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There are 45 entries in 5 pages
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28/09/2009 10:00:36 |
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Val and I have been back in Sydney for almost 3 weeks now, and whilst we are pleased to be home, we are also unsettled and a little sad to have left Mazamet.
When we set out on our 4 months adventure, we were not sure how things would turn out, what Mazamet and France would be like.
Well, it exceeded all our expectations.
Things started well when we were pleasantly surprised by the size of the gite, the up-to-date amenities and the privacy of the garden. Being a short walk to restaurants and shopping was a bonus.
We found Mazamet to be a very pretty and pleasant town, with everything you need from local produce to large convenient supermarkets, but with a distinctive and lively village feel. In the three months we were there, on our periodic expeditions we visited or passed through over 300 villages and towns in France, and there were only a handful to compete with Mazamet.
Despite our appallingly bad French, which our delightful teacher Gael struggled to improve with mixed success, everyone in the village without exception was friendly and helpful.
We will remember Mazamet with great affection.
The Tarn country side was as pretty as any we saw in our travels around France - Lautrec, Montagne Noire, Boissezons, Minervois, Cordes, Carcassonne, to name a few places, are all delightful and close.
Finally, we were blessed with almost boringly good, warm sunny weather and deep blue South France skies.
We would like to thank you for your warm, helpful and discreet hospitality - we always felt very comfortable as your guests.
We will be very happy to recommend Gite Wisteria and Mazamet to any of our friends. |
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Val and Jon
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From: Australia (IP Recorded) |
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18/02/2009 09:14:24 |
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Fredi and I flew to Toulouse and travelled down by car to start our new life in Southern France. It was the last day in February and with great trepidation we arrived in Mazamet. Within a short time we realised we'd landed on our feet when we were greeted by Christina and Mike and taken to what would be our 'new home' for the next nine weeks.
The gite is superb and very cosy. It is home from home, everything you will possibly want, and more. Before unpacking we were whisked up into their grand home for a welcomed drink and chat. We knew at once we'd made the right decision. We also stayed in the apartment at the top of their house which is equally spectacular. Good nights equal good beds,
we slept like babes. Every thing is fully equipped. Linens, towels beautifully laundered. We were able to sit out in our small secluded garden and eat lunch, perfect.
Mazamet is conveniently situated within five minutes of the gite so we were never short of fresh bread and croissants!
We eventually found our new home in May but were reluctant to leave our cosy gite.
Christina and Mike helped us no end with places to visit and local information.
We left relaxed and full of happy memories, thankyou Christina and Michael.
With love and thanks,
Fredi and Georgina. |
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Fredi and Georgina
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From: UK (IP Recorded) |
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10/11/2008 09:06:05 |
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"This was a 5 star holiday in every way, in fact if we could give more stars we would. Gite Wisteria is a superb as accommodation, spacious and very comfortable with everything you could need to be completely self contained. It is also completely secluded and private if that's what you want, but we found Mike and Christina such good hosts that seclusion was not really necessary.
Mazamet was just what we wanted a small French country town with nice bars and delightful restaurants. It was also very friendly, we, as transgendered people are a tad 'alternative' to say the least but the welcome all round was very friendly and accepting.
The countryside is just beautiful, the Black Mountain area alone is worth the trip, especially at the time we visited, Autumn, just gorgeous, as well as that we visited Lastours - stunning, Albi - beautiful, Carcassonne - unmatchable, and so much more. Being a bit tired from a heavy years work we didn't overdo the travelling around, but all of these are worth visiting again and there is a whole lot more yet to be seen, so I reckon we'll have to visit again.
All in all great accommodation, excellent hosts and a great holiday - we just wish it had been longer." |
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Vicky Martin & Michelle O'Brien
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From: UK (IP Recorded) |
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15/07/2008 08:57:45 |
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| Amazing! Wonderful! Comfortable! There are just not enough words to describe our recent vacation to Mazamet, France. Mike and Christina welcomed us with open arms and made us feel like family. Their well-appointed gite accommodated six travelers (five women and one man!) with ease. An early morning coffee in the private sunken garden or a short stroll to a local café, made the cottage a perfect place to enjoy all that is French. We loved the people, the markets, the area, our hosts; everything was perfect. You simply cannot afford to miss this gem of a place! |
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Pamela McGuire
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From: Aurora, Colorado (IP Recorded) |
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10/06/2008 07:51:19 |
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Mike & Christine are wonderful hosts. They welcomed us into there home for a well earned beer after a long motorcycle ride from Boulogne to Mazamet before showing us around this lovely Gite which is located in a sunken garden. The area has some stunning scenery and visitor attractions. Mike & Christine made us feel like long lost friends. The roads in the area are fantastic for motorcycle touring and the Pyrenees are little more than an hour away. The Gite is located on the outskirts of the small town where we spent a few evenings taking in the relaxed café culture of France. Mike is an avid motorcyclist who is not only to happy to offer any advise you may require but also a helping hand if needed. We WILL be returning, the sooner the better.
GARY & SHARRON JUNE 2008 |
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Gary & Sharron
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From: UK (IP Recorded) |
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06/12/2007 10:05:52 |
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It has been an amazing, wonderful five weeks. Although the weather disappointed us in Mazamet (grey, morning fog & cool), we always managed to drive up the valley or over the Montagne Noir to see a few hours of sunlight.
