Welcome! The price listed above is for 1 day’s rental with a minimum of 3 days’ stay for part of the house in low season, but before bidding, please contact us (vicky@avalonvillas.com) with the dates you’d like to travel, how many people are in your party, and the price you’d like to offer for your stay. You can choose Les Courtals (6 bedrooms, sleeps 11) or Les Petit Courtals (3 bedrooms, sleeps 5).
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Welcome to our 150-year-old farmhouse in a quiet country neighborhood just outside the village of Caunes Minervois. The house is in Languedoc (next to Provence & Cote d’Azur), just 30 minutes from Carcassonne, in the Minervois wine region. Nestled in 2-1/2 acres of fruit & nut orchards and surrounded by vineyards, this home has been tastefully renovated with all modern conveniences.
Les Courtals (6 bedrooms) sleeps up to 11 adults & kids – perfect for a large family, two families holidaying together, friends on bicycling & walking tours, or anyone who would like to explore the wineries and villages of southern France. Les Petit Courtals (3 bedrooms, sleeps 5) is actually the same house, but we’re happy to offer it to singles, couples, and small families at a 3-bedroom price (top floor not to be used — no linens provided for 3 bedrooms on top floor).
This lovely home has a pool & pool house, dining patio, charcoal grill (BBQ), fireplace, hardwood floors & ceilings, 4-poster king- and queen-sized beds (in 5 bedrooms — single teakwood daybed in 6th), and an extensive collection of teakwood furnishings and hand-carved Asian artifacts. Each bedroom features a custom-framed print of one of France’s fine impressionist artists, including Bonnard, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Sidaner, and Gauguin. (Cezanne decorates the dining room.) Each bedroom also features its own special mix of home-made potpourri with roses, lavender, pine sprigs, seeds, and other materials from the garden. Dried flower arrangements in the living areas were similarly made with dried grasses, pine, and other materials from the orchards.
To further enhance your enjoyment of this beautiful and relaxing property, we’ve also provided a small selection of old English books, classical music (with portable CD player) and VCD’s for adults and children (with DVD player, not VCR). The property is fenced with a remote-control gate, and your car(s) will enjoy the 2-car garage. A 3-minute drive to the village (Caunes Minervois) will take you past neighboring vineyards to our favorite family restaurant, shops, and medieval abbey.
Telephone with voice mail is provided free of charge for your local calls, as well as unlimited Internet access (bring your laptop computer). Pets are welcome with deposit. We love our pets, too. 
Baby cot and maid service on request. All bedding, towels and kitchen utensils are provided. Kitchen includes cookbooks, cooker, extractor hood, oven, microwave, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, coffee machine, washing machine, dryer, and electric iron.
