The old cafe of Colombieres
Bookable with Gites guarantee
You are staying with
Usually responds within 3 hours.
The house
The old café (max. 4 people) is the larger of our two small cottages.
The former café along what used to be the road to Alès is a small, three-storey, stone building. Restored and now converted into a cottage for 2 to 4 people, it is available for a single night, a weekend, a week or even a longer stay.
Downstairs, the bathroom is equipped with a shower. The middle storey is a bedroom with 2 single beds.
Upstairs there is a fully-equipped kitchen, a dining table and a sofa bed. On chilly nights the house can be heated with the wood stove.
The large window offers a magnificent view of the valley and outside there is an area to sit and enjoy your quiet surroundings in the shade of the pergola.
- Parking and separate access road
- Bed linen and towels
- Cleaning
- Table d’hotes
Both cottages offer preferential mid-week, weekend and full-week tariffs. In season the swimming pool is available. Although the cottages are fully equipped to be self-catering, if desired table d’hotes options can be arranged for breakfast, half board or full board. Depending on availability, croissants, bread and some local fresh fruit or preserves can be obtained on site. The local village shop (5 km away) has some more groceries available, as does the seasonal local market on Wednesdays. The village also sports a restaurant and post office.
Registration code
(RP)
Facilities
- Independent
- No smoking
- Dishwasher
- Washing machine
- Pets welcome
- Table d'hôtes
Availability of 'The old cafe of Colombieres'
Surroundings
Click on image to open an interactive map
Nestled in a forgotten valley of the Cevennes lies Colombières. A former silk farm (magnanerie) named after the dovecote that once stood here in the forest, some 5 km from the village of St-Martin-de-Boubaux. The house was built in various stages, with newer parts re-using stones from previous constructions. The oldest part dates back to the 12th century. The silk farm was built in the late 18th century and it continued to operate until the 1970s.
The main house and two small outbuildings are all made of the local slate stone, built using the traditional dry building method, without cement or mortar to stick the stones together. The outside is then traditionally jointed using a mixture containing the local sand. Stone has been combined with slate floors All the joinery has been made using local chestnut wood.
Colombières is just over thirty minutes from Alès or one hour from the centre of Nimes (the nearest TGV station) by car. The nearest (international) airport is a 75-minute drive. It is located near to several short and long-distance hiking routes and is the ideal base to discover the beautiful Cevennes or the Rhone valley vineyards. Robert Louis Stephenson famously described the Cevennes in his book Travels with my Donkey. Since then the area has become deserted following WWI and urbanisation. It is amongst the most thinly populated areas of France. Traces of human habitation abound in large swathes of land reconquered by the forests, home to abundant wildlife.
- Mountainous
- Hilly
- Meadows and woodland
Reviews
The old cafe of Colombieres has received 3 reviews over the past 4 years with an average of:
Dedrie Nathalie from Sucy en brie,
Nous avions soif de calme, de sérénité et de nature. Nous avons été comblé !
L' accueil est parfait et les produits proposés par nos hôtes sont de vrais petits plus gourmands.
De plus, notre petit chat a profité du calme pour apprendre à marcher en laisse et profiter lui aussi de la beauté du lieu !
Merci de partager votre petit paradis avec nous !Maaike & Monique from Leeuwarden,
Denk aan stilte, natuur, donkere nachten, sterrenhemel, zon, kruidige geuren en adelaars in de lucht. Te beleven rond het stoere, vroegere café van Colombières van Julius en Patricia in de Cevennen. Ooit een zijderupskwekerij, nu gerestaureerd met op dit terrein ook een tweetal gites. In het café verdeeld over drie etages, is alle comfort aanwezig. Het uitzicht is fantastisch. Bij hitte duik je in het privézwembad van de eigenaars. Voor beweging, ga wandelen op een van de vele tochten. Mensen of marktjes, daal af van de berg naar de gewone wereld. Test je stuurmanskunsten al kronkelend. Geen zin in resto of eigen cuisine, geniet van Patricia's kookkunst. Veel lekkers uit eigen tuin in haar table d'hôtes. Kortom, wil je rust en ruimte, ga naar dat stoere cafeetje in de Cevennen. Wij gingen je graag voor!
GREUZAT Thierry from St POLGUES,
Avant tout, merci pour l'accueil, tout était bien dans ce que nous recherchions...calme, sérénité, beauté du milieu...
Restaurants, food & wine
The local wine is notorious as having been the subject of a ban by the French government in the 1920ies - however not far away are the vineyards of Cotes du Rhone, Costieres de Nimes, Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueras and all the other well known Rhone valley appellations. The municipality sports two restaurants, one is in the village open more or less 3 days a week depending on the mood of the innkeeper. Its food is nice local and enjoyable. A bit further is the Lou Raiol perched on the Pendedis mountain which is a very famous location for the local people and the restaurant of choice for them on Sunday lunch. The food is wholesome, abundant and utterly french - far away from the fad of nouvelle cuisine that restaurant is there to feed you and feed you well.
The local market on Wednesdays, as well as the somewhat larger market in nearby La Grande Combe is the source of wonderful local produce. The Colombieres farm also produces some small amounts of produce like vegetables, fruits and preservers as well as abundant rosemary and other herbs. Cooking your own things is very much the local tradition and restaurants like shops are very few and very far between.
Activities
Activities
Nature is the area’s main attraction with many hiking routes for both the seasoned hiker and somewhat experienced amateur. The local river has a communal swimming area under the ancient Fage bridge. Ancient villages surround the area, each with their local charm and history. Of note are Saint Germain de Calberte and the towns along the Vallee Française. Further north are the world heritage Causses and Cevennes but mostly what you will find is peace and quiet.
- Near hiking trails
Further remarks
Do not come here if you expect massive amounts of activities and sites to see, they exist but the area is above all a beautiful natural location where humans have gradually abandonned the area and forests, animals and the tooth of time is grinding down mans footprint on the area. Where once every valley sported multiple inhabited farms and the 1888 census reported 2000 souls in the community now we are less than 200. Hiking is de rigueur but even then you will need some own transport to get to the start of certain trails or be dropped off - public transport is completely absent except for taxis which come at a premium. The area is known to be one of Europe's rare darkspots - i.e. an area where no external night lights are on visible it is said from space,. so as you might expect after the sun sets it is pitch black unless there is a moon. Some people find the quiet and lack of noise apart from the odd animal disconcerting, others go back to the big cities realising how noisy they are.
Additional price info and offers
Please contact us for table d'hotes
Please note it is expected you clean the gite before you leave and take trash and glass with you.
Price includes
Towels, Bed linen
Price exclusive
- Cleaning fee (optional) € 50.00