If you like paintings and museums,
visit the beautiful red brick towns of Montauban, where you will find the Ingres Museum, and Albi, where you will find the Toulouse-Lautrec museum amongst other places of interest, including some good restaurants.
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Tournesol
Salvagnac, Rabastens, South West France
- 16
- 7
- 6
FROM
£ 2,770
PER WEEK
Exceptional facilities, space and setting
Accommodation
At a glance
- Sleeps 16
- 7 Bedrooms
- 6 Bathrooms
- WiFi
- Fenced Heated* Pool
- Tennis Court
- Table Tennis
- Small Party Rates (for up to 12 & 14 people)
Main House:
Petite Maison:
Le Pigeonnier:
- Ground Floor: Entrance Hall. Cloakroom. Sitting room with doors to front and rear terraces. TV room (Freesat TV, DVD player & DVD collection, CD, WiFi). Spacious kitchen/diner (oven, microwave, dishwasher) with door to rear terrace. Breakfast dining room with door to covered terrace. Utility room (2nd dishwasher). Laundry room (washing machine). Telephone (payable locally). Underfloor heating throughout (payable locally).
- Intermediate Level: Double bedroom (ceiling fan). Shower room.
- First Floor: Landing/library area. Double bedroom (continental bed, ceiling fan) with en suite bathroom and door to covered balcony. Double bedroom (door to Petite Maison) with en suite shower room and door to covered balcony. Double/Twin bedroom (double bed and single bed, ceiling fan). Bedroom with bunk beds and twin single beds. Bathroom (separate shower). Galleried landing (doors to covered front terrace).
Petite Maison:
- Ground Floor: Open plan living/dining room/kitchen (oven, microwave, fridge). Shower room.
- Mezzanine: Double bed (ceiling fan).
Le Pigeonnier:
- Ground Floor: Open plan living/dining room/kitchen (oven, microwave, dishwasher, CD, doors to covered terrace).
- First Floor: Landing. Double bedroom (ceiling fan, doors to balcony). Shower room.
- Outside: Large grounds (4 acres) of garden and orchard,including a fenced pond. Covered and open terraces. Pool house with summer kitchen (sink, fridge, barbecue) and changing room/cloakroom. Poolside shower. Barbecue. Table tennis. Tennis court (all weather court, bring own equipment). Private parking.
- Private heated* fenced swimming pool (13m x 6m) with Roman steps.
Sitting in four acres of spacious grounds, Tournesol is a smart country retreat in the heart of the Tarn countryside. Sweeping views encompass the gentle rolling hills, woodland and to the north the fortified village of Salvagnac, whilst exploration of the domain reveals open and covered dining terraces, a lawned garden, meadowland, an orchard, table tennis, the private pool and a tennis court. The combination of space, facilities and quality of accommodation makes Tournesol an attractive choice for large groups of friends or families.
Running the length of the main house, the ample terrace is the perfect spot for outdoor dining and relaxing. From here, the garden slopes down to the private pool, where you can enjoy far reaching views whilst swimming.
Tournesol's interior is equally appealing. Step inside and it is immediately apparent that the owners have spent time ensuring the rooms are comfortable and welcoming for all who stay. The well equipped kitchen makes self catering holidays a pleasure, patterned rugs cover tiled and wood floors, interesting, colourful artwork adorns the walls and plump sofas and king sized beds are standard.
Additional accommodation is to be found in both the 'Petite Maison', which adjoins the main house, and the 'Pigeonnier', a separate building just across the wide front terrace. Each one has open plan living/dining/kitchen facilities, with bedroom areas on the first floor. From 'Le Pigeonnier's' bedroom, doors open onto a balcony from where the wonderful views can be appreciated.
Salvagnac (3km) is an ancient bastide town, a friendly place with a number of facilities including a restaurant, cafe and a Wednesday market. Rabastens (10km), a pretty town on the banks of the River Tarn, is due south.
From here, you can catch a train to vibrant Toulouse or the 'Ville Rose' as it is also known, thanks to its distinctive brick architecture. Alternatively, a scenic drive past the Gaillac vineyards will bring you to the Grésigne Forest, the beautiful hilltop town of Cordes-sur-Ciel, and the River Aveyron.
- *The pool can be heated (payable locally) – please request at least one week prior to your stay.
- Parties paying the 12 person rate will have access to the main house only.
- Parties paying the 13-14 person rate will have access to the main house and petite maison only.
- Parties paying the 15-16 person rate will have access to the main house, petite maison and the pigeonnier.
- Please note that there is a local tourist tax to pay: £2.40 per night for guests aged 18 and over.
Pricing & Availability
Additional Pricing Information
All Prices are per property, not per person.
Please note that all visitors to France aged 18 and over are required to pay a Tourist Tax. We collect this tax prior to your holiday and remit it on your behalf. The notes above specify the amount per person per night which will be added to your booking.
Please Note: Parties paying the small party rates: up to 12 people have use of the main house only; 13-14 people have use of the main house and the petite maison; 15-16 people have use of the main house, petite maison and the pigeonnier.
Location of Tournesol
Locality
Great Things to Do Near Tournesol
Visit the Château de Mauriac just outside Gaillac.
