Sleeps | 5 |
Bedrooms | 2 |
Bathrooms | 1 |
Property type | barn |
Minimum Stay | 2 - 7 nights |
Accommodates up to 5 guests, in a master bedroom, 2nd Bedroom and mezzanine area.
5m x 10m heated pool
The master bedroom has double height ceilings with exposed wooden beams and period furniture.
A separate staircase leads to the mezzanine with a single bed. Also pull out sofa in lounge. 2nd Bedroom leads off the Kitchen
The open plan living space with double height ceiling contains a fitted kitchen together with dining and comfortable lounge area with wood burning stove. Kitchen appliances include washing machine, gas stove, microwave, fridge/freezer, kettle , toaster
UK Satellite TV and DVD player in lounge area.
All bed linen and towels provided. Pool towels provided on request
The contemporary shower room is fully tiled with walk in power shower.
Stairs from this room lead to the private rear garden / patio mainly lawned with mature trees.
Outside BBQ and dining area.Holidays at Le Guichard have a lot to offer whether planning an active holiday or whether you just want to soak up the peaceful atmosphere here while relaxing by the lovely heated pool. It's a great location for family and friends or couples alike. Papillon is set within 9 acres of grounds inc mature gardens, pastureland and it's own woodland, which includes a Zip Wire ride within the trees that is surrounded by beautiful countryside. Comfortable furnishings are blended with modern, updated facilities. A light and spacious barn conversion has oak beams and exposed stone walls with fire place and woodburner. Perfect for a romantic retreat. Papillon is ideally situated if you are interested in walking, cycling, canoeing, historical architecture or wandering around the many local markets or if you just want to unwind and relax by the lovely heated pool and enjoy good food and wine. There is also a café / restaurant just 2 miles away. A lovely walk through the woods takes you into to the village or a 5 min cycle ride. We also have many outdoor games to occupy the children such as a zip wire ride in our woods for the kids,trampolin, table tennis, table football, pool table, dart board, and indoor toys and books for the children. Plenty to keep them occupied. High chair and cot also available.
We only accept weekly bookings during June/ July / Aug
Lizette and her husband Craig bought Le Guichard in June 2013, after having owned a successful holiday rental property in Devon, they were looking to continue in the holiday lettings business, but in a warmer climate. They now live here permanently with their 3 horses and 2 terriers. We fell in love with the peacefulness and tranquility of it's surroundings and the beautiful countryside. We were also looking for a property that would not only provide our guests with a high standard of accommodation, but could also offer plenty of local activities and Le Guichard has it all.
Lizette Coney purchased this barn in 2013
On first visiting this area of France we immediately fell in love with it. It's location makes it very accessible from the UK & many parts of Europe. The area is a wonderful mix of rolling hills, winding rivers & extensive countryside views. It is a great spot to explore the many varied historic & cultural sites including a range of caves, chateaux, vineyards & pretty villages. Our property is in the countryside which provides a haven of tranquility ideal for relaxation & yet is close to many towns such as Brantome and Riberac with it's shops, cafes, bars & restaurants including the famous Friday market. The area offers a mix of outdoor pursuits and quiet lazy days wondering through historic picture postcard villages. This is a great holiday destination for either families or couples.
In this area of the Dordogne there is an abundance of outdoor pursuits and plenty of tracks leading straight from the property, for cycling, walking and horse riding or fishing in the local rivers. Nearby golf courses and many local markets and festivals. Or take a canoe trip down the river or meander around the colourful markets or the pretty villages. There is also the nearby leisure lake at La Jameye with a man made beach.
Our holiday homes are detached properties sitting in their own private gardens and of course there is the pool, with all pool furniture provided for our guests comfort and enjoyment. There is also our own Zip Wire ride ( see photos ) built in our own woods for the kids to enjoy.
We had a great time at grande brassac in le tournesol cottage. The cottage was more spacious than the photos suggest, clean comfortable and well equipped with very comfortable beds. the kids bedroom has some low beams but there was so much to do they literally only used it for crashing out in the evening. There was a lovely covered outdoor eating area where we had most of our meals. However the best thing about the stay for us was the amount of stuff for the kids. We borrowed the 5 bikes (our youngest is 10) on a couple of evenings and there are gems of little villages within a 10 mile loop. As well as this there's a pool table badminton kit table tennis and a good sized pool as well as the zip wire so our kids loved it. The other two cottages were occupied as well when we were there but no issues at all with noise etc. Lizette was a great host and provided a really appreciated welcome basket. It is out in the country so don't expect to be able to walk to a restaurant/boulangerie etc but there are plenty supermarkets etc within a 15 min drive. Brantome and it's Friday market is well worth a visit and for beginners like us allo canoes is not to be passed up. Further afield we visited sarlat and Bordeaux neither of which felt that far on the quiet French roads. As you may have picked up by now we loved it.
Easy to find a few km from Great Brassac. Cosy and as season changing (late Oct 16)the property featured a lovely log burner to keep off the chill. Loved the welcome pack which was a nice surprise and very helpful as arrived on a sunday when all shops shut. Yummy homemade cherry jam quickly got used. Owner very helpful and gave us lots of ideas of local places to visit. We were house hunting so didn't spend that much time sightseeing but did visit Brantome which was is a must.
This property has British TV which was great to catch up on the news etc. Would highly recommend this property.
We booked the accommodation quite late, having tried to book a couple of other places a bit further south and then having to wait almost a whole day for e-mail replies. This however was different Lizette the owner replied back in 30 mins confirming booking request and provided contact details for any queries.
