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Maison Baudinard

Village house with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms in Baudinard-sur-Verdon, the South of France

From £530 per week

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Village house with panoramic views and 18 square meter terrace near Gorges du Verdon. The house is opposite a restaurant giving it all the facilities of a hotel. Sleeps 6.

Overview

Truly breath taking views, an artist's delight. A three story house opposite a restaurant giving the convenience of a hotel. An old village house set in a beautiful village near the Lac de Sainte Croix and Gorges du Verdon. It has a large terrace of 18 m². The village, perched on a hill at an altitude of 630 meters, has maintained its old fashioned Provençal appeal and is in the midst of a nature reserve, which is rich in flora and fauna. The scenery here is astonishing and diverse. This area was never really discovered until the beginning of the 20th century, the two Verdon Gorges have fascinated innumerable visitors ever since. The two canyons are separated by the Lac de Sainte Croix. One is called Les Hautes (upper canyon) and the other is called Les Basses (lower canyon).

Things to do
Relax and watch the world go by.

Walking
The Canyon of Baudinard should not be missed. Cliffs of up to 150 meters, home to many caves, beutiful clean turquoise water. It defines the 13 kilometre long path called le Sentier des Basses Gorges. Be warned, it's not for those who are afraid of heights! There are many marked out paths in the area and general walks near the village that are excellent for viewing the diverse Provençale flora of the region. For example, le Sentier Botanique of 2 km in length, or the path du Museau de la Colline which takes you to the 16th century chapel of Notre Dame de la Garde at an altitude of 710 meters. From here, you will enjoy a tremendous vantage point of six departments of the Var.

In Baudinard, you could visit the 11th century church of Saint Michel l'Archange, restored in 1921; le pont Silvestre (built near the remains of a Roman bridge), the three shrines of Ste Catherine, St Espero and St Etienne, or the 14th century dungeon of the Chateau de Sabran. A classified historic building, l'Abbaye de Valmogne, is situated on le chemin de Vaumougne. This superb Roman priory of the 13th century has been recently restored and is well worth a visit. There are walks and hikes along the edge of the river Verdon, as well as walks that take in villages and vantage points. Whatever walk you choose, you can be sure of the most awe-inspiring scenery, a wealth of wildlife and a wide variety of wildflowers, plants and birds.

Action and Adventure Activities
The Gorge and the lakes of the Verdon river are the home of many companies specialising in action and adventure activities such as white water rafting, canoeing, canyoning, kayaking, sailing, water skiing, climbing, trekking, mountain bike rides paragliding, free flight, gliding, and horse riding. It is also one of the most memorable settings in the world for fishing. It is sheer nature at its best featuring crystal clear emerald waters and white canyon cliffs 700 meters high above your head. It is a paradise for hikers, climbers and fly-fishers.

The area
Le Parc naturel du Verdon
The Gorge and Lake are in a Natural Park, and there has been a successful programme over the last few years to re-introduce wildlife such as golden eagles and vultures, which can frequently be seen souring above the mountains or down into the Gorge. There are many different varieties of lizards and geckoes to be seen on a hot day as well as crickets and cicadas. The scenery is enhanced by the abundance of wild flowers and shrubs throughout the year. In April the acacia trees bring white fragrant blossoms whilst the elegant wild irises are a mass of colour and the rarer dwarf varieties in their different colours and hues can often be spotted. May brings the vibrant yellow blooms which abound on the mountain and roadsides. Wild flowers such as the delicate purple columbine, sweet peas, and many varieties of orchid are numerous in the area.

The Grand Canyon du Verdon
The Gorge du Verdon is the world’s 2nd largest gorge, approximately 20km long and plunging more than 300m in places. This immense and magnificent canyon straddles the departments of Var and the Alpes de Hautes Provence. The Gorge du Verdon is one of Europe’s great natural wonders; formed where the blue-green Verdon river cuts a deep swathe through the high limestone plateau of Haute Provence. Often called Europe's Grand Canyon , this truly spectacular canyon is over 25 kilometres long and in places over 1000 metres deep, and the great cliffs are a playground for rock climbers. Although it's much smaller than Arizona's Grand Canyon, the Grand Canyon du Verdon is deep, compact, wild and beautiful. From Castellane to the village of Rougons, the Verdon river flows clear and swift, and the road follows along the banks.

Lac de Ste. Croix
This magnificent turquoise lake was formed by the Barrage (dam) de Ste. Croix, built on the Verdon river in 1975. Sitting on the open Plateau de Valensole and the Grand Plan de Canjuers, the lake has a feeling of endless space and light. At the north eastern end of the lake at the Pont du Galetas, an almost invisible slot in the mountain wall hides the deep, wild Verdon canyon where the rushing green waters of the river enter the lake.

There are hikes starting from the ancient villages around the lake. There is easy access to most of the lake shore, and plenty of beaches and picnic areas. As the lake is so large the summer visitors are accomodated without a feeling of overcrowding its vast surface. On the plateau above the Lake are miles of lavender fields, which are truly spectacular when in flower, around June and July. The Lake, which the river of the Gorge feeds into, is normally bright blue, reflecting the sun.

Although the village of Ste-Croix-de-Verdon gave the lake its name, the village of Les Salles-sur-Verdon on the opposite side is more a part of the lake itself: the old village rests 40 metres below the surface of the water. When the dam was built, Les Salles-sur-Verdon moved to higher ground, taking some of the old village with it, including the church bell tower and the fountain.

