Mar 05 2010
The Best of Loire Valley Breaks?
Our French gite is intended to be one of the best Loire valley breaks you can find. Quite a challenge we are setting ourselves then!
We have stayed in quite a few gites in France, from the delightful to the dreadful, and we think we have a good idea of what makes a good one. It isn’t all about being the most luxurious – although comfort is obviously a priority – it’s the whole feeling of the place, from the moment you arrive.
The chateau at Chambord is under an hour away.
If you are looking for a gite that is set in peaceful countryside then that’s precisely what you will find here. We’re at the end of a short lane and there’s nothing beyond us but fields. Behind us is a partly wooded slope, in front of us are open fields which are often full of sunflowers. It’s the kind of gently undulating countryside that the Loire valley is famous for.
The house itself is what’s called a longerre. Built a couple of hundred years ago it started as a simple French farmhouse which was lengthened each time they needed more space. Today it’s got quite long, ending with a big barn and then what is now the pottery.
The gite itself will have three double bedrooms (two of which can be twin or double depending on what people want). There will be two bathrooms, one of which will be en-suite and the other a big family room with bath and shower. There will be a large kitchen with dining area and a nice big separate lounge. There will be a log burning stove in the main lounge and central heating throughout to keep visitors nice and warm in winter. It will retain many of the lovely period features like the beamed ceilings throughout.
Outside there is a large garden. There is a lawned area, some trees and plenty of places for children to explore and play. We won’t be precious about the lawn – whether you play football on it or sleep on it is up to you! There will be a dining area out here too where you can have lazy summer lunches or sit in the evening with a glass of something and watch the sun go down.
We’ll always make sure that there is plenty of information available about things to do in the area, including of course those delightful French restaurants and details of some of the vineyards that also make the Loire valley famous.
In fact we want people’s Loire valley breaks to be as special as we can. If there’s something you can think of that you would like to see or do we will always try to arrange that for you. All you need to do is ask.
