For 10 years, my youngest daughter and grandson had been trying to get my husband and I to come to France with them and stay in the medieval town of Agde, specifically at Maison d'Estella, the house with the arched door to the courtyard. From online photos and descriptions, I had a reasonably good idea of what to expect. However, nothing prepared me for the feeling of stepping into the past, when we actually crossed the threshhold of that old wooden doorway.
From the private stone courtyard, which literally shuts out the world, up four flights to the secluded roof terrace, the house was utterly charming and unique for us modern city dwellers.
Four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, full kitchen, sitting lounge, onsite laundry plus an exterior and interior courtyard were more than enough space for the four of us to hang out.
The promenade is a half block away which hosts shops, restaurants, cafe/bars and a library, plus a couple of weekly open-air markets. The Canal-du Midi river walk is a short 2-3 minutes away and even the train station is only about a 5 min walk from the house. It`s a short drive (4 km) to the beautiful sandy beach if you rent a car or by bus if you don`t. The airport at Beziers is about 10 km away.
The house itself was very clean, furniture is a bit dated but serviceable and the owners are very gracious and friendly. We were there in the latter half of June and the weather was grand, although very hot. When we weren`t walking or touring, the courtyard was where the mornings and evenings were spent and in the afternoons, we languished behind 18 inch walls that kept the main floor cool.
Our only negative comment is the lack of internet onsite. It was a bit inconvenient, as our plans and link to home were all done online, however the library supplied wifi and we made almost a daily run to the McDonald`s for our coffee and utilized their free wifi to keep in touch and updated.
Being both over 65 and overweight, the four flights of stairs were a bit daunting, especially since the laundry was on the ground floor and the clothesline was outside of the 3rd floor, but after a few days, I was toning up and actually lost weight for the first time on holiday.
I would heartily recommend Maison D`Estella to all with an adventurous and romantic spirit.
Karen Bartley.