This charming French B&B is for sale in Occitanie
Opportunity to buy this beautiful French chambre d’hôtes, tea room and private residence with views of the Pyrenees in south-west France
If you are dreaming of moving to France and starting a holiday business but are daunted by the idea of starting from scratch, this is a wonderful chance to take the reins of an already proven business in the lovely village of Sembouès, Gers.
Run as a chambre d’hôtes, gîte and part time salon de thé, La Maison Rose, on the market for €495,000, is a three-to-four-bedroom property with a large kitchen, dining room and terrace. The owners carried out alterations four years ago and have kept the property in good condition so there is no urgent work to be done.
The pretty in pink property surrounded by Gascony countryside has two light and airy ensuite bedrooms downstairs, which have been let to guests, and a bedroom, a bathroom, sitting room (potential to be a fourth bedroom) and balcony upstairs, where the current owners have been residing.
On the ground floor, the contemporary 24m² kitchen, has provided the current owners with ample room to cook up meals and serve guests for breakfast, afternoon tea events and monthly fish and chip lunches, but is still a homely residential kitchen that could welcome a family should buyer chose not to continue the business element.
The 40m² ground floor living area and 50m² south facing terrace have been used as the setting for the salon de thé which groups have been booking out for special events such as birthdays. Outside, a covered barbecue area is a bonus for everyone on hot summer days.
British expats Mr and Mrs Wiseman have lived and worked in La Maison Rose for four years and now that they are ready to retire, they are putting the property on the market. But having stayed happily in the area for nearly 13 years, Betty and her husband have no intention of moving away: “There’s some stunning scenery, we’re in the country yet in 25 minutes we can get to the city, and it’s very friendly, there’s a community around us, so we’ve kind of got everything here on our doorstep,” says Betty.
They were running a chambre d’hôtes nearby and when they saw this property on the market and they immediately recognised that the layout and fantastic views could be a wonderful boost to their business. So, they snapped it up and with some modernisation to the upstairs and the kitchen they were ready to go.
The busiest time for the chambre d’hôtes and gîte is normally July and August when the Jazz in Marciac festival takes over in the nearby town and attracts visitors from all over the world. “We get three weeks fully booked at good prices,” says Betty.
While the festival couldn’t run this year due to the pandemic, Betty says that they have still been receiving guests: “We found a lot of French people have been coming on holiday in France rather than going abroad, so we have gained on that.”
The salon de thè events have been popular all year round, attracting many different nationalities, but especially British expats who have become repeat guests. The large dining area can accommodate 25 people inside and covered outdoor terraced can take a further 15 people outside, which they take full advantage of. “It’s covered and it’s protected from the wind 90% of the time so you can sit out whatever the weather,” says Betty, and with a view like that there’s no doubt that you would.
Price to include fixtures, fittings, business and goodwill €495,000.
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