Le Clos de Maubec

The property has stunning views over the hills of Gers, French Tuscany, to the Pyrenees, and is made up of two ancient stone houses, built on the walls of a medieval village and surrounded by an intimate garden, several terraces furnished with sofas, armchairs and tables. It displays a unique style, with comfortable quality and cosy furniture, covers 300 mq, with 4 en-suite bedrooms and large living rooms. The space The property is composed by two houses, sitting in the same private small garden. Gaston, the main one, is a big and beautiful ancient white limestone house, surrounded by its own garden, entirely fenced and walled. It has stood proudly on the ramparts of Maubec for centuries. Roman, the little (but not too little) one, is built literally on the fortified wall of the village. It was built much later as it is not shown on the napoleon map of 1809. Both the houses are south facing with breathtaking views of the rolling hills of Gers just until the Pyrenees. The little road leading to the property is close to the entrance of the village. You step directly from the road into the house, but nothing passes as the road was built for horses and not cars. It is just not possible for a car to turn the corner in front of the house! When you walk through the old door of Gaston, you find yourself in a long and wide corridor leading to the huge open living space, lit by four windows giving on to the Pyrenees facing garden. On the right you find the sitting area with a very comfortable sofa in front of a chimney with a Jøtul stove, four authentic Art-decò armchairs, a warm coconut rug and an old breton trunk as a coffee table. On the left there is the dining area with a rather particular table, made from old cast iron balustrades which, as the story has it, came from a church. It can host 10 people. Two ancient frames from a Balinese stair surround the door leading to the pergola, and a couple of “singa singa” (ancient wood carved balines’ statues) are standing on each side of the cupboard, containing nice crockery for your table. Just after the Gaston entrance door, on your right, there is an opening leading to the kitchen, hand made with massive solid oak surfaces. There is a big island and a breakfast corner with its coffee machine. The kitchen is fully equipped with refrigerator, freezer, oven, microwave, warming draw and gas hob. From the kitchen there is a door to the utility room, with washing machine and tumble dryer. “La chambre du village” is on the opposite side of the corridor. With a big bed (160x200) with an old wood framed bedhead and with its “ciel de lit.” It is a very cosy room. It has its en-suite open bathroom with a walk-in shower, the sink and a closed wc. Before reaching the staircase, you find the “petit coin”, the guest restroom with sink and wc. On this side of the corridor there is a stone stair that leads you to the first floor with the roof timbers exposed just as they had been since time began. This is a big room with a “colombage”(timber framed) wall as a screen to partially divided the space in two. On one side there is the working area with the desk and an old lit-bateau and on the other there is a comfortable sitting area where you can enjoy all together society games or a film on the large screen TV. On this level there are the other two rooms of Gaston. “La chambre de Pyrenees” has stunning views onto the countryside through its four windows. The big black iron bed (160x200) is in the centre of the room with a window directly in front so you can lie back comfortably and look out on the view. Its en-suite bathroom is partially open with a very sexy old-style bath in which you can relax watching the sunset. It has double basins, a walk-in shower and separate bidet and wc. On the opposite side of the bed, there is a sitting area and a walk-in wardrobe. “La chambre de grenier” has the same outlook. It is a large cosy room with its old furniture, its white iron bed (160x200) with a giant mirror on the opposite wall and its own closed en-suite bathroom, with walk-in shower, sink and wc. Outside there is the garden on two levels. You walk out of the Gaston living area either under a large pergola with an iron and granite table for 10 people or on to the little south-facing garden on top of the ramparts and of course there are those views! From this level you walk up 5 stone steps towards the second house on the property. As you go you pass a terrace built on the corner of the ramparts where you will find a comfortable sitting area, a “fer-forge” sofa, armchairs all with large soft cushions. A wonderful place to enjoy the sun. There is even a walnut tree to give a little shade for those who want it. Further along the short path you come to Roman which is a beautiful little house. You enter in its living area under a ceiling of exposed beams, with a chimney and its stove. There are 4 armchairs, an old gateleg table with its four chairs and a completely