The Wonderful Dordognes
Submitted: May 15, 2013
Stayed: April 2013
My wife and I spent two weeks at the Butterfly Cottage and fell in love with the area and the owners, Linda & George. We have traveled to Europe many times (over 20 times) and our two weeks at this cottage, in the Dordogne River Valley, is probably the most interesting and enchanting place we have ever stayed. Linda & George are two expats who sold their businesses in Florida and moved permanently to France for a better life. They could not be more helpful or friendly. Every couple of days George showed up at our door with a handful of fresh eggs laid the day/night before by their pet chickens and Linda is a fountain of information when it comes to sites in the area. We took day trips nearly every day for two weeks and seldom drove more than 30 minutes from the cottage. There are everything from ancient cave paintings (17,000 years old) to charming medieval castles all within minutes of the cottage.
The cottage is in a very rural setting so if you are looking for "nightlife" you had better like cows. If you, however, want a true escape and to see how the French people really live outside of cities like Paris, you will enjoy the Butterfly Cottage as much as we did. The charming town of Sarlat is only a 20 minute car ride and it provides all kinds of upscale shops and restaurants. A French chef named, Dimitri, will come to the cottage and prepare a meal of your choosing for 50 euros a piece. It may sound pricey but it will be the highlight of your stay and he prepares enough for a second meal of left overs if you can show enough restraint not to eat it all right on the spot! Linda will arrange this for you at your request.
My one caution is that the bedroom is upstairs via a fairly steep set of stairs so if you have any physical limitations it may not be the place for you.
Recommended for:
Age 55+,
Adventure Seekers,
Girls Getaway,
Sightseeing,
Families with Teenagers,
Families with Young Children,
Romantic Getaway
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