Maison de campagne rural; superbe vue et promenades; moderne, logement attenant!

We really enjoyed our stay at this property. The accommodation was more than adequate for our needs - nothing fancy but well-equipped and functional. It was great value-for-money and certainly not over-priced - some of the places we thought about were charging twice as much! The house is in a wonderful location and we enjoyed some great walks into the mountains and down to Olette. Breakfast on the bar terrace in Olette on a sunny morning was lovely. We also had some lovely meals on the terrace, watching the sunset. Although its tempting just to sit and read (e.g. beside the river), make sure you get out and about because there are some fabulous places to visit - Villefranche, Prade market, St Thomas les Bains, Mont Louis etc. If you have time, its also worth driving down to the coast - the beaches are great but the small ports are better for restaurants (e.g. Port Vendres). We also got up early one day and had a full day in Barcelona (you can get there in under 3 hours). Like the other reviews have said, the neighbours are really friendly and were very patient with our basic French! The tourist office in Olette (in the corner of the square) has some helpful information. Driving down, we followed the owner's advice - got an early ferry and then went via the Viaduc de Millau / Massif Central motorway - it was a lovely drive, not at all crowded and no tolls to pay (except to cross the Viaduc) - so much better than the Lyons motorway route! If you are confident, you can drive around the peripheric in Paris (to get from the Calais motorway to the Orleans motorway - which links to the Massif Central) or you can cut around Paris to get to the motorway that goes down through the centre of France. The whole drive took us a full day (using 2 drivers) but it is such a lovely, relaxing route that we did not feel at all tired! Others we met locally had flown down - but said that car hire in Spain (e.g. from Gerona airport) is cheaper than in France (e.g. from Perpignan airport) and you can then take the car from Spain into France (but check with the car hire company as this is only what we were told - we have not done this - yet!). We had a great holiday and can thoroughly recommend this house as a great base to explore a beautiful part of France.

We chose this location for the great walks and were not disappointed. I have completed the Biarritz/Santiago route as well as the Atlantic/Mediterranean route but still found the mountain walks in this area really enjoyable. The house is in a beautiful location and provide perfectly adequate accommodation at a reasonable price. Make the most of the outdoors during your stay - there are easy walks (e.g. over the mountainside down to Olette) or more challenging ones (e.g. up the footpath to the mill or follow the road up to the chateau) or full-on hikes (e.g. up to the lakes). House well-equipped, not luxurious but very comfortable. Talk to the neighbours - they're great - really friendly. Try small restaurant /cafe in Evol (Casa del Sol) and don't miss the market in Prades. Little Yellow Train is great fun (especially return/downhill trip) but at busiest times its best to get on in Villefranche to guarantee a seat in the open-air carriage. We really enjoyed our stay.

We had a fabulous time at this great house in a superb mountain location. It was wonderfully quiet but easy to get to some great activities for the family. We especially enjoyed the castle at Villefranche and the activity centre at Marquixanes. We hadn't played table tennis for years and had great fun in the evenings leaping around the courtyard! The accommodation really suited our family needs - not over smart or modern but more than adequate for the price we paid. Really good value.

It really is a beautiful spot. The house suited our needs well, and despite the lack of glasses we took full advantage of the great local wines and lovely French produce! We followed the circular walk from the house, which was great, but challenging on a hot day, as well as several others in the area. We particularly liked Vernet-les-Bains, walking up to St. Martin-du Canigou, and to the waterfalls nearby. The coast was also a treat, the beaches were delightful.

Thank you for the use of your house in Thuir d’Evol. We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed it. The views from the bedroom windows when you wake up are lovely. We have written some notes in your visitors’ book for the benefit of people following us. We managed to drive both the road up to the Chalet des Cortales (Canigou) and the road up to Col de Portus (from Thuir d’Evol). In both cases we also enjoyed the wonderful walks from the car parks. In addition we have enjoyed a wine tasting day, explored the immediate surroundings including Evol, the old chapel and ruined castle and up the track above the house; used the yellow train to get to Mont Louis to view the solar furnace, a great walk from Jujols; visited the Priory at Serrabonne; dined in La Vigatane in Canet village (recommended); visited the abbey of Saint Michel de Cuxa; explored Villefranche and walked up to view Fort Liberia; walked the Gorge de la Carança, visited Castelnou; visited Vernet les Bains and Casteil and walked up to the Abbey of St Martin le Canigou. We had very good journeys each way, we made very good time, and actually arrived earlier than I had originally estimated. Once again, thank you very much for use of the lovely house.