LE COTTAGE ENSOLEILLÉ , 4 étoiles, dans la campagne Charentaise

The gite was perfect from start to finish. We were a family of four (two boys age 9 and 12) and the gite had everything we could possibly need and more. Nathalie is so hospitable and makes you feel at ease straight away. It’s the perfect base to go off exploring the region and there is a well equipped supermarket just 5 mins down the road. The pool area is stunning and there were loads of toys for the children. They literally couldn’t get bored if they tried. We hope to be able to return soon.

We had a wonderful time here with our 2 girls, loads for them to do and play with in the garden and the pool was perfect and very well looked after. Nathalie is an excellent host, the best we have had before. The gite had everything we could have needed, perfectly clean and it stayed wonderfully cool in the hot sun. We definitely hope to be back.

We have just returned from the beautiful 'Le Cottage Ensoleille' / The Sunny Cottage and we all had a wonderful time. The gite is immaculately presented in terms of cleaniness and decor and is fully equipped with everything you need for a self catering holiday. The gite is spacious and comfortable and has all the modern facilities you need. We went for a chill out week by the pool but there is lots to see and do in the area and the immediate countryside is full of stunning sunflower fields and vines. The owner Natalie was very friendly and helpful (without being intrusive), nothing was too much trouble and on the 1 rainy day we had, she was prompt to offer some suggestions for days out if needed. The pool and gardens were great, the gite also come with it's own private terrace which was surrounded by beautiful flowers, everything was extremely well kept. The highlight for us was that our children got along well with Clovis and Scarlett (Nathalie's children) which meant they all had great fun playing and swimming together. We come to France every year and this is one of the nicest gites we have stayed in and shall definitely return. Thank you Nathalie & Family for a wonderful holiday!

wir hatten einen super Urlaub bei Nathalie. Im Haus war alles vorhanden, was man braucht. Es war Erholung pur, der Pool, die Spielsachen und Scarlett haben besonders unserer Tochter gefallen. Supermarkt in 10 Minuten Entfernung, Cognac, Bordeaux für Ausflüge geeignet. Wir haben für nächstes Jahr wieder gebucht (machen wir sonst nie). 5 Sterne für Haus, Garten und Besitzer

We enjoyed a week here in August 2022 and had a great time. The kids absolutely loved playing in the pool, playing table football and other games in the games shed and playing on the trampoline (often with Nathalie's daughter). The pool is great and very private other than a short walk past the front of the main house to get to it. There are numerous toys and inflatables to play with, and the water was an ideal temperature (we were in the midst of a heat wave!) and it was very clean - Nathalie cleaned it daily. The gite itself is clean, spacious, modern and very well furnished/equipped. The wifi is very fast and there is plenty to entertain the children if you spend any time indoors (although we were hardly inside at all). There is no air conditioning so it was very warm at night, but we had unusually high temperatures between 35C and 40C every day. We made a point of keeping windows and shutters closed all day to keep the house cooler and a fan is provided. The location of the property is very rural - surrounded by farms and fields - mainly beautiful vineyards and sunflowers, some visible from the swimming pool area. There are plenty of very quiet roads to run/cycle, which makes it very peaceful, but does mean that you must have a car to get anywhere. The large town of Angouleme is a very easy 25 min drive away, and there are some other small towns/villages within 10-15 mins (e.g. Montmoreau) where you can find a large shop or supermarket. Nathalie was on hand whenever we needed anything, including tips and advice on places to visit etc. She is an excellent host. All in all we had a very relaxing week at Nathalie's gite, and would certainly return if we have a holiday in this part of France again.

Natalie was an amazing host, nothing was a problem for her. The gite had everything you could think of for a family. It was super clean and very peaceful. Her children were a delight so well mannered and the dogs were super friendly our children loved them, when they popped to say hello. Will definitely visit again if we stop in the area. Worth a visit

Nous avons eu la chance d’être accueillis par Nathalie et sa famille qui sont chacun aux petits soins. Nous nous sommes sentis comme à la maison, même mieux. Le calme de ce gîte est merveilleux, les tournesols sont magnifiques. Nous avions tout à disposition pour passer un très agréable séjour. Je recommande Le Cottage Ensoleillé et nous souhaitons tous y retourner. Un grand merci à Nathalie, Clovis, Scarlett, Roméo et Nini.

