Welcome!  The price listed above is for 1 day's rental with a minimum of 3 days' stay for part of the house in low season, but before bidding, please contact us (vicky@avalonvillas.com) with the dates you'd like to travel, how many people are in your party, and the price you'd like to offer for your stay.  You can choose Les Courtals (6 bedrooms, sleeps 11) or Les Petit Courtals (3 bedrooms, sleeps 5).

* * *

Welcome to our 150-year-old farmhouse in a quiet country neighborhood just outside the village of Caunes Minervois.  The house is in Languedoc (next to Provence & Cote d’Azur), just 30 minutes from Carcassonne, in the Minervois wine region.  Nestled in 2-1/2 acres of fruit & nut orchards and surrounded by vineyards, this home has been tastefully renovated with all modern conveniences. 

Les Courtals (6 bedrooms) sleeps up to 11 adults & kids – perfect for a large family, two families holidaying together, friends on bicycling & walking tours, or anyone who would like to explore the wineries and villages of southern France.  Les Petit Courtals (3 bedrooms, sleeps 5) is actually the same house, but we’re happy to offer it to singles, couples, and small families at a 3-bedroom price (top floor not to be used -- no linens provided for 3 bedrooms on top floor). 

This lovely home has a pool & pool house, dining patio, charcoal grill (BBQ), fireplace, hardwood floors & ceilings, 4-poster king- and queen-sized beds (in 5 bedrooms -- single teakwood daybed in 6th), and an extensive collection of teakwood furnishings and hand-carved Asian artifacts.  Each bedroom features a custom-framed print of one of France's fine impressionist artists, including Bonnard, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Sidaner, and Gauguin.  (Cezanne decorates the dining room.)  Each bedroom also features its own special mix of home-made potpourri with roses, lavender, pine sprigs, seeds, and other materials from the garden.  Dried flower arrangements in the living areas were similarly made with dried grasses, pine, and other materials from the orchards. 

To further enhance your enjoyment of this beautiful and relaxing property, we've also provided a small selection of old English books, classical music (with portable CD player) and VCD's for adults and children (with DVD player, not VCR).  The property is fenced with a remote-control gate, and your car(s) will enjoy the 2-car garage.  A 3-minute drive to the village (Caunes Minervois) will take you past neighboring vineyards to our favorite family restaurant, shops, and medieval abbey. 

Telephone with voice mail is provided free of charge for your local calls, as well as unlimited Internet access (bring your laptop computer).  Pets are welcome with deposit.  We love our pets, too. :)  Baby cot and maid service on request.  All bedding, towels and kitchen utensils are provided.  Kitchen includes cookbooks, cooker, extractor hood, oven, microwave, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, coffee machine, washing machine, dryer, and electric iron.  

 ________________________________________________________

Activities & Attractions 

(most within 30 minutes’ drive unless noted)

·         #1 - Relax with sunshine, clean country air, sounds of the birds, and smell of native lavender

·         Bicycling along country lanes past the vineyards

·         Boules (Pétangue), traditional French lawn-bowling

·         Canal du Midi – tree-lined walks along the canal, and loads of restaurants and shops for viewing the passing canal boats

·         Carcassonne - Lovely park- and restaurant-filled community, grown up around the largest walled city in Europe.  Its medieval fortifications are rumored to have inspired Disney's castle in Sleeping Beauty

·         Dining in the region’s many fine country restaurants

·         Hiking & walking amid the spectacular views of the Aude Valley

·         Horseback Riding

·         Lake with park and sand & pebble beaches

·         Ocean - Gruisan-Plage (90 minutes’ drive, though the coast itself is only 30 minutes away) – beach, restaurants, shops, and attractive pastel-multicolored village

·         Picnics at the lake or alongside the hiking trails

·         Shopping - Antiques, Pottery, Faïence, Linens, and Copperware

·         Spain – only a 2-hour drive – do see beautiful seaside town Collioure on the way

·         Sun – 345 days of sunshine per year!

·         Tennis - Courts are available in the village, 7 minutes away

·         Touring Southern France’s castles, abbeys, villages, Roman ruins, canyons, & caves.  Within one hour's drive you can reach the sea, the Pyrenees, the Black Mountains, the Corbieres, the Minervois, Toulouse, Carcassonne or Narbonne

·         Wine Tasting – Caunes, Villalier, Clape, Fitou, Corbières, Minervois, Cabardés, Malepère, everywhere! 

 ________________________________________________________

Standard Rates

Our standard rates are as follows, but we’re happy to offer substantial discounts via our favorite marketplace, eBay.  Just email us your best offer, and we’ll let you know if we can accept your offer, based on current availability and lead time.  :)

Les Courtals (6 bedrooms, sleeps 11) standard rates (email us your best offer!):

·         High Season (July & August) – US$315/day

·         Mid Season (June & September) - US$235/day

·         Low Season (Remainder of the Year) – US$165/day

Les Petit Courtals (3 bedrooms, sleeps 5) standard rates (email us your best offer!):

·         High Season (July & August) - not available

·         Mid Season (June & September) - US$190/day

·         Low Season (Remainder of the Year) - US$125/day

Both Properties

·         Minimum rental:  3 days

·         Reservation Lead Time:  3 days

·         Deposit:  25%

 ________________________________________________________

For available dates and more information on the region, travel, and weather, as well as more photos and payment instructions (via PayPal, bank transfer or check), please see www.avalonvillas.com.  Square Trade Travel Verified 069766559634.

Have any questions or concerns?  Just email us, and we’ll do our best to help.  In the meantime,

Bon Voyage!

Note:  By listing this auction I verify that I am the actual travel agent or travel provider and not a third party affiliate. The travel/accommodations in this auction will be booked directly through me and not an outside agency. I also verify that, other than the government taxes and related government fees stated within the listing description itself, there will be absolutely no additional fees, charges or after auction purchases associated with booking the travel within this listing.