About Les Hirondelles

Accommodation, Facilities and Services

The House

3 double bedrooms – each with a double bed, hanging space and two chests of drawers. One has a walk in wardrobe with mirrored doors. All bedrooms are found on the first floor and reached by means of an artisan built wooden spiral staircase.
Downstairs is open plan, with a seating area containing two comfy sofas and coffee table. French windows open to the balcony. This area also has a large enclosed fire for burning logs, set in an oak beamed fireplace. There is also a dining area equipped with a dining table and six chairs. A breakfast type bar separates the kitchen from the living area. This kitchen is modern and fully equipped with everything you would need and want.
A small shower room is off the kitchen, with a modern shower panel which gives an exhilarating and reviving shower.
A hallway is off the kitchen and contains a storage cupboard and the separate toilet.
An entry hallway contains two cupboards, one containing household DIY for the owners and another, the ski locker.

For your comfort and convenience

The house is very well equipped and homely and contains everything you could need, with probably more kitchen contents than we have at home in the UK!

Living Area: Free WiFi, Flat screen Smart TV, UK iPlayer Channels, Netflix, Apple iPhone Dock, DVD/CD player, Over 70 DVDs and CD’s, 50 plus books (Fiction, Non fiction, French Language Dictionary, Cook books), Variety of Games
American Style Modern Kitchen: Gas Hob, Electric Oven, Large Fridge, Dishwasher, Microwave, Washing Machine (in shower room), Air Fryer, Coffee Maker, Electric Kettle, Toaster, Slow Cooker, Fondue Set, Yoghurt maker. Ample supplies of crockery/Cutlery/Pans/Serving plates/Casserole dishes etc, Ample supplies of glassware including crystal wine glasses and goblets, Picnicware
Other Household Items: Upright Vacuum, Hand Vac, Iron, Ironing Board, Steam Cleaner, Electric Carpet Sweeper, Clothes Dryer and pegs, Fire Extinguisher and Fire Blanket, Brooms, Mops etc, Smoke Alarm, Travel Cot, High Chair, Dog bowls and Doggie Poo Bags.
Logs: The log store can be found underneath the balcony

For Outside Use

One 4-Person round glass Table
One 6-Person Glass Table with 6 Reclining Chairs
One 2-Person Wooden Table or used as a Side Table
4 Sunbeds
1 Small ‘Egg BBQ’ and BBQ Utensils

Our Dog Pals

Our 4-legged friends are part of the family and can join you on your holiday.

Dogs will love the opportunity for walks in the mountains, swimming in the lakes or paddling in the shallows. If wintertime, then most dogs love playing in the snow!! These are images, starring past and present members of our family, Maxwell, Maisie and Teddy, doing just that!

We have a limit on one or two medium sized, well behaved pooches, up to approximately 14 kg. We provide dog bowls and doggie poo bags.

We do charge for dogs and there are a few reasonable rules that your dog(s) will have to adhere to.

Just use the Form on the Contact Page and we’ll happily supply more information by email.

Our Village and Our Valley

We would love to welcome you to Les Hirondelles, which is located in the commune of Clignon Bas, 5 minutes from Colmars les Alpes, a lovely walled medieval town located within the National Parc du Mercantour, on the boundary that permits habitation.

Colmars les Alpes is 5 minutes away by car, or can be accessed by following a footpath which runs alongside the river Verdon. This small walled town, built by Vauban during the reign of Louis XIV, is a maze of narrow streets and contains a small museum. All the essential shops can be found just outside the old walls. It holds a twice weekly Provencal market during the summer and has a very good Tourist Information office. Conveniently there is also a cashpoint. It is also no more than 30 minutes from several other villages that line the valley. There are restaurants in our village and several others in Villars Colmars, Beauvezer, Thorame Haute, Allos and La Foux.

A ten minute walk will bring you to the 685 sq km of the protected area of the National Park; an area dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and nature. The upper Verdon valley in which Colmars les Alpes sits, is quite simply stunning, an area of mountains and lakes, rivers and waterfalls, forests and quaint towns and villages. With the largest ski area in the southern Alpes and a myriad of things to do and see, it provides the perfect escape at all times of the year, but is not isolated. You will find numerous restaurants, shops and supermarkets and is only two hours from the hubbub of Nice and the Cote d’Azure.

‘The mountain air is a real tonic which can be enjoyed in spring, summer, autumn or winter. With, on average, 300 days sunshine a year, the skies are often the purest shade of blue and the night skies provide a view of the stars that will take your breath away. Each season is unique, with spring awash with flowers, hot summers with so much to do and enjoy, autumn ablaze with incredible colour and the most perfect snowy winters.

This part of Haute Provence is know as the ‘Vallee d’Haute Verdon’. The river Verdon has its source in the mountains near the Col d’Allos and it starts its journey by plunging down the valley, through Colmars les Alpes before passing through the Gorges du Verdon, the deepest Canyon in western Europe, which it cut over millennia. This is a must on any itinerary, though it can get quite busy in summer months. Dams have been constructed along the river creating two huge lakes, Lac Castillon and Lac St Croix, both of which have beaches and safe swimming areas.

The “Train de Pigne” (Pine Cone Train), stops at the small station of Thorame Haute, about 15 minutes from the house. This narrow gauge railway, built in the late 19th century, runs from Nice to Digne les Bains and back several times throughout the day. It has its own small station behind the main station in Nice and it wends its way through amazing scenery, stopping at little villages along the way. Should you want to pop down to Nice or Digne les Bains for the day and don’t fancy the drive, then this is the perfect choice for a memorable trip.