We arrived at the property on the Saturday and she was on hand straight away to welcome us, explain how everything worked, talked through all the facilities etc. The property itself was clean, well maintained, and even better than the description on the website! The 2 bedrooms were much bigger than they looked online and were well furnished with loads of hangers (not always the case) the kitchen / lounge /diner was well laid out, a flat screen TV, DVD player and CD system were all provided. The mezzanine bedroom (off the lounge) would be great for a small child, although our 10 year olds used it as a reading room! and the private garden was larger than it looked in the pictures, at the rear of the property so nice and quiet with views over neighbouring fields. Also as the house was built into a slope parts of the rooms are beneath ground level meant it was nice and cool even with 36 degree temperatures.
Lizette thoughtfully provided a welcome pack of bread, homemade jam and wine. there were plenty of bikes to borrow (and helmets), the pool and surrounding area was great, plenty of sunbeds for all as well as seating areas to read a book and umbrellas for shade. Also a number of inflatables for the pool were thoughtfully available. the Zipwire was great fun - Craig provided instruction on the Sunday how to use it and our girls were on it practically every day. They also loved the dog Jacko the 2 cats and the 3 horses. A comprehensive visitor guide to the area had been created by Lizette and she was happy to help with restaurant bookings etc. and provide any advice.
Although in a lovely quiet area the place is well located for many local attractions, Brantome, Aubeterre, Riberac etc. all within about 30 mins drive on lovely quiet roads.
Overall a great property run by someone who puts effort into providing a quality experience. I normally always mention at least something that can be improved, had to rack my brains but the only thing I could think of was bigger wine glasses, the 175ml ones meant going down into the kitchen to get the white out of the fridge more frequent!
Had a great time and hope to return in the future
We have recently returned from a 2 week stay at Le Guichard and had a fabulous time. We have two boys aged 9 and 6 and there was plenty to keep them occupied whether it was making the most of the zip wire, archery or pool table but mostly splashing around in the pool with the friends that they'd made with families staying at the other 2 properties.
We stayed in Papillon and found the accommodation very charming, decorated in a typically French gite style. The bedrooms and private garden are a great size although next time I might be tempted to book one of the others (which I also had a sneaky peak around in) as the living space and kitchens were larger.
The local area is truly stunning with fields and fields of sunflowers all around you and the rural location makes it a great spot for star-gazing and woodland walks. I would also highly recommend trips to Lisle, Lac Jamaye and Brantome, well worth the drive (sat-nav essential!)
As everyone else has also mentioned Lizette is a wonderful host, really welcoming and a great source of useful local insights. Thanks for welcoming us into your home - we hope to see you again!
Our second time at Papillon. Lizette was charming and helpful as ever. The property is well laid out in a lovely location. Well maintained and presented in a clean tidy condition. Pool is a good size. Nice mountain bikes available to explore the region - lots of walks too. Good selection of auberge and restaurants within reasonable distance - some in cycling range. We would recommend it and hope to return for a third time.
Our arrival was delayed due to a flight diversion of 6 hours. We arrived at Papillon just before midnight on a very cold night, really expecting the key to be in the door. But there was Lizette who had our log burner blasting out the heat, a super welcome pack of goodies which were delicious and thoroughly enjoyed. An extra treat was the day before the six nations rugby started they replaced the TV with a new wide screen version! Lizette is a great hostess with an abundance of local knowledge. The gite is in a very peaceful area and has everything we required. Well recommended
Special interest holidays:
Cycling holidays, fully catered. Various routes to suit all abilities.
Please contact owner for more information and prices
Coast/Beach:
There is a very good sandy beach at La Jemaye lake (20 mins drive) this is set in a natural habitat within woodlands. In the summer life guards are on duty and there are specially supervised swimming areas. other facilities include, picnic benches, pedalos and cafes. Local man made beach at Lisle (10 mins) away also with life guard, river slide, diving board. The famous coastal resort of La Rochelle is worth a visit (2 hours plus drive) but a very vibrant and colourful place.
Travel:
Nearest airport at Bergerac 70 mins drive; flights from Edinburgh, Stanstead, Luton, Bristol, East Midlands, Liverpool. Bordeaux airport 110 mins. Calais (ferry and eurotunnel) approx 8 hours drive. Newhaven (ferry) to Dieppe approx 6 hours drive. Angoloume (TGV) about 45 mins drive. As this is a country location car is essential.
Distances:
Grand Brassac 2km. St Victor and Montagrier 4km (both have great Auberges). Vertilliac 11km (10 min drive) shops, cafes, post office, banks. Riberac 15km (15 min drive) Friday market, shops, cafes, restaurants, banks. Bourdeilles 15 mins drive 13th C fortresss and 16th C renaissance palace. Beautiful Brantome 25 mins drive - set on the banks of the Dordogne, with 18th C abbey, caves and shops. Perigeux with it's cobbled shopping streets is 30min. Sarlat, and Rocamadour all approx 2 hours.
Further Details:
Local shops open 8am-12 noon then 2pm-7pm. Large supermarkets open all day. Supermarket open on a Sunday morning at Tocane until 12.30pm. Local markets a great source of local produce and wines. Large selection of restaurants for family dining or a special occasion. Lunchtime menus offer very good value and great home cooking. Over the summer months many villages have their own repas or fetes and everyone is made very welcome, this is a great way to meet local people.
Fees | No additional mandatory fees |
Refundable damage deposit | $418 |