A beautiful and classical ‘maison bourgeoise’ dating back to the eighteenth century, Genkwa Luc is a wonderful family home in this fabulous corner of South West France.

Set amongst twelve acres of wood and parkland in the middle of the charming and pretty village of Sainte Marie de Gosse, Genkwa Luc is an impressive and enchanting villa. Named after one of the nearby streams, the villa was in fact built around the wide and imposing seventeenth century wooden staircase! This feature, brought from elsewhere in France, inspired the original owner in his design of the house.

Downstairs, all the rooms have high ceilings and the spacious sitting room with its large fireplace and wonderful flagstone floor is full of atmosphere and character. For those occasions when guests prefer to dine inside there is a glorious baronial style dining room with a marble fireplace and country oak dining table - with candle lighting only - the perfect venue for splendid long dinner parties. The well-equipped kitchen is large and farmhouse-style; great for lovers of cooking as well as having plenty of space in which to seat up to twelve for breakfast and informal suppers.

Going up the famous staircase, the walls of the tall stairwell are in the original colombage and narrow briquette of the period and throughout there is a wonderful sense of space and tranquillity. Each of the bedrooms has period furniture and curtains and ornaments to match; they are decorated in their own characters and have their own individual charm. There are plenty of bathrooms to go around and the large windows flood the whole house with sunlight. Each bedroom looks onto the glorious garden, planted with mature trees and shrubs - shutters keep them cool in the hot weather - and there really is ample room for  a large party to relax and enjoy themselves.

The secluded pool area is a superb venue for the household to come together - plenty of comfortable tables and chairs - and here guests can sit, relax and enjoy the fine garden including a magnificent 400-year old oak. There is  lots of space in which children can run around including extensive woods which lead down to the little ‘Luc’ brook where many small adventures can be had. There is a games room in one of the barns with table tennis, hi-fi and pool table to keep the whole family happy.

Genkwa Luc is a real ‘home’ - an excellent property for two or three families and the ideal house from which to explore this fascinating area: the surrounding hills and mountains   ,the wonderful coastline buffeted by the Atlantic rollers and the cultural melange of French, Basque and Spanish co-habitation. Bayonne is only thirty minutes away and the stunning Pyrenees and Spain (10 mins) are within easy distance; plenty of golf courses and excellent restaurants serving fresh fish and foie gras. Genkwa Luc is a family holiday or friendly reunion just waiting to happen!