A great success far away from the main tourist buzz

Martin and Sharon Eidemak talk about how they promote their unusual property in the hills of the Haut Languedoc. | Wild Boar Mountain - BED101

Martin Eidemak’s rural retreat is an eclectic collection of little houses hidden in the hills just outside Bédarieux. Located far from the madding crowd and quite different to the usual run of seaside villas, Wild Boar Mountain is the sort of place you would want to stay if you have ever hankered for a cabin in the woods, or a hut on the beach, or even a refuge up a mountain. Secluded, peaceful, back to nature but, thank goodness!, blessed with all mod cons and the most amazing saltwater pool you are likely to encounter this side of Disneyland.

It was Martin’s parents who discovered the 2 hectare plot of land for sale. They knew the region well and loved it and were enthusiastic for Martin and Sharon to put down roots in the area. There was already a small house on the land and Martin put in for planning permission to convert it and build three further small dwellings, including a tree house.

Getting the permission was actually quite straightforward. He enlisted the help of the architect who designed his fabulous pool and together they saw the project through. Martin wasn’t in a rush to get the planning permit so the potential stress of such an application was greatly reduced. In fact, the Mairie might have had their own reasons for approving the application as the trade-off is that the emergency services can use the water in case of fire. A pipeline was constructed out to the road so the ‘pompiers’ would have easy access to a large quantity of saline water for their fire appliances. Surely a win-win situation for all parties.

Everything that the Eidemaks have done has been sympathetic to the surrounding environment. You don’t have to be an Eco-Warrior to stay at Wild Boar Mountain – the houses are fully plumbed in, after all – but they are very in keeping with the environment and use only natural well water. The Shepherd’s Hut is an original old stone ‘chapitel’ with the most basic of furniture but delightful in its authenticity. The occasional enthusiast comes to view it as it is one of the best preserved in the area. The Tree House is a log cabin set amongst the pines and oaks of the Mediterranean garrigue that blends in so well it is almost invisible. Both these dwellings have no bathroom or kitchen but would make an ideal spot to park the teenagers or even Grandma and Grandpa when a multi-generational family is staying.

In fact, the Eidemaks originally intended Wild Boar Mountain to be purely for family use but soon realised that since they couldn’t be there as much as they would like they might as well turn the property into a revenue source. Martin goes back and forth to France quite a lot especially while the building work was going on but the family only get to stay about 6 weeks a year.

There’s already some interest in Wild Boar Mountain for next summer and Martin gets enquiries through both South France Holiday Villas and social media. He works as a photographer in one of the most exciting studio venues in London – you may well have seen some of his work already. Ever wondered how they produce some of those amazing effects in food and drink adverts? Martin may well be the genius behind the shot. He already has an event planned at the studios solely to promote Wild Boar and is even considering producing some merchandising as gifts for potential, current and past clients. This will be a very interesting exercise in how to promote a property to its full potential and add extra value; it might even inspire other owners in how to promote their own properties as well.