Mr & Mrs Smith

Château de Lartigolle

Gers, France

This chic château 50 minutes west of Toulouse has every flourish you could wish for in a special-occasion hideaway. Stylish and luxurious without being fussy, there’s a chic sitting room for every mood and the boutique-hotel-style boudoirs make time in bed as alluring as hours spent in the sprawling leafy Midi-Pyrénées swimming pool-studded grounds. Statement mid-century furniture sidles up to centuries-old antiques creating an effortless elegance elemental to once-in-a-lifetime party celebrations as well as relaxing all-ages family holidays. Play architects to your own adventures or let the bon viveur proprietors take the reins and rustle up your fabulous meals using the best of the Gers produce and wine. Just sit back and enjoy the Lartigolle ride.

Need to know

• Rates information €11,500 a week (low season) to €14,500 a week (high season), not including catering. Prices including catering can also be provided.
• Ideal for Special-occasion family gatherings, huge celebrations for friends, mini upscale private festivals and even fun corporate entertaining.
• Sleeps As well as six ensuite bedrooms there's a huge studio which can sleep six more people luxury dormitory style.
• Property style 18th-century stately home.
• Grounds 11 hectares of parkland, orchard, vineyard and woodland. The gated white-gravel courtyard at the front of the château is a great space for celebrations; the stone terrace at the back of the chateau has fantastic leafy views.
• Minimum hire One week, although long weekends in low season sometimes possible – two or three nights off-season.
• Children Cots and highchairs are available. This is the perfect place for clan gatherings – tots to teens will love the chic dorm-style studio! There’s also a large children’s playroom on the ground floor with TV, DVD, games, books and toys. As you might imagine, keep an eye on younger children – it is a big old house with slippery wooden floors, filled with antiques a wide sweeping, slippery wooden staircase. The pool is one depth (180cm), with no shallow end. More...
• Booking process 15 per cent of the cost payable as a Smith deposit on booking. 10 per cent payable to the property and then 25 per cent payable six months before arrival and the remaining 50 per cent a month before arrival. All catering, drink and housekeeping costs are billed on departure.
• Also They have two friendly dogs and two cute cats living on the estate, although obviously not in the château itself. They cannot therefore accept any other animals.

Floor plan

• As you might expect from a château, this is a holiday rental fit for royal celebrations. There's a club room, a petit salon, a grand salon for special-occasion dining, a book-lined library, a snooker room and a children’s room to while away your time in.

• Bedrooms

  The interiors of the chateau are a blend of contemporary and classic and the six ensuite bedrooms (including one family suite) in the main château each have their own unique style, with modern and antique furniture from France, London and New York complimented by spectacular hand-printed wallpapers. All rooms have big comfortable beds with high quality linen. Each has a newly fitted bathroom with a huge shower. There are two further, more country-styled, bedrooms in the wing, both with showers. The studio is huge dormitory-sized room for families, children, and groups.

• Kitchen

  Get busy in the farmhouse-style kitchen and enjoy the fruits of your labour at the rustic table that seats up to 10 by the fireplace. Make the most of that huge ranger cooker and mouthwatering local produce and chat to fellow guests as you whip up a storm yourself, or better still, let the resident chefs do the hard work, while you enjoy some five-star treatment in this self-catering stay.

• Living room

  Relax and socialise in the comfortable and stylish club room and petit salon, each with huge sofas with fur throws and open fires. The snooker room, library and children’s room are ideal entertainment areas. Did we mention there’s a grand piano? It's a bit like having your own boutique hotel all to yourself. Add to that table football and table tennis too.

• Dining room

  Dining can take place in the elegance of the grand salon, or alfresco in the courtyard. There's also a huge long table in the rustic kitchen which is where breakfast is usually served.

• Poolside

  There's a large 16x6m swimming pool surrounded by sunloungers.

• Gardens

  The beautiful, gated courtyard in front of the château, leads into an extensive 11 hectare park. Set in rolling countryside at one of the highest points of the Gers region, there’s nothing visible but nature in every direction.

• Private parking

  Ample parking in the grounds.

• Other

  Facilities include a high-quality hard tennis court: tennis balls and rackets available, although you may wish to bring your own equipment. There's also a trampoline and as this is France, boules, bien sûr.

Also worth knowing

• Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...