Agréable séjour au calme. La maison est bien agencée et très bien équipée. Le premier étage est bas de plafond. Beaucoup d'épicerie et matériel de cuisine. Idem pour les jeux. En une semaine, les enfants n'ont pas eu le temps de tout voir. Nathalie et ses enfants sont accueillants et de très bons guides pour la région.

We've just returned home after the most wonderful family holiday - staying in the gite for 9 nights. iPads/screens were left in the UK and our 5 9 year old daughters rediscovered their love of playing outdoors together in the beautiful garden - with loads of activities for kids to enjoy (swings, sand pit, trampoline, slide, badminton etc) - and all enclosed so they could run around safely. We also went on some great local trips (most of which were recommended in the information pack in the gite or by the hosts) including to a vineyard (we were spoilt for choice - the gite is in Cognac region); to Cognac Angouléme towns (the girls loved the land train, we loved the market, we all loved exploring the cobbled streets); we visited local chocolate shops and lots of beautiful rural villages for lunch (inc Châteauneuf) and the most amazing restaurant with seating in an old market place in the centre of a truly picturesque village (ville Bois-Lavalette - I think!). We took a longer trip to see a famous Chateau village (around 40mins), Rochefoucauld, which was well worth the journey. We found the driving stress-free as the roads are so quiet. On the way to and from the port (St Malo) we stopped in La Rochelle, which I'd also recommend. It was much closer to the gite than the port but it's such a beautiful place to visit that we made this our stop off for both directions! One tip I'd share, as we were caught out in the first few days of our hol, is that most of the shops etc close for lunch (midday - 2pm) and completely on Sunday. We were completely out of sync with opening hours to begin with but we soon found our routine of going out in the morning (when everything's open), eating lunch out, then spending the afternoon/evenings at the gite - enjoying BBQs in the kitchen garden or cooking produce from the Angouléme market in the gite's kitchen, which also looks out over the garden and was really well stocked with handy oils, seasoning, spices and a great range of cutlery, crockery, glassware etc to prepare lovely family meals. The pool was a bit too cold to use during our stay (in April) but we got the impression it would soon warm up with a nice spell of weather. We've had the most amazing holiday and were made to feel so welcome by the hosts. I would definitely recommend this property for a rural family holiday.

We've just returned home after the most wonderful family holiday - staying in the gite for 9 nights. iPads/screens were left in the UK and our 5 & 9 year old daughters rediscovered their love of playing outdoors together in the beautiful garden - with loads of activities for kids to enjoy (swings, sand pit, trampoline, slide, badminton etc) - and all enclosed so they could run around safely. We also went on some great local trips (most of which were recommended in the information pack in the gite or by the hosts) including to a vineyard (we were spoilt for choice - the gite is in Cognac region); to Cognac & Angouléme towns (the girls loved the land train, we loved the market, we all loved exploring the cobbled streets); we visited local chocolate shops and lots of beautiful rural villages for lunch (inc Châteauneuf) and the most amazing restaurant with seating in an old market place in the centre of a truly picturesque village (ville Bois-Lavalette - I think!). We took a longer trip to see a famous Chateau & village (around 40mins), Rochefoucauld, which was well worth the journey. We found the driving stress-free as the roads are so quiet. On the way to and from the port (St Malo) we stopped in La Rochelle, which I'd also recommend. It was much closer to the gite than the port but it's such a beautiful place to visit that we made this our stop off for both directions! One tip I'd share, as we were caught out in the first few days of our hol, is that most of the shops etc close for lunch (midday - 2pm) and completely on Sunday. We were completely out of sync with opening hours to begin with but we soon found our routine of going out in the morning (when everything's open), eating lunch out, then spending the afternoon/evenings at the gite - enjoying BBQs in the kitchen garden or cooking produce from the Angouléme market in the gite's kitchen, which also looks out over the garden and was really well stocked with handy oils, seasoning, spices and a great range of cutlery, crockery, glassware etc to prepare lovely family meals. The pool was a bit too cold to use during our stay (in April) but we got the impression it would soon warm up with a nice spell of weather. We've had the most amazing holiday and were made to feel so welcome by the hosts. I would definitely recommend this property for a rural family holiday.