★Stunning★ Rural Retreat SW France – L’Airial, Moustey

Magnificent five bedroom 1830’s spacious family home in Gascony with private swimming pool.

L’Airial is a charming remote house in the peaceful Gascon countryside. This lovely “maison de maître” is a real get-away-from-it-all location, yet only 3kms to the pretty village of Moustey.

5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, modern kitchen, dining room with open fireplace, and a large living room with woodburner.

Private and securely fenced gardens.

Entire place – Have the property to yourself.

5x11m swimming pool.

45 mins to Bordeaux.

www.airialmoustey.com

The House.

Magnificent five bedroom 1830’s spacious family home in Gascony with private swimming pool.  L’Airial is a charming remote house in peaceful Gascon countryside.  This lovely country manor house is a real get-away-from-it-all location, yet only 3kms to the pretty village of Moustey.  5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, modern kitchen, dining room with open fireplace, and a large living room with woodburner.  Private and securely fenced gardens. 5x11m swimming pool. 45 mins to Bordeaux.

The space.

L’Airial, Moustey in rural Les Landes, Aquitaine.  3kms to the authentic village of Moustey with its 2 churches, 4 restaurants, local grocery shop, and amazing boulangerie.

The upstairs of house comprises three good-sized bedrooms, a central hallway (with sofabed) and two bathrooms, each with shower, toilet, and sink (one bathroom may, or may not, be used as an ensuite).  Downstairs there are a further two double bedrooms, a bathroom (toilet, bath/shower and sink), a well-equipped modern kitchen with Smeg appliances, a welcoming dining room with open working fireplace (the real heart of the house), and a large living room with woodburner.

Outside the 1 acre mature gardens with grand old oak trees and tall pine trees are very private and securely fenced.  The 5x11m private swimming pool (unheated) has comfortable pool loungers.  Pool has corner steps to 1m shallow end with a slope to 2.3m deep end.  The pool’s electric hard cover keeps the water warm at night and is also for safety and peace of mind when pool unattended.

Immediately on the boundary of the property is the forest which is ideal for hikes and all manner of outdoor activities.  The property is located between the Grande Leyre and the Petite Leyre rivers.  These small calm rivers are great for kayaking/canoeing (available for rent locally), a paddle or a bracing dip.

Plenty of activities for groups of friends or families.  Swimming (pool, rivers, lakes, and sea), kayaking (local rental), biking/hiking/jogging on forest trails, hiking, dog walking, horse riding (local stables very close at end of forest track).  There are numerous games available in the house including, a whole trunk of boardgames, badminton set (net plus 6 rackets), table football, and garden lawn darts.

Just 45 mins from Bordeaux airport it is easily accessible by plane, train and automobile.

The bedrooms & bathrooms

Each bedroom and bathroom is named after a local town.  The sleeping arrangements are listed below (photos of each room can be found in the Photo Gallery).

Bedroom 1 | Mano | Upstairs | 1 Queen Bed | 3 windows | 20m²

Bedroom 2 | Ychoux | Upstairs | 1 Queen Bed, 1 Double Bed | 2 windows | 23m²

Bedroom 3 | Sabres | Upstairs | 1 Queen Bed, 1 Double Bed | 1 window | 22m²

Bedroom 4 | Luxey | Downstairs | 1 Queen Bed | 1 window | 13m²

Bedroom 5 | Mimizan | Downstairs | 1 Double Bed | 1 window | 10m²

Loft Hallway | Upstairs | 1 Double Sofabed | 1 Window | 20m²

Bathroom 1 | Lüe | Upstairs | Shower, Twin Sinks, Toilet | 1 Window | Option to configure as an ensuite for Bedroom 1 – Mano.

Bathroom 2 | Lugos | Upstairs | Shower, Sink, Toilet | 1 window

Bathroom 3 | Pissos | Downstairs | Accessible for infirm/disabled (see below) Bath, Shower, Sink, Toilet | 1 window | There is the option to configure as an ensuite for Bedroom 5 – Mimizan.

Accessibility ♿︎♿

The house was built in 1830 so regrettably has some limitations in making the space fully wheelchair accessible, nevertheless considerable effort has been made to enhance accessibility.

