Chateau Saint Aubin is a very elegant late cXVIII family house, and one of the most beautiful properties in Gascony. It is the perfect country house in which to have a wonderful luxury holiday. Originally this property was the ‘chartreause’ (dower house) for the nearby cXIII fortified chateau. When the chateau was destroyed in the French Revolution, the then owners rebuilt the dower house as their main home (the date 1793 is carved in the courtyard gate lintel) and renamed this ‘Chateau Saint Aubin’. The property has been lovingly refurbished by the present owners over the last few years to the highest standards of building design and equipment. The house is superbly sited on the side of a hill, surrounded by its own land - 12ha (30 acres) of terraced gardens, parkland, woods and a lake, further enclosed by about 155ha (400 acres) of gently rolling farmland, woods and vineyards.
Here, you will be in the heart of Gascony and able to enjoy the idyllic countryside in complete privacy, peace and quiet. The main garden terraces face south with a magnificent outlook over spreading wooded valleys for 150km to the Pyrénées - a spectacular view on a clear day. As well as the main south terrace and rose garden, which runs the length of the house, there are adjoining shady terraces on the east and west corners of the south front, all three with tables and chairs so you can eat (or drink!) outside at any time of day. The large, elegantly curved salt water swimming pool is well-sited a short walk away along a rose-covered pergola to the east of the house, in an enclosed, fenced garden with a summer house and garden furniture. The pool can be heated in spring and autumn. The well-designed spacious accommodation is all on the ground floor and laid out around a charming central courtyard with central fountain. There is an excellent Armagnac which used to be made at the property, called “Château Saint Aubin – Réserve du Château”, and is now available to taste - and to buy!
From the central courtyard you will enter the large hall, which opens south to the main garden terraces, west into the bedroom wing and east to the reception rooms. In the west (bedroom) wing there are three double bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and a twin bedroom with adjacent bathroom. The large fifth bedroom with ensuite bathroom is in the east wing, providing the option of accommodation for staff, or as a ‘granny flat’, or for older children. The bathrooms are all completely modern with state of the art equipment. The master bathroom has an enormous Jacuzzi bath and a separate Sauna. Leading east off the entrance hall are the reception rooms, comprising dining room, large Salon, sitting/TV room (with very large flat screen TV), a large, fully equipped family kitchen with a four oven AGA, separate electric cooker, and a large fully equipped utility room. There are original terracotta tiled floors throughout and open log fires in the Salon and kitchen, and full central heating in all rooms. A backup generator ensures that even in the worst winter storms, you will be warm and well lit. There is wireless broadband access and a music system. Inside, the house is spacious, comfortable, and filled with shafts of brilliant sunlight slicing across cool, elegant interiors. All the rooms flow easily onto the outside terraces and gardens, leading the eye to wonderful views in every direction.
The nearby small town of Eauze is the capital of the Armagnac district, surrounded by wine and Armagnac producers. The Eauze museum houses the fabulous cIII Gallo-Roman money hoard (“The Eauze Treasure”) discovered in Eauze in 1985. Eauze (under 10 mins) has shops, banks, post office, a weekly market on Thursday, restaurants, cafes, a petrol station, a cinema and a golf course. Not far away is the Roman Villa site of Seviac, and nearby Larressingle is a fascinating fortified hill-top medieval village with beside it an extraordinary children’s adventure playground full of model medieval siege weapons – that actually work! The village of Fourcés (25 mins) has a famous flower market every year and an antiques market every Sunday in summer. There are lots of other interesting places to visit and things to do, and some very good local restaurants in the area.
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Chateau Saint Aubin has a house-keeper (who speaks excellent English) and cleaner, who live nearby. Some cleaning every day is included with the rent. Extra cleaning, cooking, shopping, laundry service or baby-sitting, are all available by arrangement.
Staff Accommodation:
Not far from the chateau, beyond the stables, there is a 3 double bedroom modern house which sleeps six. This can be made available for a small extra charge if you wish to bring your own staff to look after you on holiday or if you wish to use the Saint Aubin ‘Full Service’ option (see below).
Full Service:
Saint Aubin is one of our three top Gascony properties that can offer a ‘Full Service’ option. Instead of the ordinary local cooking arrangements, you can if you wish book this service that will present you with the very best of local food and wine, bought, prepared and served for you 5 days a week, together with professional shopping and housekeeping. This can include breakfast every day, packed lunch hampers, afternoon tea, drinks with canapés and superb four course dinners with wines and Armagnac. Very spoiling and pure pleasure!
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About 7 minutes drive to Eauze – shops, bank, chemist, garage, cinema, cafés, restaurants, weekly market.
40 minutes to Condom – large shops, weekly market, restaurants and cathedral
60 Minutes to Auch – large supermarkets and historic town centre
80 minutes to Agen - fast rail connections to Paris and London
90 minutes to Pau Airport and City
2 hours to Toulouse and Bordeaux Airports and Cities
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