Traditional, three storey period house (maison de maitre) situated on a quiet country lane, overlooking fields and vineyards in the catalan district of Elne (7km from the coast - Argeles-sur-Mer, 25km from the Spanish border). The house is set behind iron gates with palm trees, flowers and lawn to the front, the entrance is a traditional Catalan wooden door and there are green wooden shutters to each of the long windows. You enter the house via a large, tiled hall from which all the ground floor rooms lead. To the rear of the hall is a cloakroom and beside this, the elegant staircase with wrought iron banister starts to wind its way through the centre of the house. To the right of the front door is a traditional dining room with antique table, seating 12, buffetier and fireplace. Next to this with interconnecting door is the large kitchen, which is in the French country style. The kitchen door leads out onto a small side terrace and summer kitchen with bbq and dining area perfect for early morning coffee and long lunches in the shade. To the right of the front door is the Salon. This is a large elegant room with original marble floors, fireplace and two sets of French doors leading out to the pool area. This room has plenty of space for relaxing in the evening with sofas and chairs. Leading straight from the salon is the pool area. There is a large walled terrace with sun beds, tables, chairs and parasols. The pool is a saline filtered pool (wonderful for children ? no chlorine) and is approx 10m x 4m and about 1.5 m deep, with large shallow steps to rest on. The stairs curve through all three stories of the house, on the first floor is a landing with doors leading to each of the two wings. Turning left, you pass through the outer door into a small corridor. To the rear of the wing is the large, cool, white and blue tiled bathroom. Next to the bathroom s a pretty single bedroom with traditional French furniture. To the front of this wing is one of the master bedrooms. This is approx10m long, with a king-size iron bed, traditional wooden furniture and two long windows overlooking the garden. The room is simply decorated in the Mediterranean style with pale blue walls, tiled floors and voile curtains. At the top of the stairs, with adjacent door to master room, is a good sized twin room, with window overlooking garden. To the right of the stairs is the other bedroom wing which is a mirror image of the left. The bathroom is again large and very French, decorated in a blue and white, belle �poque style. At the far end of the wing is a sunny, yellow double bedded room, with iron bed and wooden French furniture. This has double aspect views over the pool area and the snowy (October to May) Pyrenees mountains. The master bedroom in this wing is again decorated in cool blue shades with tiled floor and three windows, overlooking the garden to the front and the pool and mountains to the side. This room has, like the others, an iron king-size bed and also an antique mahogany bateau lit, which will sleep one adult or two children comfortably. From the landing, the stairs continue to wind upwards (don?t look down over the banisters!) to the 2nd floor. In front of you is a huge double bedroom, this has a quarry tiled floor and huge beams in the ceiling with again three long windows overlooking the garden. It is furnished with a king-size bed, antique wooden furniture and has an ensuite bath with shower and basin. Further along the corridor on this floor is a shower room and a sweet little single room, again with beams and quarry tiled floor, contemporary furniture and fantastic views over the mountains and pool area. The other main room on this floor is the enormous games room. This has views over 3 aspects, mountains, fields and the garden. There are chairs and tables, a mini fridge (so you don?t have to run downstairs for a cold beer!), a football table and a bar sized pool table ? which is always extremely popular with boys of all ages? The house comfortably sleeps 12 / 13 adults. Alternatively, 12 adults and 2 children. There also 3 z beds which are suitable for children under about 12yrs. The weather in the Languedoc is the sunniest in the whole of France but the house is always cool ? thick walls, shutters and tiled floors. The pool and outside areas offer perfect facilities when the weather is boiling, as it usually is in July and August, however in the event of a dull (or even wet day, we are only 40mins from the mountains!) the large living and dining areas, TV and games room offer lots of scope to be entertained and comfortable.