House and pool upon ramparts of medieval village

Description from the owner

A breathtaking medieval hill-top village situated on the ramparts of a protected site with its own ruined chateau and small amphitheatre where concerts are held and a celebrated auberge, 'La Vielle Fontaine' serves moules delivered from Marseille fishermen that morning.

The house faces due south and is perfectly positioned to settle down on the terraces with a glass of rose and watch the sun set across the valley.Close by there are two Robert Parker rated caves: one in St. Gervais, (less than a ten minute drive away), Domaine St. Anne: 'should you find a bottle of St. Anne's Viognier, it is stunning'. In Sabran you will find Domaine de... la Remejeanne. Within an hour's drive are Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Lirac, Vacqueyas, and Tavel.

An elegant spacious house, recently refurbished to a high standard, with outdoor pool which can be floodlit for evening barbeques and terraced garden situated in a charming medieval hill village with spectacular views over the vineyards.

Cornillon is an impressive medieval village known locally as la perle du Gard. It sits high above the vineyards in the heart of the Gard, conveniently situated between Avignon (45 minutes by car), Uzes (30 minutes by car) and the renowned Ardeche Gorge and river (25 minutes drive). It is also easily accessible via Ryanair flights to Nimes , BA to Marseille and Montpelier and TGV to Avignon . Cornillon's reputation as a unique, aesthetic and ancient village, combined with its timeless quality means that each year another artist arrives to set up an atelier. At the present time there are four artists working there.

Cars must remain on the edge of the village (other than for personal access), so it is delightful to meander around the cobbled streets and safe for children to be allowed to explore and meet the local children.

The house has 4 double bedrooms, two newly refurbished bathrooms and a large open-plan living room, dining room and kitchen. The total floor area is 200M2 . There is an open fireplace with wood available for winter lets, television and video. The garden is unusually large for a French village home , with terraces sheltered from the sun by two large Japanese Acacia trees which entertain a varied species of birds. On occasions the crested hoopo may be found patrolling the lawn, and between late April and June our resident nightingale may often be heard. Two cherry trees produce delicious dark cherries at the end of May.

Guests can swim in the eleven metre outdoor pool surveying the views from all sides using comfortable loungers to relax and sunbathe. The pool can be floodlit for evening swimming and cooling down during the heat of the summer when the house martins also enjoy ending their evening aeronautics by belly-skimming the pool surface. There is a barbeque and a full size table tennis table situated on the terrace.

The house is privately owned and used by two English families living in London so it has a personal touch.Read more

Additional Location Information

The house which is situated on top of a medieval hill village is close to Goudargues, a picturesque town on a fresh water canal is 5 minutes drive down the hill and provides two bakeries/patisseries, a supermarket, a greengrocer, a garage, pharmacy, bank, GP surgery with an English speaking doctor, tennis courts and various restaurants. There is a market every Wednesday to buy local produce and crafts. The Carmargue and the Mediterranean are only an hour and a half's drive away. The historical towns of Nimes , Arles , Orange and Carpentras are easily accessible.

Location Type Away from it all, Rural, Village

Rental fees

What Past Guests Are Saying

Overall Rating

• TheBarretts
  Hove

  Wonderful house in a lovely ancient village

  Left on 02/22/2013 for a stay in August 2012
  
  

  I stayed at the house for one week last summer with my family, and we had a superb stay. The house is spacious and well equipped with everything that we needed. The terrace is partly shaded by beautiful trees during the day if you want to escape the heat, and is a great place to eat in the evening. The 3 kids loved the pool and roaming safely around the virtually car free village. The view from the property is breath-taking at any time of day. The local artists exhibit interesting work and there are often performances at the outdoor theatre. We mostly cooked at home though the auberge in the village has a superb restaurant, a local speciality are mussels which were absolutely delicious, the dining room is on a terrace set in the ramparts, a very special place. There is lots to do in the surrounding area and we are looking forward to returning to Cornillon for another visit.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Travelers, Romantic, Luxury, Families

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  Response from Jane and John Haynes and Jan Wiener - 03/30/2013

  

  Jane and John Haynes and Jan Wiener

  Owner

  I am so glad your holiday was such a success and that the self catering was competitive with the Auberge. I hope you will return.
  Good wishes Jane Haynes

• Harold L
  London, United Kingdom

  Southern comfort

  Left on 11/13/2012 for a stay in August 2012
  
  

  A beautiful house in a unique setting. Amazing views. Lazy breakfasts on a sun-drenched terrace, shady lunches and afternoons spent moving from pool to deckchair and back. The place is big enough to absorb all its guests in a private setting on the edge of a delightful village which offers excellent dining opportunities. It really is a gem of a place and I can't recommend it too highly.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Friends, Families w children

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• PdxEastside
  

  Shhh - don't tell anyone! This place is fabulous

  Left on 11/13/2012 for a stay in September 2012
  
  

  Our family has rented this house three times now - first, when our two kids were eight & twelve - the pool was great and kept them entertained, the playground in the village was busy with other smaller kids and games of boulé ruled. The second time our eldest was 17 and had left all her best friends back in the States... even then she had a lovely time, the small town of Goudargues providing eye candy and the ardeche taking up the daytime activities of kayaking, swimming and cool lunch spots. This last trip had our kids arriving 10 after us, so we had the time to relax by the pool, eat long and leisurely lunches, do plenty of wine tasting from Chateau Neuf du Pape through Tavel (my favorite) and St. Gervais and I haven't even mentioned the markets all over the region, Uzes being the architectural winner and Barjac the most manageable whilst still providing lots to see. If none of that, still, what a spectacular house to hang out at! The views from the patio are just lovely and never boring. If you're lucky there will be a thunderstorm that will roll around the surrounding hills and roll right out again. Even in September the weather is mostly good and certainly warm enough to swim and sunbathe. One word of warning - the road through the village to the house gets progressively narrower, to the point where all passengers are sucking in their collective breath in order to make the car smaller. It takes nerves of steel to negotiate anything wider than the Golf through those gaps (our BMW 3 had only about an inch or so either side)! It is without doubt one of our favorite places, and like I said "Shhh"!!

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  Recommended for: Friends, Groups, Families w children

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• xjp
  London

  Idyllic house in an idyllic village

  Left on 10/01/2012 for a stay in September 2011
  
  

  We enjoyed everything about our stay here. The house and pool are superb. The views from the house and from the village generally are out of this world. For those interested in history there are many towns nearby that must be visited. We will definitely be going back.

  

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Romantic, Families

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• English family
  Bristol

  Unforgettable charm

  Left on 09/29/2012 for a stay in June 2012
  
  

  A charming home perched at the top of a medieval hilltop village in an unspoilt area. With lovely view from all windows and a lovely swimming pool, the house is well equipped with wonderful personal touches throughout. The local village provides an excellent green grocer, quaint shops and tennis courts.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Travelers, Romantic, Families

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  Response from Jane and John Haynes and Jan Wiener - 10/03/2012

  

  Jane and John Haynes and Jan Wiener

  Owner

  We enjoying having you as guests as much as you seem to have enjoyed being there.