This stone cottage on 1.8 hectares (4 acres) of farmland has been meticulously restored to the highest standards of taste and comfort with antique finishings and modern conveniences and is available for rental in all four seasons. Taking maximum advantage of a relatively compact space, the ground floor offers a living/dining area overlooking a stone patio (the actual dining area for most of the year), a fully equipped ultra-convenient gourmet kitchen, a functioning wood stove, and a half-bathroom under a custom-made plaster spiral staircase. The house has satellite television, high-speed WiFi, and internet telephony with free calling anywhere. The staircase leads up to a master bedroom with views in all directions and an artisan-created fully modern bathroom with shower and double sink fitted out with antique doors and tiles. The house is cool in summer and warm in winter, with both electric heat and a functional wood stove. It contains two iPod stereo players.
The large property includes a magnificent round stone irrigation bassin (10 meters in diameter), which has been transformed into a swimming pool while retaining its original form. The pool sits in a well defined area 30 meters (100 feet) square, planted with grass and willows, with a full view of the village, including sunsets behind the chateau. The bassin was originally fed by a spring (on old maps the location is called 'Le Gourt,' spring in Provencal) which now flows into six wells on the property.
The house has open views in all directions, south to the Luberon mountains, north to the plateau of the Vaucluse, and west to the hilltop village of St. Saturnin-les-Apt with its ruined chateau, church, and windmill. The house is surrounded on three sides by a terrasse (patio) incorporating two old stone wells and paved on the south and west by a 'calade' constructed entirely of stones from an old threshing floor unearthed during renovation. The south side is shaded by a wisteria-planted custom-made iron tonnelle (canopy) overlooking the Luberon mountains in the distance. The immediate view is of a gently sloping gravel pathway bordered by lavender, boxwood, roses, and olive trees, leading down to the pool area.
Please note that the pool is normally opened by the start of May and closed by the end of September, depending on weather conditions.
Keywords: Self-catering house, cottage, bastidon, cabanon, gite, farmhouse, mas, bastide