Large house with Private Pool, Superb Views of the Sea and Mount Helena - Caixas, Pyrenees-Orientales

Large 3 level house in Caixas - 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms with wonderful views.

Mas Saint Jacques, Los Ortels is 10.3 kms from the village of Fourques and the nearest small Spar supermarket is just 11 minutes by car.
Thuir, the nearest town where there is an Intermarche, Super U, Lidl, Aldi etc, including an open air market on Saturday mornings, takes just over 20 minutes.
For the coast, depending on summer traffic, please allow 45 minutes.

This is the south of France, especially the Aspres, which is called "the dry". When it rains, you might not think so, but that's how it is. For this reason, and especially in summer, there are no graceful and lush lawns, the fresh air is there, all around, to walk, play boules and a beautiful children's playground provided by the commune a few meters away, but no real green garden.

Composition of rooms:
- 3 double bedrooms, including a family suite. Ideal for couples.
- The other rooms have separate single beds.

Please note that one of the bedrooms (CONFLENT), usually used by children, does not have large windows with a view.

Maximum 11 people on site including children. House dedicated to family holidays.
We appreciate receiving a note about you at the time of making the booking request (Composition of the group, ages of children)
Groups of young people are not accepted.

Please follow the arrival instructions I have given and not the GPS directions displayed on Google Maps, which will take you by a much more winding but pretty route.

Description:
The Mas (Country House) is in the heart of the commune of Caixas. The church and the town hall form the center, with the only house in the village - the Mas. All that surrounds it is the natural countryside of the region with views to the east to the sea and to the west to Mont Helene which houses the ancient chapel of Caixas on the hillside and which hides the Mas from the 3000 meter rock called "the Canigou". The Canigou gives its name to many restaurants, bars, cafes and stands proudly over the whole of Roussillon; in winter with a large white cap which allows skiing and in summer the opportunity to rise with the sun, travel and conquer its peak.

The Mas was once listed in the guide de charme as a "Charming Guest House in France", also in "Special Places to Stay in France" by Alastair Sawday and I think in about ten other guides before being reformatted as a family holiday home.

Parts of the old house go back several hundred years if one imagines that a group of stones would have once formed someone's home. The old bread oven is still partly there and would have once provided bread for the village. As it is now, there is no village as all the old buildings have long since collapsed into the old memories of the people who lived here.

All that remains is a small church, somewhat unused, a bell tower, even more unused, the Mairie, with the village square in front, which in summer can boast some festivities in the evening heat; and the Mas.
The story, such as it exists, relates that it was once a small building owned by two brothers who each had a room upstairs and with a communal kitchen downstairs and the animals in a small 'lean-to' at the side, providing rabbits and pigeons and the village bread. Then it became the village bar run, some say, by a "generous woman"; I never specified with what she was generous.

The remodelled and re-furbished Mas now has 225m² of living space with its 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a large living room upstairs which looks out to Mont Helene, to Spain about 40 minutes away and the Albères slopes which glide gently down to Collioure. Most of the rooms have far reaching sea or hill views and are bright and open.
Entering through the old Mas door leads to the open plan kitchen and small dining room. The internal dining area has a large table seating ten.
There is a small terrace to the front and a large gravelled area for outside dining with the BBQ.

Further details: Entertainment: TV, Freeview

Outside: Barbecue for eating outside.

Local activities: Children's play area for ages 3-16 a few metres from the house,

The 12.5 x 4m swimming pool is safely walled and secluded.

The pool is completely private and can only be used by guests, with the exception of the daily cleaning in the morning by the owners who take care of the opening, the removal of the "ball cover" and its replacement in the evening. Please note that for safety and hygiene reasons, the pool cannot be left open all night.

We ask our guests to help us in this regard so that the pool can be properly maintained and remain safe and hygienic.

It is strongly requested to limit the use of oils and sunscreens because, if mixed with the pool water, they create an emulsion giving a milky effect to the water and cause the introduction of special chemicals to clean it.