on the long balcony in the shade of the luxuriant wisteria, or whilst dining on the large terrace as you watch the sun go down.

The village square is within a minute’s walk, whilst two restaurants and the boulangerie are less than 100 metres from our canal-side gate. The surrounding area has many places to explore on foot, while many guests hire bikes to venture further afield. Ventenac is the ideal base from which to explore and we have plenty of guidebooks and maps so you can make the most of your stay.

Travel options to the Château and the region’s attractions are good. Several convenient airports offer budget regional and long-haul connections, whilst Ventenac is also very well placed for rail and road travel. Flights from the UK are available from as little as £35 (or less) return off-peak, from airlines like Easyjet and Ryanair. By car we are 35 minutes from the sunny Mediterranean beaches and just half an hour to Cathar castles and the medieval city of Carcassonne. The Pyrenees and Spain are just over an hour’s drive away.

Château Ventenac has been restored, incorporating all modern conveniences like WiFi whilst retaining original features such as marble fireplaces and polished oak floors. For winter holidays, the drawing room’s big open fire is particularly atmospheric and welcoming – we keep a ready supply of logs for guests’ use. The Château has a library of DVDs, books and games and is equipped with satellite TV and HD television with Blu-ray/DVD. In the cellar there is a table football table, whilst in the gardens there is an all-weather table tennis table and boules.

The attractive terraced gardens and private swimming pool provide plenty of space for privacy, relaxation and play in the shade or soaking up the heat of the Languedoc sun. The pergola next to the pool is a great place to relax swinging gently in a hammock or sitting watching the boats on the Canal du Midi while enjoying a glass of the local Minervois wine (produced at the Caveau of “Château de Ventenac Minervois” just 50 metres away from the Château’s canal-side gate).

There are a number of steps between each terrace and, because of this, the property may not be suitable for those with limited mobility. We ask our guests to supervise small children at all times, particularly in the outside areas.

Our House Manager, Sharon, is at the Château late afternoon to ensure that all is well when guests arrive on their first day. To help you settle in, we provide a starter pack of essential supplies.

The Château offers an extraordinary retreat, tucked away from the busy tourist destinations of southern France, yet still within easy reach of the main attractions.

Map

Address: 4 Cour du Château 11120 Ventenac-en-Minervois, France Zip/Postal Code: Latitude / Longitude: 43.250017 / 2.85739899999999 Nearest airport Beziers & Carcassonne 45 minutes

Nearest restaurant Le Coustellou 5 minutes

Nearest train Narbonne 20 minutes station

Directions

Château Ventenac, 17 Cour du Château, 11120 Ventenac-en-Minervois, Aude.

Latitude: 43:14:49N (43.24694) Longitude: 2:51:38E (2.86065)

Ventenac is about 25 minutes from two Autoroutes: the A9 (La Languedocienne) goes east/west and follows the line of the Mediterranean; the A69 (Autoroute des Deux Mers), goes north/south from Bordeaux via Toulouse and Carcassonne to Narbonne. We’re also about 20 minutes from Narbonne rail station.

From the A9, La Languedocienne (Montpellier, Nîmes, Marseille and Girona airports)

Leave the Autoroute at Exit 38, Narbonne Sud. After the péage, go straight ahead on the RN9 (dual carriageway), following signs for Béziers and (to begin with) Lézignan Corbières. Don’t take the right-hand exit to Lézignan – stick on the RN9 for about three km, following signs for Béziers.

At the second roundabout, turn left, the third exit, towards Marcorignan and Ginestas, on the D607. Stay on the D607 for about 10km, going through the villages of Marcorignan and St Marcel. Watch out for an Intermarché supermarket on your right after St Marcel. Just after this is a roundabout and about 300m further on, take a left- hand turn signposted St Nazaire, which is just before the road goes up over the Canal du Midi. Take this narrow country road as far as a T-junction in the village of St Nazaire, where you turn right: be careful because this is a blind corner.

Follow the road as it winds out of the village (again, it’s a fairly narrow country road) past a new estate on your right and out into the vineyards. You will come to the Canal du Midi as the road bends to the left, following the Canal. After about 800m or so, you will see the village of Ventenac on the opposite bank and the Ventenac bridge in front of you.

Take the bridge over the Canal and turn immediately left alongside the Canal, in front of the Château and Caveau. Take the first right (Rue du Port) and up the steep road with the Coustellou restaurant on your left. At the top of the hill, as it bends round to the right, take the first road on your right. This will bring you to the arched entrance to the rear of the Château. Go through the arch into the courtyard, where parking is available. At the far end on the left you will find the postbox to No 17. Go through the gateway and through the red metal gate and up the white steps immediately in front of you.

From the A69, the Autoroute des Deux Mers (from Toulouse and Carcassonne Airports)

Leave the Autoroute at Lézignan Corbières (Exit 25). After the péage, there is a roundabout, where you turn right. Stay on that road, over a second roundabout, and into the outskirts of Lézignan, where there is another roundabout. Turn right, signposted Ornaisons and Cruscades.

