Review of le Verger, Grolejac.

My husband and I decided that it would be good to go away for Christmas and to meet up with my sister and her family in France. We hadn't done anything like this before, so were a little apprehensive, but all worked out very well indeed. The house was charming, and welcoming, with lovely Christmas decorations and wine waiting for us on our arrival, which we enjoyed in front of a roaring log fire.

The surrounding countryside is beautiful - very peaceful, but close to some picturesque towns. We particulary enjoyed our visits to Sarlat, where we were able to do some last minute shopping at the Christmas market, and even went ice-skating.

Gareth and Lila were very welcoming, and gave us good tips about local restaurants, and where to visit in the area.

The weather was particularly kind to us - with warm sunshine during the day, and chilly clear nights. Boxing Day came with the bonus of a snowfall - so we were even able to indulge in some snowball fights.

All in all a great success.

Dear Lila & Gareth
Just read through my previous review for first time. I really didn't mean to sound negative although it does come across that way. The house was absolutely perfect, the location was perfect. We could not have chosen a better place (I spent an awfully long time researching on the net prior to booking as well). We loved our stay and so did the children - so much to explore. We would, without hesitation, highly recommend Le Verger to anyone.

This has been our second visit to Le Verger and it gets better every time. Lila and Gareth have added a table tennis and mountains bikes since our last visit which was greatly appreciated by our children, especially by teenagers who seemed to play ' ping pong' all day.
We have visited the Dordogne many times before and all agree that this is the best house and location we have found so far. Lila and Gareth are renovating the small house next to Le Verger which we are very interested in, as we would like to bring our parents next time.
Last time we came in mid summer and had pretty much constant sunshine for two weeks, so lots of BBQ's by the pool, swimming and sunbathing as well as sightseeing, when it was not too hot.
This time we came in spring, and how glorious it was ! If you like nature and peace and quiet you will love Le Verger. It's hard to find a house like this, in such a perfect setting. With the exception of Lila and Gareth's house at the bottom of the hill, you have total seclusion, with a fantastic view.
One evening a hot air balloon virtually landed in the garden, which was very special. We also enjoyed picking the cherries off the trees, forest walks, visiting the animals in the farm just down the road, and watching the swallows drinking from the pool in early evenings.
It is a brilliant spot for exploring, as it is close to many of the great sites of the region as well as family activities. We loved the sandy beach of the Grolejac lake, for a change, and our kids loved the tree climbing near Carsac. Domme and Sarlat were great to visit and eat out. Our favorite restaurant in Sarlat was ' Les Delices de Lauralice'. Fantastic food but don't go for the cheapest menu. Beynac, Castelnaud canoeing down the Dordogne are all musts.
Lila and Gareth were extremely pleasant and helpful and really made us feel very welcome. It was great to have someone at hand for advice and suggestions and when our youngest developed a fever mid stay they were on hand with an assortment of medication and remedies.
All in all, I can't recommend Le Verger enough. So all being well, see you again soon with even more of the clan.
Thank you,
Myriam

Mum, Dad, 5 Children and Nanny arrived at Le Verger after an easy journey from Southampton to Bergerac. A delightful house, perfect for our four boys 11, 9, 7 and 4 and our little girl aged 2. We had beautiful weather every day and enjoyed all that the area had to offer, kayaking, local markets, Rocamadour, Sarlat and especially Domme. The house was clean and everything was easy to work out. We were 8 people and another year we would definitely want the adjoining cottage (which wasn't available this year) as our eldest boys didn't like sleeping in the room next to the sitting room. The garden is fabulous and much time was spent playing rugby and table tennis. Evenings were spent on the terrace, using the bbq. The pool was fabulous and used all the time. We loved the Dordogne and ate at some fun places. We particularly liked Domme and the market in Sarlat was wonderful. We will definitely be returning one year. The owners are now living next door which must be a bonus, they moved out the week after we got there. We would highly recommend a holiday in Le Verger.

Our first visit to rural France, we shared Le Verger with another family of friends in late Sept08. The weather was fantastic, only 2 hours of rain in 2 weeks. Sept is a great month to visit as most of the attractions are still open but much quieter. We used Toulouse airport which is only 2hrs by car, and a very easy drive, our friends used Bergerac.
The house is fantastic and we settled in very quickly. Garath & Lila live very close and are extremely friendly and helpful. Le Verger offers great facilities to have lazy days by the pool and around it's large garden, excellent for the 5 kids who ranged from 3 to 14 yrs old, the table tennis was probably the most popular. We mixed eating out with several evenings eating in, around the large dinning table with the log fire burning in the background.
There are several supermarkets close by, we found the ones in Gourdon best for most things, however, the local boulangerie in Groeljac is excellent. Options for eating out range from the Hotel du Pont in Groeljac which was excellent value to many options in Sarlat & Domme. We found the Brasserie Entrecôte, in the Place de la Libertie in Sarlat an excellent experience.
Beynac Castle is well worth a visit and this could be combined with a trip down the river by canoe/kayak. The villages around this area, Cenac, La Roque-Gageac, Beynac, Vezac and St-Cyprien are all very picturesque.
If you are arriving late, or especially on a Saturday evening, I would recommend that you try to pick up some basic groceries on the way as many shops are closed on Sundays.
A thoroughly peaceful holiday, with lots to do close by if you wish. GREAT RED WINE!