Oloron Ste Marie holiday house: Oloron-Sainte-Marie

....the house is located in a quiet village in a lovely setting with views of the mountains towards the end of the valley. So quiet we woke each day with the only sound that of the cow bells from the field opposite.

The owner (we met on our first day) was helpful and provided some good guidance on places to go etc. A number of local walking maps and tourist leaflets and guides were provided which also proved useful.

The village is located a few minutes away from Oloron and provides good access (via car) to the Pyrenees National Park areas. We used the house as a base to explore as much as we could fit in ....Being keen walkers our personal highlights have been:-
1) Our trip to the waterfall at Gavarnie ( a Unesco site ), although a good 2 hour drive away (and requiring an early start) the 2.5 hour walk up the valley to the >400m waterfall is well worth the effort.
2) The Pic Du Midi lakes walk from the Lac D' Bious Artigues just south of Gabas in the Ossau valley passing the Refuge D'Ayous at about 2000m with great views of the moutains. The walk is about 14Km in total so stamina required but stunning views.
3) Walk to Lac D' Ansabere from the car park south west of Lescun, approx 10km and approx 900m climb and descent but again some stunning views of this heart shaped lake.

For fun the local Aqua Bearn flumes were a great hit with the kids ( a loyalty ticket means the price reduces each time you go). Getting there at opening means shorter queues !!!!

About an hour away we loved the beach at Ondres just north of Biarritz, using a body board ....the big waves were great. Safety assured though by the 4 lifeguards on duty!

So great place to stay with loads of things to do ...

Four of us stayed at the house for a fortnight in June 2008. We were very impressed with it. The descriptions given on the website and the photographs were true to life. Kitchen and bathrooms were clean and well equipped, bedrooms were comfortable. The house has lots of local walking maps and books that you can borrow, and tourist information. The English owners were helpful (especially with route planning) and very friendly.

The living accommodation was comfortable and it was great to be able to sit out in the garden & watch the wildlife (lots of birds, butterflies and a hedgehog) and cows in the neighbouring fields Although close, there was no problems with noise etc. There is also good walking country at the top of the village, so you don't always need to drive.

Although the house was in a peaceful location, Oloron (supermarkets/shops/cafes etc) was only 10 minutes away and there's loads to do in the area. Access to the Pyrenees is good, it takes about 40 minutes to get to the Somport tunnel via Oloron. We enjoyed visiting Spain several times, it's worth going there if the weather is dull in France as it's often sunnier over the border! Jaca is an interesting town and Monasterio de San Juan de la Pena (another 30 mins from Jaca) is well worth a visit for the stunning views and to look round the old monastery.

Back in France, Pau is good for shopping and relaxing pavement cafes - it's not too far away, just a pleasant drive through the vineyards (there are quite a few wine tasting places around such as the one in Gan - although we didn't go there. Also enjoyed visiting Saint Jean Pied de Port (traditional point of departure for the Camino de Santiago) - cobbled streets & quite touristy, but in an interesting way! The Col du Portlalet was also a highlight - the road goes right over the top of the Pyrenees. Ignoring the gift shops, just a few hundred metres from the car park the alpine flowers and butterflies were fantastic and walking further on we saw marmots and vultures.

Overall a great place to stay with plenty to do nearby - highly recommended.