A short stroll from a charming village and French restaurant, Villa Pastel is a wonderful holiday home bordering the Tarn River, set in glorious gardens with a heated swimming pool and close to some of this region’s most beautiful towns, less than half an hour from rose-hued Toulouse.
Having undergone a recent extensive renovation, we love the contemporary interiors of this air-conditioned villa from its stylish décor and artwork to high-quality furnishings and fittings. The living, dining and kitchen space is bathed with light from sliding windows opening out to the terraces and garden whilst the games room downstairs is sure to provide hours of fun for every age including home-cinema and a 55-inch video screen (bring your own consoles!). Or you may just prefer the villa’s table-football, pool table, ping-pong and unique all-weather croquet pitch for games between family and friends.
Across the house and it’s self-contained apartment you will find six gorgeous bedrooms, each one featuring high-end bed linen and premium towels alongside an en suite bath or shower room. One of the doubles is part of a suite featuring a lounge with a sofa-bed, Smart TV and pretty terrace whilst a seventh bedroom can be created in the games room, allowing this brilliant abode to sleep up to 18 guests.
Amidst the two acres of gardens you can choose to bask in the luxury of the 6-person hot tub then relax your shoulders beneath the fountain in the 18m long heated swimming pool as kids paddle in the shallow end. There is ample room for al-fresco dining and relaxation or picnic by the century-old oaks in the landscaped grounds. The more active of guests can enjoy swing-ball, badminton and a leisurely game of boules.
Surrounded by orchards and woodland beyond, stroll down the country road and within 500m you will reach a bridge over the Tarn which leads you to a characterful village where you can enjoy home-cooked food in a popular restaurant. There’s a supermarket 2km away and further shops, restaurants and a lovely weekly market in Saint-Sulpice, under a 10-minute drive away.
Play golf or enjoy lunch out at the clubhouse of the championship golf course around 9km by car, then explore the nearby forest, classified as a Espace Naturel Sensible, for long walks and cycle rides, followed by a trip to its Maison de la Biodiversité to learn all about the forest’s rich flora and fauna.
Head to bustling markets in local villages – there’s one nearly every morning of the week in places such as Bessières, Villemur-sur-Tarn and Lavaur. Wine connoisseurs will be keen to visit the wineries in and around the magnificent town of Gaillac, home to France’s most historic vineyards that date back to pre-Roman times.
Albi and Cordes-sur-Ciel, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, complete the ‘Golden Triangle of Tarn’ and can be reached within an hour. Alternatively, stay slightly closer to home by hopping on a train from Saint-Sulpice to Toulouse for a day out in this beautiful city admiring its architecture, sailing down the Canal du Midi, soaking up the lively ambience by the banks of the Garonne and taking advantage of its vibrant restaurant scene.