This is a stunning château to visit where the owner displays his sculptures and works of art.
Gaillac is well known for the wine
produced from the vineyards in the area. Rows of vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see. The area is one of the oldest wine producing regions in France dating back to the 10th Century. Visit the Tourist office in Gaillac to pick up more information about the wine and the map for the Route de Vin. And of course don't forget to buy some of the local produce!
Spend the day at the Cite de L'Espace,
just outside Toulouse - perfect for adults and older children. Here is a showcase for the space technology that happens in Toulouse. There are some excellent interactive exhibitions and shows with guided tours and lectures available. You can spend a day here or combine it with a visit to the Airbus factory; Europe's largest aircraft factory. Here guided tours take 1 ½ hours and must be booked in advance. It is great for older kids and the extended tour includes Concorde
La Ville Rose
Why not spend a day in Toulouse and wander through its streets, stop for a coffee and watch the world go by. This beautiful 'ville rose' or 'pink city' so called because of the warm coloured bricks used for many of the buildings, is a lively and bustling place.
Find your way around Toulouse by bike.
Cycles can be hired next door to the tourist office in Place Charles de Gaulle.
Jardins de Martel
South of Rabastens on the D12, this is something for all garden lovers. Nine acres of garden containing over 2500 varieties of plants from all over the world.
Rabastens and Lisle sur Tarn
Two of the closest towns to Tournesol, they both sit on the banks of the River Tarn and are lovely places to wander around. Lisle sur Tarn has the largest covered square in South west France. There are some excellent walks around Rabastens - ask at the tourist office for the maps and info.
Visit Salvagnac
on a Wednesday morning to shop at the market, then head back to Tournesol for a relaxing lunch al fresco.
Head in the Castres direction
and you will come across a completely different landscape - an area that retains a sense of mystery - the Sidobre plateau overlooking the Castres plain. Here you will find huge granite boulders shaped by the weather into weird and strange forms - find the one called Roc de l'Oie (Goose Rock) or Les Trois Fromages (the Three Cheeses). Underground rivers and grottos complete the picture. Difficult to describe but worth the visit.
Albi
and its awesome Cathedral are a must and the tour of the choir cloister is worth it for the extra cost. The peace and cool of this building is very moving. From the Cathedral you can take a selection of walks around the town that take you up charming back streets and across the River Tarn. It is fascinating to see the old mills that flank the River and bear witness to the milling history of the area.
To get a better riverside view of Albi
you can even take a trip in a flat bottom boat down the River Tarn. You have a choice of a half hour trip or two hours! Trips depart from the foot of the Palais de Berbie, returning for a leisurely meal that you can eat outside in the shadow of the Cathedral or beside the River itself.
Take an old train round the lakes of Monclar-de-Quercy
Take an old train round the lakes of Monclar-de-Quercy. A little old steam train that has been saved from destruction and restored to take you on a lovely 3km tour (daily trips in July and August, otherwise on Sundays only)
Cordes-sur-Ciel
The XIIIth Century village of Cordes stands high above the Cérou valley and on misty mornings looks like an island floating in the sky. Join a guided walking tour and don't miss the Gothic mansions and little palaces with sculpted human figures or mythological animals decorating the sandstone facades.
If you are a keen artist,
the semi-Tuscan landscape of the area with its warm, Mediterranean light and undulating hills will be an inspiration, especially when the sunflowers are in full bloom. Simply take the car and have a drive around, stopping to paint when you feel like it
Or simply do nothing at all,
apart from swim, read a few novels, swim in the pool, sunbathe, eat some good food, try the local wines and relax for the whole of the holiday.
Visit Les Abbatoirs in Toulouse
This art gallery houses over 2,000 pieces of modern and contemporary art from World War II to the present day. www.lesabbatoirs.org
Canoe & Kayak
Join a group and learn to paddle on the river Aveyron, starting out from Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val.
Nearby
Towns/Villages
| Salvagnac | 5 mins | |
| Rabastens | 10 mins | |
| Gaillac | 25 mins | |
| Graulhet | 35 mins | |
| Albi | 40 mins | |
| Toulouse | 45 mins | |
| Cordes-sur-Ciel | 50 mins |
Airports
| Toulouse | 50 mins | |
| Carcassonne | 1 Hr 30 mins | |
| Brive | 1 Hr 45 mins | |
| Rodez | 1 Hr 45 mins | |
| Bordeaux | 2 Hrs 30 mins | |
| Bergerac | 2 Hrs 40 mins | |
| Limoges | 3 Hrs |
Train Stations
| Gaillac | 25 mins | |
| Toulouse-Matabiau (TGV) | 45 mins |
ports
| Bilbao | 5 Hrs 15 mins | |
| Santander | 6 Hrs 5 mins | |
| St Malo | 8 Hrs | |
| Caen | 8 Hrs | |
| Dieppe | 8 Hrs 20 mins | |
| Le Havre | 8 Hrs 30 mins | |
| Cherbourg | 9 Hrs | |
| Roscoff | 9 Hrs | |
| Calais | 9 Hrs 50 mins |
