Maison Boye - Villa with pool for private letting

Maison Boye is a traditional stone built property, set in its own grounds of over an acre, thoughtfully restored and converted to provide modern living within its original style, charm and features.

Exposed oak beams, walls a yard thick, a traditional log fireplace, quarry tile floors, rustic terracotta roof ... combined with bright modern bathrooms and kitchen, LCD flat TV with satellite radio and DVD, WiFi broadband, CD/iPod stereo, Dreamcast games console, telephone, etc.

A raised patio, featuring a stone barbecue, is set below an attractive bamboo pergola ... ideal for relaxed summer meals al fresco.

From here, the gently sloping sun terrace, equipped with six sun loungers and a swing seat, leads down to the private swimming pool.

This is a generous 10m x 5m with semi-circular Roman steps into the shallow end, a water slide into the deep end, and with halogen underwater lighting for the evenings.

The pool is automatically filtered and uses environmentally friendly low chlorine water treatments.

Rather than surround the pool with unsightly fencing, we have elected to install a sophisticated alarm system to comply with the new safety rules. This will detect a small child falling into the water, and not only sounds a siren at the poolside, but also triggers a remote wireless monitor in the house.

Private lane

The Medieval market town of Caylus, set in the River Bonnet valley, with all its shops, bars and restaurants is reached within a few minutes by car or, more pleasantly, by a stroll down the quiet country lane ... where you will probably be greeted by a friendly donkey along the way who loves to be fed some grass!

Getting to Caylus has also become much easier recently. Low cost flights by Ryanair & EasyJet make flying a very affordable option - and for those who prefer to drive, the completion of the new French motorways to within ten miles of the house has made the journey from Calais a more relaxing and quicker trip.

Maison Boye looks out to open countryside to the south, which means the garden and pool benefit from the maximum sunshine, whilst to the north it is sheltered by the attractive oak woodland typical of this Quercy region.

The secluded grounds are reached by a long tree-lined drive, with the nearest neighbours about a quarter of a mile away. However, Maison Boye is far from isolated ... Sundial

	*Kitchen:* Fitted modern kitchen with stone sink, tiled surfaces, ceramic halogen hob, microwave with grill, twin larder refrigerators, separate freezer, built-in dishwasher and washing machine. For easing serving, there is a short connecting pathway between the barbecue area outside, and the kitchen window in the picture!
*Dining Room:* Linked to the kitchen through an original stone archway, the dining room features exposed oak beams, full sized fireplace with canopy, large farmhouse table with seating for eight, and the stairs up to Bedroom 1. Below the stairs is a writing desk with telephone.
*Lounge:* Comfortably appointed with quality furniture, traditional stone benching, LCD flat panel (with terrestrial French TV and BBC Astra 2 satellite TV & radio), DVD player, CD and iPod player, plenty of books, traditional games and a collection of English and French DVDs. Double French doors to the outside.

	*Sitting Room/Bedroom 4:* A cosy, quiet room looking out to the woods. Used as either an escape from the children or, by converting the divan, becomes a compact downstairs double bedroom. Bring your paints too! This room features pictures and drawings of Maison Boye kindly donated by previous guests. *Shower room:* Large shower area, with toilet and washbasin. Conveniently located on the ground floor to provide easy showering before/after a swim, and also, because its next to the sitting room, is useful as Bedroom 4's "nearly ensuite".
Storeroom: Hot water system, fuse box, etc.
*Reception:* Hallway, laundry cupboard, stairs to Bedrooms 2 & 3.

Bedroom 1: Natural wood floor, double bed, drawers, bedside tables etc., hidden "walk-in" wardrobe, radio/alarm. Own stairs from dining room.
*En-Suite to Bedroom 1:* Bath with shower, toilet, washbasin. Built-in shower with tiled seat feature.
*Bedroom 2 / Dormitory:* Four single beds, fold-up cot, drawers, desk and chairs, built-in wardrobe. Sega Dreamcast games console with multiple controls and a wide range of games.
*Family Bathroom:* Twin washbasins, toilet, large bath with shower.
*Bedroom 3:* Double bed, bedside tables, built-in wardrobe, windowed pigeonier feature.
*Number of Guests:* We say "from couples up to groups of ten, ideal for four to eight" - and feel this needs some explanation. The sleeping arrangements have been designed to offer very flexible accommodation, and can be readily suited to extended families or for sharing. For example, Bedroom 1 has its own ensuite and separate stairs, so is ideal for those requiring privacy, such as grandparents. Bedroom 2 offers the opportunity for putting children together in one big room or maybe for an entire family of four. Bedroom 4 (obtained by converting the ground floor sitting room) is useful for overnight guests, a teenager's getaway, or for those who find steep stairs difficult. However, although these combinations sleep up to ten (eleven if you include the cot), we rarely encounter such an "exact fit", and wouldn't really recommend Maison Boye for an all-adult booking of that size. Mixed adult/child bookings of four to eight are much more typical - where the dining and patio tables, poolside and lounge seating etc., are all going to be ample, and everyone will have plenty of space. During the LOW season, we also let to discerning couples who appreciate the value of renting a proper family house rather than the normally cramped and restricted properties designed for two person accommodation.

	___________ click on these buttons __________						DETAILS 2009