Reviews

20 verified reviews

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20 out of 20 people recommend staying here

Hilary

Family from Barnston, United Kingdom Jul 2017

The house is well-appointed, although the furnishings can best be described as 'junk-shop chic'. Our stay was comfortable and the area is spectacularly beautiful. Baudinard is a quaint little village but prospective renters should be aware that there is no shop and the nearest supermarket is 9km away. The restaurant across the road sells fresh bread every morning but for everything else you will have to travel. One more point that I feel should be mentioned. Access to the accommodation is via a very steep stone staircase and there are more steep stairs to reach the main bedroom. It would not be suitable for anyone with limited mobility. Also, the awning over the terrace, mentioned in the owners reply to an earlier criticism, does not seem to have materialised. The view from there is lovely, especially at sunset, but it is very hot in the afternoons.

Reply from Adrian

We did install an awning over the terrace but, despite being held by very strong chains and bolts. It blew away. Never to be seen again. The uninterrupted view to the west, which gives the views at sunset, also gives an uninterrupted path to strong winds.

Allan

From Althorne, United Kingdom Aug 2012

Overall a good place to stay.
Main Bed was comfortable and the room was spacious. En suite fantastic, being very large and well equipped. Good value to get a house this large for the money. We rented as a couple so had large amounts of room to spread out.
Wide ranging collection of books, CDs and DVDs to occupy you when staying in.
Shade is always available on some part of the terrace so parasol not essential. As terrace is west facing there is no sun at breakfast time.
Village is interesting but can be covered in a short stroll. It is very clean and well kept.

Points which could be improved – only minor and does not detract from this being a good place to stay.
View from dining room not as good as advert as a large tiled canopy has been built obscuring most of the view shown in the advert. Photo submitted. Can the advert be updat ed?
Shower room toilet pan is loose and not fixed to floor (same as another renter commented on in Sept 2007).

Paul

From Newcastle Under Lyme, United Kingdom Sep 2008

A charming, characterful old property in a beautiful location.

Adrian

From Findern, United Kingdom Sep 2007

A perfect base to explore a wonderfully unspoiled region ,lovely villages with great markets and the Gorge du Verdon is a must .

Rosemary

From Stocksfield, United Kingdom Aug 2007

We really enjoyed our holiday in this simple house in a quaint village (tho no village shop). The house is a great base for exploring this amazing area. This house is basic but well equipped with new 'white goods' and good quality beds and linen. The views from the dining area and upstairs terrace are beautiful, though we found the west facing terrace too hot to use in August with no umbrella or awning. The bathroom suite was new and lots of hot water, flatscreen tv (not satellite), plus cd player with good selection of owner's music- altogether comfortable and functional, good value for the price we paid. The restaurant opposite is run by the couple who look after the property- great to have them close at hand, and they could not have been more freindly and helpful- nice too to have option of eating in their bistro.

Reply from Adrian

We have now added a shade for the terrace.

Andy

Andy from Pewsey

Lovely property in a fantastic location


1 other review

The terrace has an excellent hilltop view across the Parc naturel du Verdon. The down side of this is that it is exposed to strong gusts of wind that will blow away a parasol, with the strong potential of it landing on the cars parked below the terrace. For this reason it is not possible to leave a parasol on the terrace.

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Location

Distances to locations

Nearest beach 10km Nearest bar 11km Nearest restaurant 10km Nearest supermarket 9km Marseille airport 80km Nice Airport 100km Toulon Airport 100km Beach on lake 10km Gourge du Verdon 10km

Local activities

Boat hire 15km Climbing 15km Cycling 15km Fishing 15km Flying 15km Horse riding 15km Mountain biking 15km Sailling 15km Swimming 15km Tennis 15km Water skiing 15km Walking 15km Wind surfing 15km

Sights and attractions

Historic site 15km

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Prices and availability

Updated 31 August 2022

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Changeover days and minimum stays

  • 29 March 2024 - 25 April 2027: the minimum stay is 3 nights.

Compulsory extras

  • Clean linen and cleaning of the property is charged pro-rata at 15 GBP per week per person. (For people staying for more than one week, the property will be cleaned weekly).

    £15.00 per person per week, paid with booking

Facilities

Bedrooms

2 bedrooms, Sleeps 6:

  • 1 double bed and en suite
  • 1 double bed

There is also 1 double sofa bed in Living room

Bathrooms

2 bathrooms including 1 en suite, 2 Separate WC's

Entertainment

CD player, DVD/Blu-ray player, WiFi / WiFi, Radio

General

Living area seats 6, Dining area seats 6, Open fire, Hair dryer, Iron / board, Towels / linen, Washing machine, Car hire essential

Kitchen

Cooker, Crockery, Cutlery, Fridge, Freezer, Glassware, Kettle, Oven, Pots / pans

Outside

Balcony or terrace, Barbecue

Suitable for

Infants, Pets

Extra information

• Private outside semi-shaded sun terrace for eating and relaxing, with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside • Large bathroom with Victorian style free standing bath • Beautiful veiws of rolling countryside from bath • Crockery, cutlery, pots, pans, linen, electricity and water included. Towels for indoor use only • All bed linen is made of cotton • Pop downstairs for your coffee and breakfast, lunch and diner – no need to cook at all! • Lots of free and secure parking outside the house and in the friendly village • No hidden extras

Adrian

Average rating from 20 reviews

Private Owner From Flayosc, France Member since Dec 2006

Past bookings: 85 bookings

Response rate: 100%

Response time: within 2 hours

Last logged in: 9 months ago

Number of properties: 1