Gîte De Daoule, sleeps up to 12, close to La Mongie / Grand Tourmalet

Description
Welcome to Gîte De Daoule – 7 minutes from Bagnères-de-Bigorre, close to La Mongie, the largest ski area in the French Pyrenees (over 100 km/62 miles of pistes). Handy to know: there's a direct Ryanair flight from London to Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport, just 45-50 minutes away.
Enjoy a relaxing stay in this spacious 130 m² house in Beaudéan, peacefully set just 7 minutes from the spa town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre and 24 minutes from the La Mongie ski resort. Ideal for families or groups of friends, it combines comfort, generous space and easy access to mountain activities, in both winter and summer.
The property
🏡 Ground floor: Large fully-equipped kitchen with wood-burning stove (firewood not included) and a table for 12. Cosy sitting room with board games, books, TV and wifi. Direct access to the outdoors from the main door.
First floor: Bedroom 1 (160 double bed, double sofa bed, en-suite shower room, separate WC), utility room (washing machine + tumble dryer), Bedroom 2 (1 double bed, 140).
Second floor: Independent shower room, Bedroom 3 (double bed, 140), Bedroom 4 (double bed, 140, plus two single beds, 80). Every bedroom has its own washbasin.
🌿 Outdoors & facilities: Barbecue, garden furniture, parasol, darts, 3 private parking spaces, travel cot, 2 hairdryers, 3 fans, electric heating throughout, wood-burning stove (firewood available 10 minutes away, drive-through purchase possible), wifi, pets welcome.
🧹 Services: End-of-stay cleaning included (conditions apply). Bed and bath linen not included – rental available through our concierge service.
🔑 Self check-in: keys are to be collected from our office in Bagnères-de-Bigorre and returned there at the end of your stay.
🎿 Winter activities
Ski holidays at La Mongie / Grand Tourmalet, the largest and most varied ski area in the Pyrenees, suited to beginners and experienced skiers alike.
Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing at Payolle (~20 min, 12 miles, at the foot of the Col d'Aspin): 70 km/43 miles of trails in a landscape nicknamed the Pyrenean "Little Canada".
Ice zip-lining over the frozen Adour gorge, near the Pic du Midi (November to April) – a spectacular winter thrill.
Husky sledding – a magical family experience in the La Mongie/Payolle area.
Bagnères-de-Bigorre, a lively spa town: its big Saturday morning market (8am-1pm, around 200 stalls), plus restaurants and good tables just minutes from the gîte.
☀️ Summer activities
Lake Génos-Loudenvielle (~1 hour, 35 miles, via the scenic Col d'Aspin): swimming, an aquapark, stand-up paddleboarding, an easy family lake walk.
Tandem paragliding, canyoning and white-water rafting on the Pyrenean rivers, all available from Bagnères-de-Bigorre and Argelès-Gazost.
Fancy a change of scenery? The Spanish border is only 1h15-1h30 (roughly 45-50 miles) away via the Bielsa tunnel – some local guides even run canyoning day trips across the border, at the foot of Mont Perdu.
🏔️ Year-round
Cable car to the Pic du Midi de Bigorre: observatory and 360° panoramic views across the whole Pyrenean range.
Day trip to Pau (~1 hour, 40 miles): Henri IV's château, the famous Boulevard des Pyrénées, a great food market.
Thermal spa and relaxation in Bagnères-de-Bigorre.
Walking, cycling, nature.
Combine mountains and ocean in the same week – the Atlantic coast is about 2 hours (114 miles) away.
🏰 Cultural and family excursions
Lourdes and its world-famous sanctuary, one of the largest Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world (~25 minutes).
Donjon des Aigles in Beaucens (~35-40 minutes): an 11th-century medieval castle housing one of the world's most prestigious birds-of-prey collections, with a free-flight show every afternoon (Easter to end of September).
Parc Animalier des Pyrénées in Argelès-Gazost (~35-40 minutes): around a hundred animal species in a mountain setting, a great family day out.
🎭 Local traditions and festivals
Folk performances by Les Pastourelles de Campan, the Transhumance festival in early October, a lively Christmas market in December.
✈️ Getting here by air
Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées (LDE): ~45-50 min, direct Ryanair flight to/from London. Pau-Pyrénées (PUF): ~1h10-1h15. Toulouse-Blagnac (TLS): ~2h15-2h30, direct flights from the UK and across Europe.