Villa Failte has a good sized boules pitch in the back garden - great for a bit of fun or competition after a hard days sightseeing or during a relaxing day by the pool.

At the start of 2017 we added floodlights so that the pitch can be used at night time even if pitch dark ... so no excuses for sitting watching films all night !!!  Why not combine a boules competition with a table tennis tournament ?

​Pictures below were taken in October 2017 and April 2017.

Well we took the plunge and as part of our 10 day January visit to Villa Failte in Argeles Sur Mer we booked 2 nights in an apartment in Font Romeu so that we could sample a few days skiing.  Font Romeu is one of the oldest and most historic ski resorts in France ... but it has modern facilities !  See this PO link for some history and background reading.  The resort is not a busy apres-ski resort but is very pretty and has numerous bars and restuarants after a good days skiing.  An excellent feature of the resort is that there is a cable car that links the village to the slopes so no need to drive there every day.  Indeed there is no need to drive to Font Romeu as there is a regular bus service from Perpignan to the resort.

For information on Font Romeu skiing as well as Les Angles (which is a nearby resort) see either our Skiing webpage or this excellent website (no recommendation on the company but the info is really good).  For webcams and slope information see this link and for places to eat see this link.

There had not been much snow so far in the year and in fact the last decent days snowfall was 10th December, however the Font Romeu / Pyrenees 2000 complex (the ski areas are linked) are renowned for having amongst the best snow making facilities in Europe.  Indeed hardly a days skiing is lost throughout the season through lack of snow.  However we needn't have worried ! ...the day before we travelled it started snowing and over the next two days there was over 100cm of snowfall.  

The journey up was fine (should take about 1.5 hours normally) but because of road conditions took as closer to 2.5 hours.  If driving you MUST take snow chains in the car (or snow socks which in our opinion are easier to fit).  We had to put them on about 20km before reaching Font Romeu.

The village is very pretty and has several shops, restaurants and hotels.  There are plenty of places where you can rent ski equipment relatively inexpensively.

As it turned out we ended up with only one full days skiing as on the 2nd day there was so much snow fall that many of the lifts and slopes were closed due to avalanche risk !  Hey ho ... to be fair to the place that rented us skis they gave us a full refund for that day without being asked.  The day we did get was excellent (we are Intermediate skiers). The set up is probably most geared up to beginners and intermediates, although there are also several black runs for the more advanced skier.

Everywhere we went people were friendly (slopes, chairlifts, restaurant areas at the ski area, restaurants and shops in the village).  

We ate at night at :
La Potiniere, which although listed on TripAdvisor 28 out of 30 restaurants in Font Romeu, we thought was excellent.  This is our review on Trip Advisor :
We found this restaurant by chance but what a great find ! The owners / staff were very helpful and friendly and the atmosphere / decor of the place very welcoming. We chose the mixed meat platter that you cook at the table... massive portion and excellent quality. We couldn't fit in a desert so settled for coffee. House red was excellent as well. Thoroughly recommended.
and
Le Cellier which did pretty good pizza and tarte a flette.

In summary a really good trip and a good option for anyone going to Villa Failte, Argeles Sur Mer in the Winter.

For general information see here.

From Villa Failte you will be using the yellow and red lines (broadly the same line just opposite directions ).  Walk for 15 minutes to Place de Gambetta, which is the square in the centre of Argeles Village where the small Carrefour is located.  The stop is just beyond the far corner of the square.  One side goes towards the port and beaches (yellow line ... you will see a yellow circle on the sign at the trainbus stop) and the other side is for the returning trainbus (red line ... red circle on the sign).  The cost for the journey (wherever you are going) is 2.5 Euros each way.  Payment can be made once on the trainbus (directly to "conductor") or in advance by purchasing book of tickets from the kiosks at the Centre Plage.

If going to the Port or beaches from Villa Failte then get the bus from the stop on the right hand side of the road with the yellow circle.

We took the trainbus in the evening when going to the Port for dinner.  There are scheduled times for the trainbus stops (see the trainbus schedules available from Tourist Offices, the sales kiosk, online, etc).  Broadly speaking during peak season every 20/30 mins and running late into the night.

If leaving the Port to return to Villa Failte the stop is found by turning left when leaving the Port and following the path / road round to the right of the roundabout.  The stop (red circle as you will be going on the red line) is about 100 yards further on on the right hand side (there is an Estate Agents / Immobilier just across the road).

Worth doing at least once during your trip ... if only for the experience !  PS, the picture below was taken very early in the season ... in July / August the trainbus is much busier !!!

Located on the quayside of Argeles Port is Navisud who rent out small motor boats for a few hours, half day or full day.

All of the boats require that you have a RYA international certificate of competence ... with the exception of the Bombard Explorer DB420, which is a 13ft / 4.25m dingy (the black one with the canopy below).

We (5 people with mix of adults and teenagers ... probably maximum capacity) hired this for 2 hours which was ample to travel along the coast to Collioure and Port Vendre Harbours and back.  A great way to see the coastline and to sample "the open seas" !  Lifejackets, etc are provided and the boat even has steps if you want to go for a swim during the trip.  Very easy to steer and operate, even with no experience.

