Close to the House
Clos St Benoit is situated within the Borough of Elne, which is a medieval town and was the capital of the area before Perpignan. Elne has ramparts and a monastery, its not touristy and has a weekly market as well as a couple of medium sized supermarkets, pharmacies, banks etc. The house is on the outskirts of the town in an agricultural area it is also sitiuated about 1km from the village of Corneilla del Vercol. This is a typical Catalan village, many of the villagers speak catalan as well as French, there is a Boulangerie, general store, post office “Stella Artois” bar, church, pharmacy and, best of all, a chateau selling their own (award winning) wines. The chateau offers tastings and you can buy by the container or bottle, red, white and rose, together with the local Rivesaltes fortified wines.

Further Afield
The house is situated with very close access to the main road that runs from Perpignan, right through the coastal towns and resorts, and which links to the auto route to Spain (about 25km from the house). Perpignan is the nearest city, about 10mins from the house. There are lots of places of historical and cultural interest, as well as large shopping areas, restaurants and the Hypermarkets of Auchan and Leclerc.

Beyond Perpignan to the north and west are Carcassonne, 1hr 15mins, Nimes, Narbonne and the many mountain towns and villages including Villefranche, Prades etc. Also of course are the Pyrenees themselves, with the peak of Canigou, the spiritual mountain of the Catalans.

To the East of Perpignan, the coastal stretch of the Cote Vermeille begins with Canet, the large seaside resort of Perpignan, huge white sand beaches, restaurants, bars and a midnight market and funfair during the summer months. Between Canet and the next resort, St Cyprien, is a lagoon with flamingos etc. St Cyprien is very cosmopolitan, with a golf course, marina, casino and some very good restaurants. There is also crazy golf and a large water park . Both Canet and St Cyprien are about 10 mins drive from the house.

Further south along the coast, about 15 mins drive is the large seaside resort of Argeles Sur Mer, and its main town of Argeles Ville. The resort is very busy in summer, with long stretches of beach with childrens’ activities, restaurants, bars, shops, a small marina, crazy golf, craft markets, fun fairs, horse riding, a land train - you name it… The ville is a large Catalan town with market, shops, banks etc.

The Cote Vermeille continues right through to the Spanish border (Porbou, Dali’s home), and includes other resorts and towns such as Port Vendres and Banyuls Sur Mer, but the main village is Collioure. This is the coasts’ jewel in the crown, is absolutely beautiful and unmissable and was the inspiration for many artists such as Matisse, Dufy and Picasso. It is still an artists’ town today, with lots of galleries and street painters.

Nearer to the Spanish border are the hillside villages, including Ceret, where Picasso had a house and the duty free town of Perthuis – not picturesque, but where to get a bargain! Across the border is Roses on the coast, Cadaques and Portbou – Salvador Dali’s hangouts, Figueras with a mini Ramblas and the amazing Dali Museum, and two hours down the Auto route is Barcelona.