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Review 4070: Owner, Maison Juliette

www.maisonjuliette.com

Recommended
Review by amurray0101 from Canada

4bed/2.5bath house in Carcassonne, Languedoc-Roussillon

When

April 2009, 2 weeks

Location

Maison Juliette is located within the main part of Carcassonne, a 10 minute walk from Place Carnot, the main square, and a 20 minute walk from La Cité, the medieval town. The immediate surrounding area is occupied by apartments and private homes, one block from the river Aude. This is a typical town house, with an anonymous exterior and private terrace behind.

Nearby Amenities

All amenities are within walking distance. The Monoprix (main grocery store) is located on the main street ten minutes away, near the main square, which has a good variety of bistros and food shops, as well as tons of other shopping. There is a wine store (Le Cave)two blocks away and a boulangerie within three blocks. Restaurants, Canal du Midi and the train station are also a 10 minute walk away.

The House/Apartment

The house is solidly built and recently updated with a new kitchen. Bathrooms are also newish, and the house is very well appointed and comfortable. It was originally built in 1920 and has the high ceilings and marble floors typical of the period. There are two sitting rooms, a dining room and large kitchen with microwave, dishwasher, gas range and wall oven. There is also a summer kitchen which opens onto the private terrace. Upstairs there are four good sized bedrooms. One has a private en suite, two share a full bathroom and the fourth has a vanity with sink and bidet. The area is very quiet, and even more so because all of the windows were recently updated and are sound proof. There are lots of little extras such as an iPod player and wireless Internet, which is not only included in the price but actually works very well.

Garden

There is a beautiful, secluded private terrace with a spectacular wisteria that was in full bloom when we were there (April). There are two bicycles available, which are stored in the garden shed. There is no pool.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The house was exceptionally clean and comfortable. The furniture is of excellent quality.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The beds are very comfortable and the linens are of good quality. The bathrooms were clean and modern and there was plenty of hot water for the five of us.

Kitchen

There is an excellent kitchen with more than enough cutlery and china. There is a full complement of cooking utensils and pots and pans. We cooked many meals during our stay with no difficulty.

Problems or Bonuses

This is a terrific house for a family or group of friends who wish to settle into an area and enjoy a relaxing vacation in a home-like environment. We found plenty to do on the days that we didn't have a rental car, and when we did have a rental car we took lots of little day trips to a number of towns and villages within a 50 km radius of Carcassonne.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

There is an excellent local manager who speaks English (she's Australian!) and is very capable and helpful. The owners were easy to deal with, and the house lived up to its promise in every way. Pricing is available online at Maison Juliette.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

I would absolutely recommend Maison Juliette and would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Things to do in this area

Snoop around La Cité (the medieval town
Tour the castle
Go to the market days in Place Carnot (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday)
Attend free concerts at the Basilica in the Cité
Attend the Carcassonne Jazz Festival in April
Enjoy a café au lait at one of the cafés that surround Place Carnot
Cycle along the Canal du Midi
Take a barge tour of the canal
Walk the river-side path along the Aude on your way to the Cité
Enjoy good southern French cooking at any number of local restaurants
Buy herbes de Provence on market day
Drive to Montolieu, the book town, or to Lagrasse where there is an excellent restaurant and abbey
Drive to the Chateau de Peyrepertuse
Drive to Lastours for lunch (excellent onion soup) and then on up to view the four chateaux
Take the train to Toulouse for the day
Buy macarons at the local patisserie but make sure you eat them the same day!