After a further couple of hundred metres there is another roadabout, where you take the second exit, signposted ‘Carcassonne, Narbonne, Homps’. This brings you to a T-junction on the main road running through the village. Turn right, signposted Narbonne and stay on this road as you go out of Lézignan, past the rail station on your right. At the outskirts of the village, you join the RN113. Be very careful at the junction because you come at it on a very acute angle: the road markings are not very clear, and the traffic sometimes comes from your left down the RN113 at high speed.

After you join the RN113, stay on it for about 5km, to the second turn-off on your right, which is signposted Canet d’Aude. The turning bends round to the left to a Stop sign, and will take you across the RN113. Go over the RN113 and after about 500m you come to another crossroads. Go over this and into Canet. Be careful as you go into the village (and again as you leave it) because there are speed-bumps which are very sharp: if you hit them at more than walking pace you could damage your tyres.

Follow the road through Canet – it bends round to the right as you approach the middle of the village – and out into the country. Go over the bridge on the River Aude and down the line of plane trees to a T-junction. Turn right alongside the Canal du Midi, and after 75m or so, left over the Ventenac bridge.

Turn immediately left after the bridge, alongside the Canal, in front of the Château and Caveau. Take the first right (Rue du Port) and up the steep road with the Coustellou restaurant on your left. At the top of the hill, as it bends round to the right, take the first road on your right. This will bring you to the arched entrance to the rear of the Château. Go through the arch into the courtyard, where parking is available. At the far end on the left you will find the postbox to No 17. Go through the gateway and through the red metal gate and up the white steps immediately in front of you.

From Narbonne Rail Station (trains from Barcelona, Lyon, Paris, Lille and connections from London)

Leave the station and turn left, and follow the road out of Narbonne, keeping the railway line on your left. Go over a small roundabout, and out of town to a big roundabout, where the road goes right to Béziers and Coursan. Go round the roundabout and taking the second exit signposted Carcassonne and Lézignan. The road goes over the over the railway line to a second roundabout, which you go straight over. Follow the road past a third roundabout, over an old railway line that crosses the road to another roundabout where you take the first exit, turning right towards Marcorignan and Ginestas, on the D607.

Stay on the D607 for about 10km, going through the villages of Marcorignan and St Marcel. Watch out for an Intermarché supermarket on your right after St Marcel. Just after this is a roundabout and about 300m further on, take a left-hand turn signposted St Nazaire, which is just before the road goes up over the Canal du Midi. Take this narrow country road as far as a T-junction in the village of St Nazaire, where you turn right: be careful because this is a blind corner.

Follow the road as it winds out of the village (again, it’s a fairly narrow country road) past a new estate on your right and out into the vineyards. You will come to the Canal du Midi as the road bends to the left, following the Canal. After about 800m or so, you will see the village of Ventenac on the opposite bank, and the Ventenac bridge in front of you.

Take the bridge over the Canal, turn immediately left alongside the Canal, in front of the Château and Caveau. Take the first right (Rue du Port) and up the steep road with the Coustellou restaurant on your left. At the top of the hill, as it bends round to the right, take the first road on your right. This will bring you to the arched entrance to the rear of the Château. Go through the arch into the courtyard, where parking is available. At the far end on the left you will find the postbox to No 17. Go through the gateway and through the red metal gate and up the white steps immediately in front of you.

Accommodation, facilities, utilities

Chateau / Country House

Bedroom(s): 6 ( 16 Sleeps ) Cots: 3, Double bedrooms: 2, Double bedrooms en-suite: 3, Single bedrooms: 3

Bathroom(s): 5 Baths: 5

Suitability

Long term rentals: No Pets: No Smoking: No smoking Children: Yes, great for kids Wheelchair: No Elderly or infirm: Not suitable

Holiday type

Family holidays, Mountain holidays, Rural holidays

View

Countryside views, Mountain views, River views

General facilities

Balcony, Garden, High speed internet, Parking, WiFi

Indoor facilities

CD Player, Dishwasher, DVD Player, Iron and Board, Microwave, TV, Washing machine, Wood burner

Outdoor facilities

BBQ

Services

Cleaning inclusive, Linen inclusive, Weekly clean inclusive Access

Off-road parking, Stairs

Activities

Local activities:

Climbing, Cycling, Fishing, Golf, Horse riding, Skiing, Swimming, Tennis, Walking

Rates

Nightly rate - Weekly Monthly Min. Stay Change-over Week Weekend

Rate summary £329 - £536 £2,300 - £3,750 - 7 Nights -

No rates available

Policies

Check in: 17:00, Check out: 10:00

Terms and conditions

Initial non-refundable deposit (25% of the total rent due). Balance of the rent together with the security deposit is payable not less than eight weeks before the start of the rental period. Reservations made within eight weeks of the start of the rental period require full payment at the time of booking. A security deposit of £500 is required. However, this amount shall not limit the Client’s liability to the Owner. Full terms and conditions on request.