France, Les Chauses - www.francecottage.com

We spent a glorious two weeks at this lovely property. We were a party of five, ages ranging from 46 to 81, plus our Old English Sheepdog! The grounds are amazing, you truly feel you are in the middle of a woodland and very private. The pool is very well maintaned and the cleanest we have encounted but a little on the

chilly side! A pool cover would be a good idea to keep in a few degrees of the daytime heat.

The property is very comfortable, plenty of space for everyone and had everything we needed to make our stay relaxed and easy. The stairs are very easy to negotiate as in some properties we have found a bit of a challenge! I agree, the bathroom could do with a bit of a makeover but everything takes time and with the wonderful weather you didn't want to linger too long.

We enjoyed bbq's, sipping wine and listening to the woodpeckers and the bats and owls in the evening....heaven.

The drive into Bourdeilles and Brantome is very easy from the property. Most evenings were spent at the Cafe de Halle in Bourdeilles, our favourite watering hole!! A new restaurant for us this year was L'Authentique. Wonderfully friendly and fantastic food at very good prices, a must. As it was our wedding anniversary while away we returned to the Le Chabronnel Restaurant in Brantome for a treat. The most wonderful food and service and good value for such cuisine, although you do need to starve yourself all day to get through the courses!!!

We also enjoyed visiting the many pretty villages in the area. The bar in Paussac was a real joy, again so friendly and welcoming, they close at 8pm. We also managed to visit St. Jean de Cole this year, very pretty village.

The bicycle that was hired from the property was of excellent order and well enjoyed. We encounted no problems with the internet, worked wonderfully. All in all a great holiday in a beautiful setting, many thanks to the owners for allowing us to share in thier little piece of heaven.

James, Tracy & Daisy, Lincolnshire

We very much enjoyed the private and peaceful location which allowed us to escape from a hectic work life. The accomodation is very spacious, well equiped and comfortable. It is a character property with a rustic charm all of it's own.

The swiming pool is a good size with a deep end that would suite the serious swimmer among the guest. The water provided a welcome respite from the hot days we experienced during September.

The large bathroom has the potential to be refurbished to add a wow factor to the accomodation. In particular, it would benefit from the addition of a free standing shower.

We certainly would book again when returnng to this region of France.

This cottage was everything we hoped for - a rustic but well equipped farmhouse in a quiet, remote hamlet, yet just up the road from Bourdeilles, with a choice of good restaurants, and only ten miles down river from the beautiful "island" town of Brantome, again with a choice of nice restaurants.

The gardens, woods, pool and patios, coupled with very decent weather, meant that we didn't feel the need to venture far afield, but the Friday market at Brantome is a must, as is the half day canoe adventure from Brantome to Bourdeilles on the pretty River Dronne. We also visited the fascinating Grotte de Villars with its prehistoric cave paintings. Otherwise, we were more than happy to linger by the pool, take our meals in the shade of the apple tree, and generally unwind.

Local walks and gentle cycle rides in the pretty countryside are also recommended to appreciate the idyllic, rural location of this lovely property.

Les Chauses fully met our expectations as a rustically comfortable old French farmhouse with all mod cons and a wonderfully private large garden. The house is on the edge of a hamlet, so not isolated, but very quiet. We found the 3km to Bordeilles, with restaurants and basic shops, an easy journey, and enjoyed the access to lots of Dordogne locations.

Don't expect a stylish or chic residence - do expect a traditional house, well equipped, and nice and private.

We enjoyed:

- good sized pool (tho' not heated)

- lots of hot water

- satellite TV with UK channels

- large kitchen and living room

- house that kept cool in hot weather

- totally private garden

- mobile phone coverage

If you are looking for privacy without feeling isolated Les Chauses is for you. Very spacious house with lovely large garden and pool. House very well equipped. Spent a very nice week there in September. In a small hamelet but with plenty to see and do in the area. Brantomme especially worth a visit. English Satellite TV in lounge and 1 bedroom an added advantage. Would visit again.

Our first visit to the area but hopefully not our last. Les Chauses is a charming, rustic French farmhouse set in a spacious wooded plot. The pool is large (if a tad cold!)and the grounds offer ample space to relax or wander in.

The farmhouse is well appointed with all the equipment you would need and the internet access a nice bonus. The stand out feature of the house is the amply sized kitchen with double doors onto a patio area that is a god send if the weather is not warm enough to venture outside first thing in the morning.

The house could do with a little updating particularly the bathroom and there were rather too many cobwebs for our liking but this was soon sorted out with a quick run round with the vacumn cleaner.

These were only minor points and did not detract from our overall enjoyment of our stay at Les Chauses. Finally, the bottle of wine left for us as a welcome gift was most appreciated!

Our 4th visit to Les Chauses and we were not disappointed. Pool is much better without the fence. It is a shame about the loss of several trees, but there is still plenty of shady spots where you can sit and read, or sleep.

We were glad of the satellite TV system, it enabled my husband to follow Le Tour in english for a change and to keep up with events from home (News of the World saga excepted!)

We had many plans for places to see, but as ever Les Chauses kept us at home more often than not. The weather for our three week stay was wonderful. We had about 2 hours of rain during the entire holiday and only one day that could be classed as cloudy, but the sun broke through before dinner time in the evening. The daytime temps were between 38C (on the first Sunday of our holiday) to 24C at its coolest.

Would recommend Les Griffons in Bourdeilles for a meal. It is quite expensive at 34 Euros for 3 courses and 40 Euros for 4 courses, with drinks and coffee extra, but the food was really good and the presentation and sevice was second to none. The current owner bears a strong resemblance to Arsene Wenger, and says that it is only the English that mention it. Maybe the French clientel do not acknowledge Arsenal FC- who knows!

We went into Bourdeilles to experience the Bastille Day celebrations, which were enjoyable, culminating in a display of fireworks from the river just beyond the arched bridge. There was music, dancing and plenty to eat and drink. We left town just before midnight, and on Bastille day itself (a public holiday) we went to get some bread around 11am and found that all evidence of the festivities had been cleared away, all rubbish removed and even the ducks had returned to the river, having taken flight as the fireworks started. The local people are certainly proud of their environment and also look after it well.

All in all we have had a great time, but if you are looking for noisy nightlife and plenty of entertainment then Les Chauses is not for you. It really is a place to chill out and leave behind the stresses of life for a few weeks.

A really lovely farmhouse tucked away at the edge of a pretty little hamlet. The house itself is very well equipped and comfortable. A rustic cottage feel with modern comforts. The garden is very secluded with a good pool and sun terrace.

The only noises you hear when sat in the garden are the birds singing during the day and the frogs and owls at night.

Would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to get away from it all yet be within an easy drive of more touristy spots.