LE CHAI

The history of Cognac: The Cognac area was colonised by the Romans for some 800 years and any town or village with the letters 'ac' at the end or it's name was originally a roman villa (hence names like Cognac, Mesnac, Jarnac etc). The Romans introduced vines and viticulture into the region and so initiated the development of the world-famous drink of Cognac. Nowadays Cognac production is a thriving industry and we have the likes of Hennessy, Courvoisier and Martell almost on our doorsteps. We recommend that you have a conducted tour (and tasting!) of at least one Cognac distillery while you are staying with us.

There are also literally hundreds and hundreds of small family-run Cognac producers in the Charente and we have a close tie with the Chateau Chesnel which produces Cognac and Pineau (a local aperitif based on Cognac) under the family name of Roffignac. There was an intermarriage between the Chesnel and Chazotte families back in the middle ages so it makes for a particularly interesting local visit.

Water sports: The West coast of France boasts some of the finest sandy beaches in Europe. The mill is located only an hour from Royan where you can combine a day basking on the beach with a superb meal at one of many fresh-fish restaurants. At St. Georges de Didonne (next to Royan) is a magnificent sheltered and sandy beach which is perfect for younger kids. There is now also a pretty hair-raising tree rope-walking centre! For the more confident swimmer you can drive just a few miles along the coast from Royan to the Côte Sauvage and indulge in some surfing or body-boarding in the perfect Atlantic waves. Closer to home, and possibly for a cloudy day, we have water activity centres at St. Jean d'Angély, Angouleme and Jonzac. Even closer still (7 minutes by car!) is a recreation lake at Thors where you can hire pedalos or enjoy swimming in the lake before enjoying a good and very reasonably priced meal at the restaurant by the lake. Of course you can always go for a swim in the pool right here too!

Holidays for Mums (and Dads!) as well as the kids: For busy Mums a break from the routine of cooking and cleaning can be crucial. So, we provide well-equipped kitchens and a BBQ to encourage the dads to grab the apron while mum chills out with a book by the pool or on the terrace with a glass of wine. Superb fresh produce from local markets suddenly also makes cooking exciting again. Of course with such a wealth of restaurants, in theory, you needn't cook a single meal during your entire stay here! We often have a group BBq for all our guests at the back of the mill too.

As for the children well, we have one very important asset here...11 acres of space with a river! We have bikes for exploring, we have a large Canadian canoe for a paddling adventure right from the millpond. We have badminton and swings in the shade of the wood. We have a stunning saltwater pool (larger than average at 6m x 12m) - floodlit, heated and securely fenced. We have table-tennis and table-football in the barn and a 7 acre field for rounders and cricket.