Comments received from guests:

July 2011

Just a note to say thank you for the use of your perfect French retreat in Olonzac. We travelled three days through France on our motorcycles seeing many wonderful sights on the way.The house was perfect for us to relax in after our eventful journey - and regain our strength for the journey back! Furnishings and utilities were ideal for anyones needs and with a real French flavour.

We visited recommended places, such as Narbonne Plage to take a dip in the Med, Carcassonne - terrific medieval city, and Minerve.

We found the village of Olonzac laid back and the people friendly. Bread and croissants fresh every morning from the Boulangerie at the end of the road is something special - not your usual Sainsbury experience!! The lively Tuesday market is an experience not to be missed too! Walking to Homps and through the vinyards to the Lac de Jouarres was a good way to enjoy some of the surrounding area.  Taking a boat trip on the Canal du Midi from Homps (11euro 50) was a really enjoyable couple of hours followed by a good lunch at a nearby recommended restaurant!  A good way to relax on our last day.

June 2011

Really enjoyed the holiday. Your house was gorgeous and we stayed on the topmost floor. Loved the big bathroom and the lovely evening light you get in there. We also appreciated the information left in your manual about the region. During our stay, we did...

Olonzac (of course!) and the market - an opportunity to practice the now rather rusty French but I managed enough
Homps and Lac Jouarres
Narbonne - loved the cathedral (I am a bit of a square for those)
Carcassonne - again, I am a sucker for history
Minerve - gorgeous - the missus loved it! We bought ourselves some trinkets from there from a glassmaker and ate a lovely meal at was it Chanteval, overlooking the gorge?

and various little towns and villages on the way, all of which were very beautiful. You really do have a special region down there.

All the very best to you and if we find ourselves heading back that way, we'll be in touch about another rental. I must admit I loved it down there, it was a struggle to come back!
Mike. (Portsmouth UK)

June 2011

Having holidays in other parts of France over many years we keep coming back to Olanzac and Minervois House. We find that Minervois House provides all that we could wish for in a holiday home ; comfort, space, well equipped and maintained, with a secluded garden to enjoy an alfresco meal or a book and a glass of wine.

For us the  house is conveniently close to the lovely tree lined town centre, which bustles on market days and is guaranteed to provide sociable gatherings in the evenings with a choice of excellent places to eat and drink. Olanzac itself is a great base from which to explore the mountains, the Mediterranean coast, the canal midi , the elusive river Cess,  the stunning sight of Minerve, rural and  rugged countryside, vibrant historic cities such as Narbonne and Carcasonne and sleepy rustic villages – the list goes on . We find new and wonderful experiences each time we visit. After long days spent exploring the region we are always happy to return to the familiar homely French comfort of Minervois House. A very favourite place of both of us.

Doreen and Stewart Aitken, Norfolk, UK.

May 2011

We had a very nice time in France.  We liked your house and made ourselves quickly at home!   The weather was very warm with cloudless skies until today when it was a bit windy and much cooler - fine for going home!   I left the house clean and tidy and mopped the floor!    I watered the plants.  I left one or two things in the fridge - must be the Scottish bit - I hate wasting food!!
 
We had some good meals out.  We ate at the auberge in Homps and yesterday had a very nice lunch in a tiny restaurant in Citou above Caune http://www.oustal-a-citou.com/in-english.php - 5 courses of very regional dishes!  We also liked the pizzeria in Olonzac. We had a carry out pizza in the garden last evening.
 
We spent Friday in Carcassonne old city.  A bit touristy but very interesting and we enjoyed walking round the parapets.
 
We enjoyed an evening walk along the canal at Homps, stopping at the Lake for a while to relax in the sunshine.
 
So you will gather we covered a lot of ground since Wednesday!   We arrived home in beautiful sunshine at Prestwick (only a 2 hour flight) and I am about to unpack.
 
Thanks again for your very well equipped and comfortable house.  We would like to go back soon but this year our son gets married in Cyprus so it won't be this year. 

Kay Crawford (Scotland)

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Aug 2010  We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay here.  I have never stayed in a holiday home so well equipped.  Our 3 year old enjoyed the toys, and the cooler bag and sand toys were all used and appreciated immensely.  Thank you very much for a lovely holiday in your lovely holiday home.  Au Revoir,

Tracey, Willie & Alex (Australia)

Aug 2010

Many thanks, we had a wonderful stay. Loved the house, very well thought out, relaxing with small children. Taking a baby on a plane, let alone a 3yr old is a bit of an undertaking but it's all been so smooth and much down to yourselves. We got back door to door, Olonzac to Leeds, including dropping the hire car off, in just under six hours today which is quite phenomenal. Good old Ryanair!
 
