Lou Recantou & l'Ancien Pressoir

LOU RECANTOU

The cottage

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Place your cursor over the photos to see the titles.

plan of house and garden
Bedrooms
Kitchen
Living & dining area
Bathrooms
Pool and garden

Lou Recantou, spring 2011

Lou Recantou, pronounced "loo-ray-can-TOO", means, more or less, "the hidden place around the corner" in Occitan (the old language of southern France, still spoken by most older people in this region).

The single-storey stone house, located around the corner and behind the owners' house (hence the cottage's name) is quiet and virtually secluded. Inside, it is comfortable and convenient.

See plan of house and garden

Dining and living areas:

three bedrooms
two bathrooms
large, open kitchen/dining/living area
cathedral ceiling
exposed stone wall
the original beams.
underfloor heating throughout, making the house cosy and comfortable in cooler weather.

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Bedrooms

Master bedroom (queen-size bed):

large double casement window
firm queen-sized bed (60"/153cm wide)
bedside reading lamps
ceiling fan
closet with lots of hangers and shelves
chest of drawers
ensuite bathroom
Optional: baby bed and bedding, adjustable booster chair and play pen

Bedroom #2 set up as a double (top) and as two singles (below)

large double casement window
two firm single beds that can be put together to make one very large bed (width: 71"/180cm; length: 79"/200 cm)
bedside reading lamps
closet with lots of hangers and shelves
chest of drawers
ceiling fan

Bedroom #3:

small single casement window
two firm single beds
bedside reading lamps
closet with lots of hangers and shelves
chest of drawers
ceiling fan

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Kitchen

lots of cupboards and counter space
glass ceramic-topped cooker (stove) with oven
full-size refrigerator with freezer
microwave oven
Bosch dishwasher (dishwasher tablets and/or liquid provided)
electric coffeemaker
electric toaster
electric tea kettle
electric hand blender
small stove-top espresso-maker
some staples in limited amounts, such as salt, pepper, herbs & spices, fresh garlic, sugar, olive oil and wine vinegar
and just about every utensil you could possibly need for preparing meals

Kitchen & dining area

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Sitting area

two comfortable leather sofas with matching armchair
small bookshelf with books about France and our area in particular. Walking, hiking and cycling suggestions
also on shelf: 6 wooden filing boxes with flyers on regional sites and activities
two floor lamps and a ceiling fan with lights
coffee table with lots of magazines, in both English and French
large casement window overlooking garden and pool

Dining area, computer desk

large wooden dining table seating six people
computer with high-speed internet access and a flat-screen monitor
WiFi (secured)
telephone (calls can be made to any destination)
DVD player and lots of DVDs (Please note: there is no television)
small stereo with a radio, CD player, a few CDs and a cable for iPod/MP3 player connection (not USB)
ceiling fan with lights
large, well-stocked bookshelf with a wide selection of titles in most categories, including classics, good contemporary fiction, thrillers, non-fiction and cookbooks
also on shelf: games (e.g. Scrabble, cribbage, cards), jigsaw puzzles, children's books & toys
closet containing iron, ironing board, aprons, caps, broom, etc. etc.
market basket and re-usable shopping bags

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Bathrooms

Main bathroom:

adjoins bedrooms #2 and #3
tiled shower with lots of hot water and elbow room
marble-topped vanity with large, lighted mirror and two wash-basins
toilet
hand-held hair dryer
small first aid kit
lots of towel bars
very small casement window
ventilating fan

En suite bathroom

adjoins master bedroom:
tiled shower with lots of hot water and elbow room
marble-topped vanity with large, lighted mirror and single wash-basin
toilet
washing machine
lots of towel bars
ventilating fan

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Pool and Garden

private, quiet, enclosed garden and terrace
small swimming pool (6m X 3.5m, 1.2m deep) just outside door, surrounded by stone terrace. Heated by solar panels.
pool overlooked by large, old fig tree
children's pool toys provided on request
choice of sun or shade almost any time of day
parking also possible on the road.
small lawn, some flowers and flowering shrubs
five sunloungers
wooden table with 6 wooden chairs (new since photo taken)
small round painted metal table with 4 matching chairs
gas barbecue
ample lines for drying clothes
five good mountain bikes and three road bikes, with payment of security deposit

A corner of the garden under the fig tree, beside the pool:

Ample room to park one car in front of the house, or just enough for two small cars:

See plan of house and garden

Some of these and other photographs of the house and the area were taken by our friend Wilf Noordermeer in October 2002. His own website, full of his other wonderful photographs, is at: http://www.wilf.ca

From Dr. Greg Moran, who stayed in Lou Recantou in March 2001 (and has been back several times since): "It has been a real privilege to be among the first of what will be a very long list of those who will enjoy this wonderful gîte, in this remarkable place. Lou Recantou is the best possible peaceful base from which to explore, cycle and walk. Thanks for your creativity and care."

For recent quotes, see Comments from the guest book.

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