Total cost was 70 Euros for the boat.  To rent, take a wander down to the Port where on most days the there is someone there to speak to ... it was always the same person whilst we were there this August and he spoke excellent English.

​Next time we will take one of the larger boats ... in the meantime I am taking the RYA course back in the UK !!!

Peche En Mer is run by a very experience boat captain from Argeles Port.

There were 3 of us and we were joined by 4 others on the trip which was booked direct with the captain by phoning (0033) 680231369.  His English isn't great but you can get by with poor French !!  There is a sign at the Port, where the boat leaves from, that says when the next trips are (see photo below).  We booked on the Saturday for a trip on the Monday.  Left at 0730 and returned about 1200.

Standard boat fishing using prawns, sardines and the likes for bait with each person (to max of about 8) having their own rod.  The boat has sonar for detecting fish shoals which is good.  Unfortunately, on our trip each person only caught a few fish, all relatively small ... we were warned before we left that might be the case though due to the sea conditions that day.

Was still very enjoyable and superb views along the coast from Argeles to Collioure to Port Vendres and Banyuls Sur Mer.  See selection of pictures below.

​

Just back from a 2 week holiday at Villa Failte.  Decided to go for a days rafting and chose to book with Oxygen Aventure (www.oxygen-aventure.com) since they had good reviews on Trip Advisor and spoke English !  They have a few videos on the site as well.

Would highly recommend.  We (5 of us) chose the "Rafting Integral" which combines both their other rafting trips "Rafting Famille" and "Rafting Sportif" ... in other words partly relatively calm river conditions and partly exciting rapids.  The cost for 2.5 hours in the water (with an additional hour for induction, etc) was 45 Euros per person.  Booking can be done online ... e-mail Oxygen and they are pretty quick at responding with booking form etc.  Minimum group size is 6 so if you have fewer (we had 5) you could be joined by others on arrival (we had a Frenchman and his young son with us).  It is possible to book for morning or afternoon ... a godsend if you have teenagers that you need to get out of bed !!!

The start point is Belvianes Cavirac, just before St Quillan, which is about 1 hr 40 mins drive from Villa Failte.  The drive is absolutely stunning !  After Perpignan the route takes you through fabulous  mountain scenery, including rivers, gorges and beautiful French villages such as Maury and St Paul de Fenouilledes.  The route follows the route of the Little Red Train, crossing the line on several occasions.

The rafting itself was fantastic ... the wetsuits, booties, helmets and lifejackets were all in excellent condition as was the raft itself.  Our instructor spoke both French and English.  After a comprehensive induction we were quickly on the river and very quickly on light rapids !!!  A few of us did fall out a few times but it was very clear what was to be done and was very much part of the fun.  Before doing the "hairy" section we all had to demonstrate that we could swim across fast flowing water ... at this point we were given the choice of missing the section to join the raft at a later stage.  But to be honest the "hairy section" wasn't too bad ... if anything we felt that passed too quickly but we all had to row quite hard and follow the instructor's instructions !!!!

A few of us chose to float down the light rapids on the final stage.

The trip was primarily on the River Aude and through the Gorge St George and the Gorge Pierre Lys.  Definitely recommended.

The company also does canyoning, hydrospeed (down rapids holding onto floats), caving and climbing ... full information is on their website (see link above).  There are other companies doing very similar in the area and we saw a few ... they looked good as well.

Some pictures from our walk from Racou Beach to Collioure.  We parked at the Racou Beach car park and walked both ways ... with a nice meal overlooking the harbour at Collioure in between of course !

We had read about this on several occasions and really fancied giving it a go ... so in April, during a short visit to Villa Failte we took the plunge and went along to the Canyoning Park (website link).  This was the 1st week it was open in 2015 so was relatively quiet ... we turned up without booking and got on just after a group that was nearly finished.

"We" were Stewart (48), Donna (42) and Jake (14).  On arrival we were greeted and kitted out in wet suits, helmets and safety harnesses, followed by a short safety talk and demonstration.  So far so good !!  Our instructor spoke decent English as well.

The course basically consists of a series of about 12 jumps / slides / abseils of varying height and difficulty ... ending with a zip wire into a plunge pool to finish the course.  The course is designed around an artifical mountain / canyon range with fresh water pools and waterfalls throughout.  

The highest jump into a deep pool was about 10m / 30 feet ... which when you are up there looks a LONG way down !!!  But the exhilaration once you have jumped is great !!  You can opt out of any of the activities if you wish and if the group would like an easier route they will also accommodate this.  The scariest bit for me was an abseil down a waterfall where you had to move sideways with the water crashing over you before dropping into the pool below.  For Donna it was jumping from height !

At the end we all completed every activity, in some cases doing more than once ... not bad for a couple of old duffers !!!  We all enjoyed it and especially Jake.

All in the course took about 1hr 45mins.

Highly recommended if you fancy something different during your vacation !

Had a great day on Wednesday at the water park in St Cyprien.  There is a good selection of rides for all ages and the park is clean and well run.  Food options are pretty standard for a water park but the quality is not bad.  Remember to bring your own towels ... you can either use them to sit on or rent sunbeds for approx 3Euro each when there.

Easy to get to from Villa Failte and Argeles Sur Mer, the park is well signposted on the road into St Cyprien.