A beautiful home in a very pretty, peaceful village on the banks of the Canal du Midi, this house offers everything you could possibly want for a relaxing holiday.
As you enter the front garden, you are greeted by the beautiful smell of honeysuckle and jasmine, which sets the scene for things to come. The house itself reflects the grandeur of its past whilst offering all the modern conveniences of today. The owners of the property, Renaud and Monique, were kind enough to show us around the extended property, at the same time giving us the history of the house, which we all found very interesting, and we must also thank them for the welcoming bottle of wine on arrival, which was put to good use almost immediately!
The kitchen/diner/living space was perfect for socialising, and the kitchen was very well equipped. French doors lead out to a grand flight of stone steps which takes you to the private, peaceful courtyard, where we spent most of our time either in the large swimming pool, relaxing on the terrace with a glass of wine, or eating al fresco.
Upstairs, the rooms are large and spacious with plenty of storage and very comfy beds. All bedrooms are ensuite, which was perfect for us as a two-couple party,the main bedroom being more of a private suite than an ensuite bedroom-very luxurious!
The village of Poilhes is very peaceful. There are three good restaurants, all serving excellent food, and a local shop, and there is a lovely walk along the banks of the canal into Capestang, which would take about an hour to do at a leisurely pace. Capestang itself has two supermarkets, Intermache at one end and Lidl at the other. There are also several restaurants here - La Grille on the square offers the perfect steak at a very reasonable price! We also visited Carcassonne, (about one hours drive away and well worth the visit), Beziers, (about twenty minutes drive away), Roquebrun, with beautiful views and canoeing on the river (about half hour's drive away) and Marseillan, a coastal town about forty minutes drive away. At the end of the day though it was always good to "come home" to La Fontaine.
If we had to make a small suggestion, it would be to have a downstairs loo which would save having to run through the house from the pool, but this is a very minor inconvenience in such a beautiful house.
Overall a truly unique French experience in a charming house that always felt like home from home.