Welcome to MANZAC D'EN BAS, traditional luxury self-catering holiday "gites" set in the truly spectacular, peaceful and relaxing countryside of the Ariege in South West France

Cliquez ici pour la version française

For UK customers, please note that our 2009 charges are set and payable in £££ Sterling, so you will not be affected by the current adverse £ / Euro exchange rate fluctuations.

e-mail address : manzacgites@yahoo.com

telephone number : +33 (0)5 61 60 71 17

skype name : manzacnevill

Click here to contact us by e-mail

View towards the Pyrenees from all the gites, the swimming pool and the garden in spring and early summer.

Manzac D'en Bas is situated in the Ariege Department of the Midi Pyrenees in South West France. It is half way between the City of Toulouse
(1 hour's drive) and the Pyrenees Mountain Range, in the Arize valley between Foix and Carbonne.

THE GITES

Manzac d'en Bas is a 150-year-old former farm set in the tranquil countryside of the Ariege. The house, swimming pool and recently
renovated farm buildings are all south-facing and have outstanding views of the Pyrenees.

The three spacious, self-catering "gites", called "L'Écurie" (The Stable), "Le Logement" (The Dwelling), and " La Grange" (The Barn)
after their original uses, combine traditional charm with comfort and modern amenities.

The gites will sleep up to five, eight and ten adults & children, respectively. We have the added flexibility of being able to accommodate
groups of between 2 up to 20 / 21 adults/children. Manzac d'en Bas is almost unique in the Ariege in this respect, and makes it an ideal
place to have a holiday based on big family and group celebrations such as a birthdays or wedding anniversaries. It is also an ideal location for specialist courses, such as painting, writing, language training or yoga retreats etc. (please visit the web page on Specialist Courses for more information)

Each gite has its own private outdoor terrace, but there is ample communal space, should all the gites be taken by a single booking.

Equipment for babies, cots, high chairs etc, are available on request if they should be required.

For further information and photographs of each gite, please click on appropriate links :-

Click here for information on the 1st Gite - "L'Écurie". Accommodation for up to 4/5 people

Click here for information on the 2nd Gite - "La Grange". Accommodation for up to 9/10 people

Click here for information on the 3rd Gite - "Le Logement". Accommodation for up to 7/8 people

THE SWIMMING POOL

The 13x6m mildly salt-water swimming pool and spacious surrounding terrace (50m from the house), which is available for all our
guests to use, is set in an attractive two-acre private garden and surrounded by fields and farm land. The pool is family friendly with
a maximum depth of 1.4m (roughly adult shoulder height), and has stunning views of the mountains. Beside the pool, there is a
sandpit and space for badminton / volleyball and boules - a popular local sport.

Additionally .......

LOCAL AMENITIES - Manzac d'en Bas overlooks the Arize river valley and the attractive village of Daumazan (2kms away) which
has a bakery, a patisserie, a small supermarket, newsagent, butcher, chemist, bank, post office, a couple of bars and a restaurant,
and a 12th century church. Larger, better stocked supermarkets are just 10 minutes away. There is also a selection of very good
value and good quality restaurants within 30 minutes of Manzac. Please note however, that if you are looking for a holiday with
an active club scene/night life and bright lights, then perhaps this part of SW France is not the holiday location for you!

PLACES TO GO / THINGS TO DO - The Ariege is one of France's undiscovered treasures with stunning countryside, colourful
markets, pretty towns and villages, great wildlife, especially birds, mediaeval Cathar castles, spectacular limestone caves as well
as a wide range of activities and places of interest to visit to suit all ages. For further details please click on "Places to Visit /
Things to Do" and "Activities".

Click here for further information on Places to Visit / Things to Do

Click here for further information on Activities in the Ariege

PAINTING ART HOLIDAYS

The peacefulness and beauty of the surrounding countryside and the flexibility of the accommodation make Manzac the ideal location for specialist courses in any number of activities - painting, photography, writing, language courses, yoga retreats, walking and golfing holidays etc etc.
We would be delighted to welcome anyone who wishes to use Manzac D'en Bas as a location for a specialist course either as an instructor wishing to bring a party of students / clients or as a participant.
Specialist courses can take place any time outside the high season, ie during April, May, June, September and October which are invariably the best times to visit Manzac d’en Bas and the Ariege, as invariably, the weather is cooler and the countryside is at it’s most beautiful. Courses can start and finish on any day of the week, thus enabling participants to take advantage of cheaper mid week flights.
While the gites are normally rented out on a self catering basis, the painting holidays are arranged on a fully inclusive basis.

Click here for much more information on our Painting Holiday Programme for 2009

Each gite has a comprehensive information pack with full details of the local amenities, restaurants, interesting places to visit and
things to do.

The gites are family-run and the owners, who have lived at Manzac for several years, are available to offer any help and advice to
make the most of your holiday.

MOBILE PHONE - While we hope that our guests will be able to leave their everyday lives behind while on holiday at Manzac, we
appreciate that this is not always possible and advise you that Manzac has got good mobile phone coverage.