Flat path from parking to front door, enter home through double wide doorway with small step (ramp over step can be arranged by prior request).

Step-free access to common areas.

Internal doorways are approx 82cm width so (only just) wheelchair-friendly.

The two downstairs bedrooms are level with no step.

Accessible downstairs bathroom:-  Step-free access, entryway is level and 83cm width;  Fixed grab bars for shower, toilet, and bath;  Accessible-height toilet;  Roll-in shower (no threshold/step between the shower and bathroom floor);   Shower chair (small freestanding stool that allows a guest to be seated in the shower);  Handheld shower head on both bath and shower;  Wide clearance to bath/shower/toilet/sink – have each have at least 90cms of clearance to access them.

Floors are largely original terracotta tiles and can be a little bit uneven.  The staircase to first floor is steep and not wheelchair accessible; the elderly and infirm may also be uncomfortable using this staircase.  I am happy to discuss in detail if required – please contact me or by email info@airialmoustey.com

Guest access

You will have the entire property, swimming pool, and gardens entirely to yourself!

Host interaction with guests

Sorry – I am usually out of country and unavailable in person, but I will always be contactable by email or phone to assist you and check that everything is going well.  A friendly and helpful neighbour (speaks French and German) has keys for the property, will do your check-in/check-out and is available in case of any issues with the house.  My neighbour is also a wealth of local knowledge and may, on request, be able to help with your local excursion arrangements – eg vineyard tours.

Minimum stay

Minimum Stay – based on past experience and guest feedback in order to properly enjoy your holiday in L’Airial, Moustey there is a minimum stay of 14 nights.  Sometimes a stay of 7 nights is available – please contact me for details.

Getting around

Car essential.  The approach to the house is along an unpaved forest track (chemin)  https://youtu.be/x1ld1yGzhj4  It is not necessary to have a 4×4/SUV; any normal car will be sufficient – but I suggest to avoid very low clearance sports cars like a Ferrari, McLaren, or Porsche!

Nearest Airport : Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (45 mins drive) at 69 Kilometres
Nearest Barpub : Le Gascon, Moustey at 3 Kilometres
Nearest Golf : Golf De Biscarrosse at 45 Kilometres
Nearest Train : Ychoux at 22 Kilometres
Nearest Motorway : A63 / E70 at 7 Kilometres
Nearest Restaurants : Le Domaine, Le Gascon, Le Haut Landais, A Ma Guise at 3 Kilometres
Nearest Bakery : Boulangerie Pâtisserie Les Douceurs de Mia at 3 Kilometres
Nearest Grocery Shop : Moustey Village “Proxi” shop 3kms
Nearest Beach : Biscarrosse Plage at 48 Kilometres

The area: Moustey, Landes

L’Airial is located in Moustey, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, South West France.

L’Airial, Moustey is a great base for exploring the Parc Naturel Régional des Landes de Gascogne.  The beaches of the Atlantic coast and two large lakes (Étang de Cazaux et de Sanguinet and Lac de Biscarrosse et de Parentis) are less than an hour away.  The fantastic vineyards in the region are a great attraction; Léognan in the Graves area of the Bordeaux county has 6 chateaux and is 44kms from the house. Bordeaux city can be reached in under an hour.  Bordeaux, renowned for its wines is an exciting metropolis.

Les Landes is located in the Aquitaine region, is the second largest department in mainland France. Its straight coast stretches for more than 100km and is famous for its beaches and sand dunes while lakes and forests fringe the shoreline. This is a department in which world-class surfing and a deeply traditional rural culture sit side by side. Popular seaside spots include Biscarrosse, Capbreton and Hossegor. Landes’ best assets are its natural ones: professional surfers come to ride the waves while three of the department’s golf courses have been noted as among the best in Europe. The flat, forested landscapes are great for family cycling trips while the abundance of lakes and coastline make fishing a popular pastime. There’s plenty to appeal to wildlife lovers here too: birdwatchers should flock to the Arjuzanx nature reserve, which is home to many thousands of migrating cranes for several months of the year.

For my personal local suggestions and recommendations see my Guidebook