House in Pau , Pyrénées-Atlantiques , Aquitaine

Built in 1963 by the current owner having been inspired by their love of skiing, this super villa was originally a wooden chalet nestling in a tranquil woodland garden with a private lake. The building was enlarged in 1982 to incorporate the original chalet's structure, resulting in the creation of a truly unique family home of 190m². The property's surroundings are now more residential - and there is some traffic noise from the ring road - but the villa is not at all overlooked by the neighbouring properties and still feels as if it is in the heart of the countryside!

Shaded by tall trees, a private drive leads up to the villa and to an outdoor parking area with direct access into the kitchen, which is very useful for unloading shopping from the car. There are also two carports for covered parking and a huge workshop, which could be used as a secure garage, if preferred.

The villa's front door opens into a light and airy porch leading into a beautiful sitting room with an elegant wooden staircase up to the first floor. The room also has an open fireplace with a wood-burning stove and sliding glazed doors which open out to the south-facing garden.

To the right of the sitting room is a large kitchen (which you might want to update) with a door out to the parking area. Next to the kitchen is a WC and an alcove, which could be transformed into a walk-in pantry/wine store. Adjoining this area is a lovely dining room, which has south-facing and west-facing doors out to paved terraces and a second staircase up to the first floor.

Next to the dining room is a large utility room and an adjoining boiler room with French doors out to a carport and the parking area at the front of the house. It would be possible to use the boiler room as a small garage for one car - or (subject to permission) to transform it into an office/consulting room with a private entrance.

The first floor of the villa comprises a master bedroom with an en suite bathroom, a dressing room and a south-facing balcony. This room is directly accessible via the main staircase in the sitting room, as is the second bedroom, which also has a cosy sitting area. Behind both these bedrooms is a sunny salon with access to a second south-facing balcony, the second staircase downstairs to the dining room and a narrow staircase upstairs to the loft.

The third, smaller, bedroom is accessible from the salon, as is a west-facing verandah, which also has wooden steps down to the garden. The verandah could even be used as an office, if desired. Also on the first floor is a large fourth bedroom, a family bathroom and a separate WC.

The loft space on the top floor (about 30m² usable floorspace) has been partially converted and is large enough to create a fifth bedroom with a sitting area and an en suite shower room - ideal for a teenager or B&B guests! Please note that the ceilings in area are sloping and that permission for conversion would probably be required.

Outside, the gorgeous woodland garden of 5,842m² surrounds the villa on all sides. To the south of the land is a private lake of approximately 750m², which is fed by a stream.There is plenty of room in the garden to install a swimming pool, a summer kitchen, a barbecue area, a children's play area...

As well as being hugely convenient for people working in and around Pau, this unique villa is in a perfect location for anyone who loves both the mountains and the sea. Several Pyrénées ski resorts are under an hour away to the south - and the many Atlantic coastal resorts are just over an hour away to the west. A wide range of shops and schools are within walking distance - and regular buses will take you into the centre of Pau if you prefer to leave your car at home!

THE VILLA

Ground floor:
- dining terraces with lovely views of the woodland garden (5,842m²) and lake (approx. 750m²)
- an entrance porch
- a spacious sitting room with an open fireplace & wood-burning stove, a large wooden staircase up to the first floor and sliding glazed doors out to the garden
- a dining room with a narrow second staircase up to the first floor + south-facing and west-facing doors opening outside onto paved terraces
- a kitchen with a door to the parking area
- space for a walk-in pantry
- a utility room
- a WC
- a boiler room/small garage with French doors out to the parking area
- a workshop/large garage
- two carports

First floor:
- two south-facing balconies
- a west-facing verandah
- a sunny salon with access to a south-facing balcony
- a master bedroom with an en suite bathroom, a dressing room and access to a private south-facing balcony
- a second bedroom with a sitting area/play area
- a smaller third bedroom with access to a west-facing verandah and wooden steps down to the garden
- a fourth bedroom
- a family bathroom
- a separate WC

Second floor:
- partially renovated loft space (approx. 30m² usable floorspace with sloping ceilings)


THE WOODLAND GARDEN

The villa is set in superb woodland grounds of 5,842m² which lead down to a huge private lake (approximately 750m²), where you can swim or go boating! There is plenty of room to install a swimming pool, a summer kitchen, a barbecue area, a children's play area...

At the front of the house, there is a large drive with an outdoor parking area for a couple of cars, along with two carports and an excellent workshop/garage which is ideal for storing tools, large equipment and garden furniture. The boiler room would also be large enough to use as a garage for a small car, if desired.


THE POTENTIAL!

This excellent villa can be moved into straight away! For families with children, there is a great choice of schools locally or in Pau - and many of the secondary schools in the area offer options where you can specialise in theatre, various sports, horse-riding... The International School of Béarn, which teaches the English curriculum, is just 5 minutes away. If you live in and around Pau, the ring road is easily accessible, or you can take the bus from nearby bus stops to the centre of Pau and surrounding areas.

For anyone who works from home, the huge boiler room with its French doors could be transformed into an office or consulting room, as could the verandah on the first floor. If you hope to welcome B&B guests, the master bedroom would be perfect because it has its own en suite bathroom. It might also be possible (subject to permission) to create a large Bed and Breakfast suite on the top floor with a bedroom area, a sitting area and en en suite shower room.


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Telephone + ADSL + cable internet
Some double glazing
Electricity
Town gas available
Heating: oil-fired central heating + electric heaters + wood-burning stove
Mains water
Mains drainage


THE LOCAL AREA

Located to the east of Pau, the many shops and amenities of the city are easily accessible from the villa and regular buses are just a five-minute walk away. There are many excellent schools in Pau and throughout the Béarn with collèges-lycées offering a range of studying options (some in English), along with the chance to specialise in theatre, dance, sports… and even horse riding! The International School of Béarn, which follows an English school curriculum, is just over 5 minutes away.

The Béarn is extremely popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, white-water rafting and fishing. The region also offers a choice of winter sports, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, downhill skiing and snowboarding, with ski-buses to the ski resorts running regularly from Pau during the winter months. For beach-based activities, the famous resorts on the Atlantic coast are about 70 minutes away, with surfing beaches at Biarritz and Anglet and family beaches at Hendaye and St-Jean-de-Luz.

Airports: Pau, Tarbes-Lourdes, Biarritz
Train: Pau
Long-distance buses: Pau
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Ski: Val-d’Azun, Artouste, Gourette, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Issarbe, Iraty, Candanchú (Spain)
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

Attractions: Aqua Béarn, Le Petit Train d’Artouste, Grottes de Bétharram, Parc'Ours, Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte...
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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr