Oustau        Le Bijou 

Built in 1873, this charming French country home retains much of its old world character, yet has been completely renovated for modern living.

 

With its beautiful, but comfortable, antique furniture and traditional French décor, visitors are transported to another world ~ one of simple pleasures, such as dining on the sunny terrace with its private garden and large swimming pool; lounging in the cozy living room; playing games in the former stable; or sleeping in beds fit for kings & queens (4 lovely bedrooms).

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Oustau Le Bijou is an ideal pied-à-terre from which to explore nearby stone villages, historic sites, charming cafés, excellent restaurants, antique shops, art & artisan galleries, vineyards with wine-tasting, cheesemakers & meandering, tree-lined, country drives.

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Gimios is a small hamlet, next to Saint-Jean-de-Minervois (renowned for its excellent muscat wine - both sweet and dry). It is surrounded by vineyards. The hamlet itself offers peaceful walks through the vineyards, with paths to Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, as well as to L'Eglise du Trou - an old church with its small cemetery - both somewhat in ruins, but well worth a visit. Views from the house overlook vineyards, with the Pyrénées mountains (snow-capped much of the year) in the distance.

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Within walking distance, Saint-Jean-de-Minervois has a charming restaurant (dining indoors by the fireplace or outdoors in the garden), which also offers meals and pizzas to go, breads and pastries, etc., upon request. Saint Chinian (known for its red wines) has a twice-weekly fresh market, and is just 10 minutes from Gimios. The Mediterranean, with its inviting seaside ports (Mèze, Marseillan, Sète...) and popular beaches (Sérignan, Port Leucate, Portiragnes...), is just 55 minutes to the East, and the remarkable, ancient, walled village of Carcassonne (a Unesco World Heritage Site) is 1 hour to the West.  The charming, medieval town of Minerve is 20 minutes away. We recommend, also, visits to Perpignan and Narbonne - both interesting cities with lots to offer. Farther afield are Spain (2¼ hrs.), The Camargue (2 hrs.), Toulouse (2 hrs.) and Nîmes with its ancient Roman aqueduct & amphithéâtre (2½ hrs.) Several airports, with car rentals are nearby.

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