We've added a couple of comments to the book - we thought the Citadel was amazing value for lunch, the 3 course menu du jour at 12.50 including wine, the other day the main course was steak with roquefort sauce.......
 
Minerve an excellent trip and we also made it to a couple of the Cathar castles to the south, which were amazing.
 
Carcassonne was a winner because we went early and left early, very smugly as the hordes were pouring in......
 
I also went to the Pont du Gard - if anyone is interested in the future, it took just over two hours, about 20 euros in tolls but was definitely worth it; another sight where, if you can get there early enough, it is still quiet and serene!
 
The lake was an absolute winner - went 6 times -grass much easier than sand with a baby around!!
 
So, many thanks for all the suggestions and the details at the house itself - it has greatly enhanced our trip; even down to the wine, the local red in a box for under 10 euros was really good, and I had an enjoyable degustation with my father-in-law at the Celliers last night.
 
 
The parking was fine, particularly the car park at the end.
 
We also broke a pyrex dish but have replaced it with one from the supermarket, just about identical. 

Mark (Leeds)

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 July 2010

My wife and I had the distinct pleasure of staying in your townhouse in Olonzac.  We would like to thank you for the delightful time we were thus able to enjoy there with our son and his wife.  The furnishings provided made our stay most enjoyable indeed.  Thank you very much for making this home-away-from home available to us and others.

We enjoyed the town, having been fortunate to be there on a market day.

We wish you well, Gene & Sarah (Martinez U.S)

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July 2010

We thank you for making our stay so ENJOYABLE!  we had a wonderful time, and left Friday morning with reluctance.

You go "above and beyond" to make your holiday house a comfortable and enjoyable place to call "Home" while on holiday. We are most appreciative of the high level of attention to detail that you have for your guests.  From the bottle of wine to the  standard of cleanliness.

We look forward to future visits and hope to stay at your house again.

Jason & family (Lincolnshire)

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July 2010

What a great time we had in and around Olonzac. For the ten days we had in July, the excellent accommodation was more than adequate and exceptionally well equipped for any form of dining/entertaining in, also very adequate information pack provided.
The small town of Olonzac again had everything required, from the bakers(open at 6:30am), butchers and supermarket etc.
Great places to visit most of which within 45mins.trips
Already booked a return to Olonzac late august, this time travelling overland by motorbike.
Many thanks Chris & Jude
Keith & Debbie Browne  (Norfolk)
PS Faultless directions from airport to Minervois House, well done you guys.
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Nov 09

We had a wonderful time at the house and were lucky enough to have several days of absolutely perfect weather while there.  The house was in tip-top shape and we hope we left it none the worse for wear.  

  Everyone thought the house was lovely, in excellent condition, very comfortable, and it is very well located for both day trips in the region, and simply for relaxing in a quiet town.  We would recommend the house strongly to anyone contemplating a trip to the Minervois (and you can quote us!). The village was pretty active for the off-season and we had no problems finding open restaurants and shopping for food/wine and necessities.  The villagers (actually everyone in the region) were friendly and very tolerant of our mangled French.  Mary Beth and I had an exciting last-night drink at the bar opposite the park, which happened to have a birthday party while we were there with a gypsy guitarist and sangria flowing for all, much kissing by and of strangers at our farewell.  It was a great send-off and conclusion to a really great vacation for us.

Thanks again for making Minervois House available to us, and if we ever plan to return to the beautiful region for more good food and wine, we will check with you again!

Best wishes,

Ben and Mary Beth Maygarden  (New Orleans)

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Sep 09

We had a very good holiday, the best in years. The temperature was perfect, It was hot during the day but not oppressive and in the evenings it cooled off.
  Your house was really impressive  It was apparent that a lot of thought and effort had gone into making it comfortable for guests. It had all the charm of a French home with the conveniences of a British one. (In contrast to the one we rented the week before.in Puicheric!)
  We found Olonzac very friendly and interesting. Mark and Debs were so well integrated into the community, they were a great source of local information. Pennie from the real estate was very helpful and good fun though she couldn't find any property that might suit us. The Tuesday market was wonderful. Unfortunately it was the day before we were leaving so we couldn't go wild. We didn't even buy a chicken! We did bring back some lovely pink garlic and some olives which we couldn't resist.

