Accommodation

The Gites

‘Gites’ Larousse Dictionary Definition: ‘Self-Catering Accommodation In The Country’

Mouli d’al Roc is the Catalan spelling of Moulin du Roc.

We have six gites available for yearly rental. Three of these gites (1:2:3) are all built out of the surrounding stone and are converted from the Mill's grain storage area with the ground floor of each Gite built into the rock face. Each Gite has two floors occupying a total of 650 square feet and all are fully furnished.

The Swimming Pool	Bar, TV & Pool Room
The Gites	Mouli d'al Roc from the hillside

The first floor of each Gite is an open plan tiled living and dining area with satellite analogue television, a fully equipped kitchen and separate bathroom/shower. A large window from this lounge looks out over the Peak du Bec and the small ruisseau (stream) which runs right through our property. This ruissea is perfectly safe for children familiar with the hunting habits of the anaconda and the crocodile.

The Hunting Terrain of The Anaconda

The second floor of each Gite is reached via a three-quarter-spiral staircase that leads onto a mezzanine that has three bedrooms leading off it. All the bedrooms have windows. Each Gite has at least one master bedroom, (except for Gite 3 which has two) the other bedroom has a three quarter size bed and then there is a bunkroom at the back of each Gite with a roof window.

Sofa/bed arrangements on the first floor enable each apartment to sleep 6/8 people.

The Front Entrance To One Of Our Gites

The front entrance of each of these Gites is via a veranda running the length of the Mill which can clearly be seen in the photographs and the back entrance by means of French windows on the second floor mezzanine that exits on to a gravel terrace (30 x 6 metres) at the back of the Moulin. This terrace is an ideal sunspot for those intent on grilling themselves and al fresco meals. This terrace then leads onto a plateau and then a pathway, which leads right down to the swimming pool (20 x 5 metres). A private garden at the front of the Mill has a large barbecue facility.

The Swimming Pool

Gites 4 and 5

Two other Gites (4 & 5) have been built in the ‘milling’ part of the Moulin, each occupying 550 square feet. Gite 4 occupies two floors with a fully equipped tiled kitchen, dining and lounge area with television and a master and bunk bedroom plus shower/toilet on the second.

Sleeps 4/6 persons.

The Kitchen Layout of One of Our Gites

Gite 5 is again on two levels. The ground floor entrance brings you into a tiled living/dining/kitchen area with television and via a spiral staircase you enter on to the second along a corridor that leads onto two large bedrooms and a large bathroom with a Victorian cast iron enamelled bath.

Sleeps 4/6 persons.

The Apartment (6)

Apartment (6) is at the top of the Moulin itself and measures 700 Square feet and consists of two large bedrooms, each with their own roof windows, a kitchen/dining room with roof window and a small lounge with roof window and television and en suite bathrooms for each bedroom with another Victorian bath in one of them. Two entrances exist to this Gite, the main two-flight staircase or French windows that lead on to the gravel patio at the back of the Moulin.

The Bathroom of One of Our Gites

The only disadvantage of this Gite is for people over 6 feet tall who can and have accidentally lobotomised themselves on the two low wooden beams as you enter the apartment. THE MANAGEMENT provides free medical insurance for this possible mishap or a free litre of wine/day in order to create the necessary alcoholic stoop. A Nubile Nurse and Muscular Medic are in constant attendance for any cranial treatment required. For those of a more legal and literate persuasion, I am a pretty good quick-change artist, but cannot guarantee (on the advice of my lawyers) full ocular satisfaction in either role.

Sleeps 6/8 persons.

There is a small bar with two pool tables that has full digital satellite television reception plus VCR and DVD facilities for stressed out parents that want to deposit their little darlings for an afternoon at the cinema while they ‘chill out’ on their own terms. There is also full office facilities available for those that cannot leave work too far behind.

There are plenty of al fresco dining areas. Gites 1; 2 & 3 have the balcony that runs parallel with the apartments as well as the back stone veranda accessible via the French windows. Gites 4 & 5 have a patio directly in front of their apartments and Gite 6 has the stone veranda at the back, also accessible via French windows. Most of the outside dining areas are overlooked by the mountain.

There is a room with two commercial washing machines and drier. All you supply is the powder. For those that prefer the 'method rustic' we have placed down by the river a washing and scrubbing board, a suitable smooth rock for pounding those stubborn stains and a free block of coal tar soap. This service is free.

Tables and chairs are placed around the property in accessible places for picnics, quiet morning breakfasts or animated wine induced evening meals. A few of these areas are not in the animal demilitarised zone (ADMZ) and the MANAGEMENT unfortunately cannot accept responsibility for any food related crime committed by either the horse (Shaba) the llama (Victoria), or Lilliput, the Vietnamese pot bellied pig. Lilliput’s recently acquired technique of ram raiding open door apartments that have a ground floor entrance, (4 & 5), means we now carry extra household insurance. It was either that or installing padlocks on all fridge doors. However I could not be totally confident that would defeat her deft trotters.

Lilliput: Two Months Old. 2003

Lilliput: After Raiding Gite 4. 2004

In order to prevent this animal invasion, THE MANAGEMENT now supply small portable electric fences, which parents have discovered are also suitable for controlling their offspring. Two types of fences are available: the 'TERMINATOR', a three phase model which THE MANAGEMENT recommend parents taking out extra insurance for and the 12 volt 'MOPPET' which 'kicks' just enough to cause temporary Shirley Temple curls. In the suggestion box this summer, we found repeated requests for electric cattle prods. This suggestion is currently being investigated.

We are an off beat and informal place that deliberately chooses the chaos of relaxed human and animal behaviour over that of slick management. The conversation flows freely and so also unfortunately for my kidney does the wine. Use of local detoxification facilities can be arranged and there are plans to install a portable unit soon.