What has surprised us the most about France?
The French are very friendly and always helpful, despite our limited vocabulary and egregious Canadian “anglais” accent. Smiles and laughter always greeted us. People made an extra effort to explain things to us if we didn’t, at first, understand.
Food is very, very important in France. Bread, cheese, meat, wine plus a pastry or two (and let’s NOT forget the chocolate….) - the shops and supermarkets are bursting with an amazing selection. Personally, I think any country that has one entire supermarket aisle just for the display of chocolate has their priorities in the right place.
Of course, wine takes at least two or three aisles. And dairy products!!!! Who knew that there could be so many yogurts, dairy desserts, soft cheeses, hard cheeses, grated cheeses, packaged cheeses, sheep cheeses, cow cheeses, goat cheeses - and of course, that does not include the cheeses available at the “deli counter.”
For the past five weeks, we have watched the greens and golden oranges of October turn to mid-November browns. Now, the bare branches on the forests and trees of southern France surround us so it is au revoir to Mazamet and Languedoc-Roussillon.Bill and Lynda have created a most excellent blog with info relating to the Gite and the area, it can be found at this web address http://paintingbooks.wordpress.com |
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Bill and Lynda
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From: Canada (IP Recorded) |
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24/09/2007 09:26:51 |
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| We spent a very enjoyable month at Mike and Christina's where everything was spick and span and they went out of their way to help us meet people and feel at home. The month disappeared rapidly as we strolled Mazamet, explored the Montagne Noir and struck out farther. The Pyrenees and the Mediteranean were only an hour an a half away and there were countless historic villages and Carthar haunts to explore. Add our pigeon house and vinyard trips to the other exploring and we had a very busy and fun time in the region. Add a trip to see the bridge at Millau and we can truthfully say we had one very memorable stay. |
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Zeke & Barb
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From: USA (IP Recorded) |
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04/08/2007 11:11:26 |
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Mazamet is quite a well kept secret. It’s a small market town situated in the middle of a triangle made up of Carcassonne, Beziers and Toulouse - so, strategically well placed.
It used to have a thriving tanning and wool industry, and remnants of these past glories are dotted about throughout the town and environs. Its industry was made possible by the specific mineral content of the river that runs through the town centre, particularly well suited to particular tanning and curing processes.
Mike and Christina’s gite is in their back garden - but totally private (no need to see them if you don’t want to, although they’re lovely, so no reason to avoid them!). It has its own entrance and its own little patch of lavender scented garden; the gite is south facing and gets the sun all day - you could just bask like a lizard if that’s what you felt like, and admire the bosky green mountain climbing away above you towards the sun.
If you stay in this gite, you are within easy walking distance of the town - fab market on a Tuesday, it rained when we were there, but it was still well worth a visit. The town itself is full of interesting little shops and fascinating buildings.
Because of its position, nestled at the foot of the Black Mountains, there are also wonderful walks to be taken - maybe up to Haut Poul, which straggles down the sheer cliff in an unbelievable way, clinging on for dear life to the rock face - or maybe just to the Wood Village, nestled further down the mountain, a good place to visit with children and/or a picnic.
The gite itself is well-equipped and comfortable - well positioned for a short stay, but also ideal for longer stays if you’re lucky enough to have a France based project in mind! |
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Viv, Peter & Becky
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From: Wales (IP Recorded) |
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23/06/2007 11:35:18 |
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Booked our holiday at Mike and Christines Gite to relax and recharge the batteries.And relax is exactly what we did. The town of Mazamet is typically
"French" and very hospitable. We enjoyed the markets with a great variety of produce on sale, and had a drink at several of the towns pavement bars.There
are also a couple of the more traditional supermarkets for the items not available on the street market.
The area is superbly situated and we spent a couple of days driving round the "Black Mountains" exploring all the little lanes taking us to yet
another spectacular vista.Best of all, we hardly saw another car.We found little gems such as Hautepoul, Lastours, and a couple of lakes way up in the
mountains.The area is very beautiful, and as you drive down from the mountains back into Mazamet, take a few minutes to stop at the viewpoint to
see Mazamet.
As for the Gite, it is a credit to Mike and Christine. Very clean , very tidy and fully equipped. You have every thing you need. Thanks guys, we had
a really great time and left fully recharged. Only problem was, should have booked 2 weeks.
Dave and Shirley |
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Dave and Shirley
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From: UK (IP Recorded) |
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26/02/2007 08:13:08 |
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Television in both French and English, high speed internet, central heating that works efficiently and just a short walk to town. Far more than one expects from a gite. When you add the remarkable hospitality of Mike and Christina and the sites that can be visited within a very small radius of Mazamet you are set for a wonderful holiday.
When we first booked the gite, we had an idea of where Mazamet was situated but knew nothing of the history surrounding the town or the natural beauty of the surrounding environment. We were simply looking for a base that would allow us to explore southern France and Northern Spain. We could not have found a better place. There is just so much to see and do in the area.
We originally booked from mid October 2006 until end November 2006 but enjoyed ourselves so much that we extended our stay until we were due to return to Australia at the end of January 2007. We even went through the cold of a European winter but found the gite to be as warm as toast, despite it being a little brisk for Australians outside.
Overall, we would recommend the gite to anyone.
Thanks again Christina and Mike. |
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Barry & Theresa
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From: Australia (IP Recorded) |
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