Spoil yourself in spacious surroundings at L'Ange, a tastefully renovated family home with generously proportioned rooms, in the village of Oupia. Perfect for exploring the Minervois area and its wines, or relaxing by the pool side. Sleeps six in three bedrooms, air-conditioning in all bedrooms & sitting room.

Accommodation

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Welcome to L'Ange ! Push open the iron gate and climb the elegant curved stone stairs which lead to the front door, from where we invite you to discover the delights of this imposing Maison Bourgeoise.

Once in the entrance hall, a door gives directly into the spacious sitting room. This room is light and airy as there are windows on two sides and the high ceilings add to the feeling of space. It is tastefully and comfortably furnished with sofas, side tables, table lamps, artefacts, television with satellite receiver, DVD player and stereo radio-cassette-CD player. It also features the original marble fireplace which has been fitted with a cast-iron wood burning stove. This room also has air-conditioning, to cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

The fitted kitchen is kept in a country style and equipped with a gas/electric cooker, electric oven, microwave oven, dishwasher, fridge/freezer and extractor fan, and supplied with all cookware, crockery and glassware. The wooden dining table is perfect for those home cooked meals, prepared with fresh produce from nearby Olonzac market.

French doors lead from the kitchen to the old courtyard, which has been transformed into an oasis of calm, with a swimming pool, and a raised terrace which overlooks the pool. The terrace is furnished with garden furniture and sun loungers, perfect for enjoying meals outdoors and cooking on the built in BBQ. The swimming pool has under-water lighting, creating a very special atmosphere at night.

Also on the ground floor is a twin bedded room which is air-conditioned as the sitting room. This room has an en-suite bathroom, with bathtub, WC, bidet and wash hand basin. This bathroom is also accessible separately from the hallway.

Climb the original stone stairs (not forgetting a good look at the cut glass newel) and you will discover two further bedrooms, all with their original patterned tile floors. The bedroom to your left is furnished a double bed and has retained its beautiful polished marble fireplace. This room is particularly light with windows overlooking the courtyard and swimming pool, and the front of the house.

The second double bedroom is just opposite and features a beautifully polished chest of drawers, as well as a wardrobe. From this room a door leads into the bathroom on this floor, with shower cabin, WC, bidet and hand wash basin. There is also a washing machine/dryer in this room, and there is of course access from the corridor into the bathroom.

In the 1st floor hallway is a table football game, for the young and eternally young ones.

L'Ange who watches over the pool

Oupia and surroundings

Oupia is a sleepy village, typical of the Minervois region, where the main occupation is making delightful drinkable wine. Between them, a number of widely scattered estates are beginning to create a following for some of France's most generously flavoured and characterful wines. Chateau Oupia may well be your first stop to sample the local wine; among the other amenities in the village are a comprehensively stocked grocery store and a restaurant, as well as a post office; visiting shops call on the village on a regular basis. Oupia also has a public park and a picnic site. The "Serre d'Oupia" a hilly ridge behind the village is perfect for walks and hikes.

Nearby Olonzac has a variety of shops and restaurants and a lively weekly market (Tuesday) where you can buy a wide selection of goods such of locally grown produce, cheeses, bread, clothes, housewares, souvenirs.... Homps is just next door to Olonzac, and here the Canal du Midi passes through the village. Several restaurants line up along the quay and a boat trip on the canal is a must - a number of different cruises are available.

The Canal du Midi and the parish church at Homps

In the surrounding villages you'll find a number of very good restaurants, such as Lo Cagarol in Aigne, L'Auberge de Saint-Martin in Beaufort, En Bonne Compagnie in Homps, Le Chantovent in Minerve, to name but a few. Just beyond Olonzac is the "Lac de Jouarres" a manmade lake which acts as reservoir for the Canal du Midi. This is an ideal spot for bathing and watersports such as boating and windsurfing.

A little further afield is the town of Lezignan, which has a larger variety of shops and supermarkets and a very vibrant market on Wednesdays.

Closest airports are at Carcassonne, Perpignan, Montpellier, Nimes Toulouse and Girona