Brenda (West Scotland)

.........In case you are wondering Mark and Debs are a lovely English couple that look after the house for us and live on the same street as our house.

Jude the owner

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Aug 09

Yes, we had a good time.We liked the house, bed was very comfy.  The house is well equipped and the fact that the kitchen paper towel,toilet rolls,washing up liquid and washing and rinsing liquid and such like is provided helps very much.

We took a trip on the Canal Du Midi on Sunday afternoon from Homps. It was a 2 hour trip for 11 Euros per person with a commentary. The boat man asked as we were boarding what our nationality was and so did the commentary in French and English. It was lovely.

Once again thanks for your help.
John & Karen (Northamptonshire)

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Jul 09

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday, the house was as you described home from home. We saw a fair bit of the area while we were there although the heat in the first week slowed us down a bit.
 
The Town was also a an ideal place to explore the area and the Citadel (although slow) and Bel are good quality restaurants. We have also acquired a taste for the local wine and think we did our bit for  the local wine production.
 
Many thanks for your help and assistance which added to our enjoyment and comfort.  
Best wishes
 
Peter  (Dorset)

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June 09

We all had a great week in June.  The house was perfect for 4 adults and 2 young kids.  Olonzac is a great location for everyone.

The lake and local park were great for us and the kids and a day at the Safari Park is not to be missed.  The Citadel restaurant 2 minutes walk away is fantastic.  Can't wait to return.

Gordon and Miranda (St. Andrews, Fife)

May 09

Just to let you know that we've (I'm sorry to say) back home in York after a lovely two weeks in your house.  We really enjoyed ourselves and our stay in your house  - I hope we've left everything OK for you.  Thanks once again and I hope we may get the opportunity to stay in your house again.
 
Kash & Terry

June 08

Minervois House is a delightful old village property that has been tastefully modernised, is very comfortable, well equipped and is fitted with an excellent range of facilities, particularly the dishwasher.  The location is close to the town centre, very peaceful within easy reach of the shops, bars, restaurants and the supermarket.  The weekly market is well worth a visit providing good local sourced produce.  The surrounding area, being in the midst of the vineyards of the Languedoc, has lots of interesting places to visit and is within easy drive of Beziers, Carcassone and Narbonne.  A little further afield, but well worth the drive, is the coastal area around Sete where the seafood is superb, especially the Oysters which are locally farmed.  Wine lovers will be in their element in this area, which is full of small high quality producers whose wines are rarely seen in the UK due to low production quantities. Searching out the wineries, tasting the range of wines and taking some back for later consumption can be a most enjoyable way to pass a pleasant relaxing day.

 Regards John Steadman (Hants)

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Oct. 07  Thanks. We had a really good time and were impressed with your house and were very comfortable. The area is lovely and we found plenty to do. One of the things we enjoyed most was the walkup to the 4 castles at Lastours. It was a beautiful sunny day and the views were spectacular. The weather had just begun to turn for the worse as we left on Friday (and we lit the fire on the Thursday evening). All of the arrangements went remarkably well.

Best wishes
Mike  & family (West Yorks)

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Aug. 07  It was great to see the sun! Have to say the house was great - opening windows front and back generated a great breeze. and we had an excellent time in Olonzac, it is delightful, warm and great fun.  Steve enjoyed the Bar du Poste and the children had a whale of a time at the Lake Juarres and the lagoon in Bize Minervois, they got addicted to the Chaquettes from the bakery at the end of the road.!

Steve, Emma and family (Cliffe)

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June 06  We really did enjoy our time at the house.  You have a lovely place there in Olonzac and we very much enjoyed.  We very much enjoyed the restaurant in Aigne and in Homps by the Canal.  We had a nice afternoon at the lake one day and enjoyed very much riding around the countryside.  It's absolutely beautiful.

Charlie McCoy (Tennessee)

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Aug. 06 We had a lovely week and would recommend it to everyone.

Duncan Baker, Norwich.

Aug 06  Brilliant house and great location.  We had an excellent time.

Thanks, Maria

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July 05 It's a very lovely place you have here, and the area is great.

Paul Clissold, Norfolk