First Floor Gite

The 1st floor apartment sleeps up to six people and has a large master bedroom, a twin room plus a comfortable sofa bed in the light and airy lounge, plus access to terrace, which has seating for eight, plus two fold-out chairs.

It also has a dining table which expands to seat ten, so if you book both apartments and wish to eat together during your holiday, you can do so in comfort. It has its own bathroom and WC and a well-equipped kitchen, including washing machine, full oven and hob, percolator, juicer, etc.

Double glazed and designed in the French style, the apartment stays as cool as possible in the summer and as warm as possible in the winter, with fans in each lounge and all the bedrooms.

There is a music system and computer with broadband Internet access which is free to use, saving you the expense and inconvenience of a visit to the Internet Cafe. This makes it an ideal base from which to find local attractions, locate French houses or keep in touch with clients or friends via email.

Couiza itself is a busy and friendly village (population: 1,280), complete with all amenities, including two patisseries, butchers, local grocery store, an excellent restaurant and two cafe bars. If it's Cordon Bleu you're after, then this region boasts the finest food, cooked to perfection. There are also many restaurants within a short drive in both Limoux and Quillan, so you'll be spoilt for choice. Languedoc Roussillon is the home to some of the most recognisable and sought after names in wine-making, Fitou, Fleury, Minervois and Corbieres to name a few, and of course the champagne from the local town of Limoux.

There is river swimming almost on the doorstep and at several other spots on the river Salz and near to Couiza are the thermal spas of Alet les Bains and Rennes les Bains with outdoor swimming pools at a steady 30 degrees or so. Locally, other water-sports include canoeing, kayaking, white water rafting and trout fishing (or tickling, if you prefer). There's pony-treking on the local and much loved horses of the Camargue, golf and even a casino with piano bar, a dinosaur museum and a museum of hats, truly something for everyone!

Rennes-le-Chateau is 4km away, a village shrouded in the mystery of an impoverished village priest who discovered two parchments concealed within a pillar and suddenly became fabulously wealthy.

The gite is 34 km from the medieval city of Carcassonne, in the heart of the Cathare region, famous for its walled city within a city. As would be expected, Carcassonne has many museums and historic monuments to visit. 8 km South of Couiza is the attractive market town of Quillan, which heralds the beginning of the climb into the Pyrenees and some amazing drives along roads hewn literally from the mountain side. Rock climbing, mountain walks and caving are all available in or near Quillan.

East of Couiza is the forest of Arques and its swimming lake, to the West another two lakes, Montbel (pictured above), where you can wind-surf, canoe, kayak or hire pedalos and lake Puivert, which also has one of the most outstanding Cathare castles. The castles of the Cathars dot the beautiful valley of Aude from Narbonne to Foix, the evidence of a remarkable era in history is cast on the landscape in the form of ruins and forts standing proud on promontories around Couiza and the Cathare region.

Just over an hour away to the East are huge swathes of beautiful Mediterranean beaches - plenty of room to find a secluded spot, should you so desire. If, however hotdogs, buckets and spades and cheeky postcards make your heart sing, Narbonne Plage will come high on your list of must sees.