See Inside: A Dream Béarnaise Maison de Maître

This satisfyingly symmetric and handsome ‘maison de maître’ in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques has a beautiful outdoor seating area and multiple outbuildings…

A grand, wide hallway complete with handpainted floor tiles crosses through the centre of this house, with double doors at both ends contributing to a feeling of space and symmetry.

Three reception rooms, one of them with an adjoining shower room, and a dining room which opens through to a kitchen, can be accessed from this elegant passageway.

Some of the charming features in these rooms include carved oak and rustic stone fireplaces and travertine and chestnut floors. Panelled walls and a very square layout add to the feeling of grandeur.

A wide oak staircase leads up to an equally generous first-floor hallway, off which you’ll find four bedrooms, two of which have ensuite shower rooms, and a family bathroom.

From the bright kitchen with its handcrafted units and granite worktops, French doors open onto an outdoor dining space where a large vine-covered pergola offers shelter from the southern sun in the summer months.

From here you can access the swimming pool, which is protected by a courtyard of outbuildings including a handsome stable and a large Béarnaise barn with wine cellar. There is also a garage which houses the sophisticated wood pellet central heating system.

A majestic, and pleasingly symmetrical, avenue of plain trees extends along one side of the property, beyond which the Pyrénées can be seen crowning the Béarnaise hilltops. In addition to this, there’s a wealth of mature and established trees dotted across the well-maintained five hectares of grounds.

This generous family home can be found at the edge of the small but dynamic village of Arzacq-Arraziguet, around 30 minutes north of Pau. It has good access to the motorway, and sits near the crossroads of Pau-Bordeaux and Toulouse-Biarritz. Lac d’Arzacq is a good spot for fishing and picnics. The Atlantic beaches are 1h30 away and the wine region of Bordeaux can be reached in just over an hour.

On the market for €850,000 with Agence Le Bonheur