Périgord Noir, near Sarlat, house in a park, stunning view over river Dordogne

We were delighted with Cantegrel. The house is perched high above the Dordogne River in the village of Bezenac. Bezenac is off the tourist trail but provides ready access to many of the principal sights of the Dordogne Valley. There are also walks direct from the house and we cycled on quiet paths and roads on a couple of days. The house is very well equipped with good quality cookware which enabled us to cook some lovely meals with produce from the local markets. Helene, the owner, could not have been more helpful. Michael and Fiona, Australia

We visited the Dordogne in November with a view to buying a property of our own.

We were attracted to Cantegral by the huge selection of pictures available on-line, giving a really good idea of what the property had to offer.

The two properties are set high up in the hills with a great view of the Dordogne and valley around St Cyprien. As we were very fortunate with the weather, we were able to sit out on the terrace and enjoy the views and sunsets over the valley on several afternoons. I can only imagine how much better it will be in the summer season, enjoying a glass of wine over dinner with those great views.

Despite arriving quite late one evening, we received a warm welcome from the owners who had set a roaring fire in the hearth and ensured the heating was up and running. The main house offers a living area with good facilities, a huge master bedroom and plenty of accommodation for another 4 people on the next level. There is also a separate house just a few steps away for added privacy or extra guests. Everything was very clean, tidy and in good order, which meant we could simply get on and enjoy the stay.

For me, this was a wonderful base from which to tour around the Perigord Noir region –close to many places of interest but away from the main tourist areas. It also had the added attraction of some wonderful books written by the owner, including an excellent book on the history of the area, which I just had to buy!

I’d strongly recommend it as a great place to stay, with very friendly, helpful owners and an amazing location.

Our visit? Typified by peace and sunshine + good food and wine at the farmhouse ( yes, we cooked and BBQ'd most days at home and the facilities are excellent) + the beauty ( and cuisine) of the surrounding area and the lovely local town - great market.

The view from the cottages over the Dordogne are worth the rent on their own. If you like nightlife, other than restaurants, this is not for you. If you like looking at stars, talking and drinking good French wine, it is.

And walking locally? Really good and straight from the farmhouse - take a proper map so you know where you are going and you will find a cold beer at the end of your walk if you plan where you are going. If you end up in the local town and have a few then the taxi home is around 12 euro.

And for the English out there, don't believe anything you hear about French people - everyone was friendly and accomodating.

We have been twice, and we will go again!

My husband & I stayed at Cantegrel for 6 months and throughly enjoyed it. The house certainly had every amenitie for that length of stay and Helene, the owner made sure that the property was clean and tidy for when we arrived and also throughout our stay. The views from the the bedroom window of the Dordorgne river were spectacular and the grounds of the two houses were fantastic for our dog and two cats as we had taken these with us. Our dog had never had so much freedom before and in fact was very reluctant to leave. The surrounding area, villages and local town, Sarlat were picture postcard material and the food market on a Saturday morning in Sarlat is a definate must. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But if I could go back tomorrow I most certainly would and I think our dog would be hot on my heals! Whether you require peace and quiet or more of an active holiday, walking, canoing, historic castles, sightseeing galore or just sampling the famous French cusine than this is the place for you! However I would recomend a car as most amenties eg restaurants, bars, castles etc are a short drive away.

Wir hatten eine super schöne und erholsame Woche in diesen gemütlichen Haus.