House in Navarrenx , Pyrénées-Atlantiques , Aquitaine

Built in the 1970s, this immaculate villa of 190m² is located in a veritable haven of peace and tranquillity, yet is just a short distance away from the shops, schools and local amenities of Navarrenx, Sauveterre-de-Béarn, Mauléon-Licharre and St-Palais.

The villa is one of just four properties in a tiny hamlet accessible via a quiet country lane. The villa forms a U-shape and faces south away from the lane, ensuring complete privacy. Adjoining the villa is a spacious garage, which is next to entrance gates. There is a cellar beneath the garage, which is accessible via concrete steps at the far end.

Also at the far end of the garage, a stone step leads up to a door which opens directly into the kitchen, which is very convenient for unloading shopping from the car. To get to the main front door, however, you follow a path around the outside of the building to the south-facing dining terrace at the front of the villa.

The decorative front door opens into a sunny entrance hall with doors to the kitchen on the left and the main reception room on the right. The kitchen has very striking "designer" wall tiles, which beautifully reflect the light. At the far end of the room is a cosy dining area, along with an adjoining utility room and a door to the garage. At the other end are French doors out to the south-facing terrace.

The main reception room to the right of the hall has a sitting area, a dining area and a lovely wooden staircase up to the first floor. Bathed in sunlight all day long, there are two sets of French doors in the dining area and a third set in the sitting area, which all open directly onto the south-facing dining terrace. The sitting area, which is at the far end of the room, has an elegant carved stone fireplace with a wood-burning stove.

From the entrance hall, a corridor leads around behind the main reception room to a large bathroom with a bath and a shower, separate WC and two downstairs bedrooms. One of the bedrooms could be used as a study or office, if preferred - and one or both of the bedrooms could be used for accommodating Bed and Breakfast guests.

The villa's first floor feels light and airy and has lovely countryside views from all of the rooms. The accommodation comprises a master bedroom with an adjoining dressing room and walk-in storage area, a smaller bedroom with built-in wardrobes, a shower room with a WC and adjacent walk-in storage area and a super mezzanine area, which could be used as an office area, a playroom, a nursery...

The villa is set in wonderful landscaped gardens planted with mature trees and shrubs. There is ample space to install a swimming pool - and you may even like to think about creating a summer kitchen, a children's play area, a boules piste... and the views of the countryside and to the Pyrénées beyond are a delight!

The pretty bastide town of Navarrenx (12 minutes) is very popular with visitors all year round. There are exciting watersports on the nearby "gave" (river), as well as numerous cultural and sporting activities for you to get involved in throughout the year. The town also has a great choice of lively bars and restaurants, shops and boutiques - and there is even a bilingual school (French/English). The riverside towns of Sauveterre-de-Béarn, Mauléon-Licharre, St-Palais and Oloron-Ste-Marie are also easily accessible. The many ski resorts in the Pyrénées are about an hour away to the south; surfing and family beaches on the Atlantic coast are about an hour away to the west.

THE VILLA

Ground floor:
- a south-facing terrace with views of the countryside and the Pyrénées
- an entrance hall
- a large reception room with a sitting area, a dining area and French doors opening out to the terrace
- a kitchen with a dining area, access to the garage and French doors out to the terrace
- a utility room
- two bedrooms
- a bathroom with a bath and a shower
- a separate WC

First floor:
- a mezzanine area, which could be used as an office/playroom/nursery
- a large master bedroom
- an adjoining dressing room and walk-in storage area
- a smaller bedroom with built-in wardrobes
- a shower room with a WC and walk-in storage area

NB: please note that some of the first-floor rooms have sloping ceilings


THE GROUNDS

- landscaped grounds of 1,901m²
- ample space for installing a swimming pool, summer kitchen, children's play area, boules piste...
- a south-facing terrace with views of the countryside and the Pyrénées
- a garage with access to the villa's kitchen
- a cellar below the garage


THE POTENTIAL!

In perfect condition, this splendid villa can be moved into straight away. For families with children, there is a primary school in the local village, a bilingual school (French/English) in Navarrenx and a great choice of collèges and lycées for older children in Oloron-Ste-Marie, Mauléon-Licharre, St-Palais and Orthez.

The property is within easy commuting distance of Pau and TotalEnergies HQ (50 - 55 minutes), Mourenx (30 minutes), Orthez (30 minutes) and Oloron-Ste-Marie (35 minutes) - and for anyone who works from home, one of the ground floor bedrooms or the first-floor mezzanine area would be ideal to use as an office. Should you need a larger area, you may get permission to transform the garage into office space/consulting rooms.

If you are hoping to find an excellent-value property that could be rented out to long-term tenants or to holidaymakers as a holiday cottage/gîte for short-term stays, the villa has excellent income potential thanks to its lovely rural surroundings and its proximity to the Pyrénées, the Atlantic coast and Spain.

One or both of the villa's ground-floor bedrooms, along with the ground-floor bathroom, could be used for welcoming Bed and Breakfast guests, if desired. There is an ever-growing demand for B&B accommodation from tourists visiting this beautiful area, especially during the summer months, the skiing season and for Christmas and New Year.

The installation of a swimming pool would definitely increase demand from potential clients, as would the offer of evening meals. You could even consider providing picnic hampers for your guests' day trips... especially if the hampers are full of tasty Béarnaise and Basque delicacies!


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Telephone + ADSL (fibre expected soon)
Double-glazing throughout
Heating: electric panels + wood-burning stove
Mains water
Septic tank (needs revision)


THE LOCAL AREA

This super property is located in a peaceful hamlet in the beautiful Béarn in South-West France. It is not far from the Pyrénées, the Atlantic coast, Pau, Lourdes and the Basque Country - and the vibrant cities of Bordeaux, Toulouse, San-Sebastián and Bilbao are all within easy reach.

Popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, white-water rafting and fishing, the Béarn also has numerous ski resorts about an hour away to the south, offering downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snow-shoeing. For those who prefer beach-based activities, the Atlantic coast is about an hour away to the west, where you can picnic, swim and surf at Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

If your interests are gastronomic, there are numerous bars and restaurants in Navarrenx, Sauveterre-de-Béarn, Salies -de-Béarn, Mauléon-Licharre and Saint Palais. You can also enjoy exploring the many different farmers' markets throughout the Béarn and nearby Basque Country where you'll be able to sample locally produced Jurançon wines, tasty Bayonne ham cured using salt from Salies-de-Béarn and fabulous Brebis, which is a cheese made using milk from sheep and eaten with black cherry jam from Itxassou!

Airports: Pau, Biarritz, Tarbes-Lourdes, Bordeaux, Toulouse
Train: TGV Orthez, TGV Pau, Oloron-Ste-Marie
Coach: Pau, Bayonne
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

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

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