La Fontenille - Accommodation / facilities

Our second floor (140 sq m, or 1400 sq ft in area) is a self-contained apartment entered via the main house front door and stairway.

The apartment comprises a large fully-equipped kitchen / dining room, 25 m square, a lounge which also serves as a quiet or meditation room, and three double bedrooms each with en suite WC / handbasin / shower.

There are two sunny and spacious double/twin bedrooms (Lilac and Pink), with superb views to the south. The twin Green bedroom has a westerly outlook.

The beautiful enclosed private garden and 12.5 m pool are available to guests at most times between May and September. The water should be at 23C or hotter during this period (up to 30C in high summer). There are poolside hot shower and toilet facilities.

To stay in touch while on holiday, you are welcome to connect your laptop or tablet(s) to our two WiFi networks, which extend to the garden.

Cycling the Canal du Midi is very popular. We have three touring bikes available for your use, free of charge.

La Fontenille has a sense of spaciousness which can't be reproduced adequately in photographs. It is kept cool in summer by following the tradition of closing the shutters to the linking key (loosely shut) during the day, to keep out the bright sunlight, but then opening up the windows at night to let in the cool night air. In contrast to modern double-glazed villas, air-conditioning is not necessary in summer, as long as this ritual is followed. Central heating is used in the cooler months - Mediterranean winters are surprisingly cold, but generally sunny.

The house was built by a Dr A. Fontenille in 1880, on the site of an existing building. The late nineteenth century was evidently a prosperous era in the Languedoc, but in 1905 it was ended by a wine-growing crisis. The home then passed into the hands of another family, who gradually sold off some of the garden, which used to extend down to the canal. During the second world war the house was requisitioned by German officers.

In 1979 it was bought by a young French family of jewellers, who tastefully restored the house, and re-purchased an adjacent outbuilding to serve as a garage. We emigrated from Scotland in 2003, and bought this house, our home, in 2004.