furnished open kitchen. A cast iron spiral stair brings you up to the mezzanine hosting a reading corner with two small sofas, and downstairs to the fourth bedroom of the property. “La chambre du rempart” is directly built inside the massive, fortified wall with a stable door opening through to the outside of the village. You find yourself surrounded by the flowers for which the village is renowned, that surround it at the base of the ramparts. The bed(160x200) has a big old wood framed headboard with its “ciel de lit”. There is a closed bathroom en-suite with a walk-in shower, sink and wc. I have refurbished my home with the love and attention and my hope is that it will provide my guests with the comfort I like to find during my holidays. There are big and soft towels from Galerie Lafayette in Paris, beautiful William Morris style printed linen, four big and soft pillows on each bed, warm coconut rugs, big selection of table hardware and ancient furniture collected during my lifetime. All the windows have curtains made to measure. As the houses are on different levels and with some narrow passageways is not suitable for a person in wheelchair, but Gaston, with its beautiful room on a ground floor, is ideal for a person with reduced mobility. This is the perfect home where spent a fantastic holiday, to relax with the luxury to do nothing but just enjoy the beauty around, read a book, cook for friends, have a talk together, have a society game or go to have a walk in the countryside, have a sunbath, visit lots of very interesting places just a short drive away. There is lots of lovely medieval villages and the countryside all around is very nice, so there are excellent restaurants and places of interest to visit: chateaux, churches, wineries, evening markets, local village fetes… This region is well known for the quality of its food and wines! During the summer period the “base de loisir” of Solomiac is open, feauturing a large swimming lake and water slides. The village of Solomiac is in 2 minutes’ drive with a baker, a café, two restaurants, a hairdresser and a fantastic vegetable shop. The middle-age village of Sarrant which is “one of the most beautiful in France” is 5 minutes drive and has very interesting little shops of art and craft, plus a nice bookshop that is also a “tartinerie”. The bastide town of Beaumont de Lomagne with its old magnificent Hall marketplace is only 10 minutes’ drive, and provides you with two supermarkets, bakers, butchers, greengrocers, cheese shops, patisseries and a lot of little nice shops, cafes and restaurants. You will find the same in Mauvezin driving in the opposite direction. The very famous spa town of Lectoure with its world renowned brocante village “les brocs” and its spa is 30 minutes away, driving along amazing country roads in the middle of nature. Here you find fantastic antiques shops, cafes, restaurants and of course the spa. St. Clar and Fleurance with wonderful markets and very nice shops are even closer. Montech and the canal de Deux Mer is in 20 minutes car. Montech is famous for its Pente d’eau, a truly remarkable piece of engineering. You can have a wonderful stroll on its towpath and stop to have marvellous food in Bistro Constant, in the old lock-keeper’s house. Auch and its Cathedral with its monumental stairs is 40 minutes away. Montauban with its rich brick historical centre, its beautiful shops and nice restaurants is 50 minutes’ drive, as is Agen with its TGV station bringing you from Paris in only 3 hours. You can reach Toulouse and its international airport Blagnac are just under 1 hour. Guest access The property is fully privatized and available only to the guests Other things to note The house is in a small village, without shops, you absolutely need a car for shopping and getting around. AIRPORTS TOULOUSE BLAGNAC airport 50 minutes 45 km Carcassonne airport. 1,40 hour 135 km Lourdes-Tarbes airport 1,50 hour. 120 km Bordeaux Merignac airport 2,10 hour 170 km Bergerac-Dordogne airport 2,20 hour. 152 km TRAIN STATIONS AGEN TRAIN STATION ( Paris in 3,15 hours ) 1hour 60km Toulouse train station 1 hour 66km Montauban train station 45 minutes 48km PREFECTURE TOWN Montauban centre (prefecture Tarn et Garonne) 45 minutes 48 km Auch centre (prefecture Gers) 40 minutes 40 km Agen centre (prefecture Lot et Garonne). 1 hour 60 km Toulouse centre (prefecture Haute Garonne). 1 hour 66 km VILLAGES and TOWNS close by Solomiac 2 minutes 2 km Mauvezin 11 minutes 11 km Beaumont de Lomagne 12 minutes 12 km St.Clar 17 minutes 17 km Fleurance. 23 minutes. 23 km Lectoure 32 mins. 32km Montech 34 minutes 34 km Condom 52 minutes. 55 km Café,bar,restaurants in Solomiac Baker,air dresser,green grocer in Solomiac Base de loisir in Solomiac Foodshopping supermarket restaurant cinema pharmacy, doctors, veterinary in Beaumont de Lomagne, Mauvezin,ST Clar,Fleurance, Lectoure, Montech. Golf in Fleurance 28 km Golf in Auch 36 km Golf in Masseube 54 km Golf in Agen 46 km