Charente, France - Recommendations
Discussion
Planning a week or so away in France this year and fancy exploring the Charente region.
Which will mean a flight and a hire car to get around to make the most of the trip.
Any recommendations for a nice area to stay or any specific places you've stayed at.
Stayed at a lovely little chateau years ago near Bergerac with a pool but the stay was let down by lousy weather.
Something similar is the kind of thing we'd be after, although not so drafty.
Cheers.
Which will mean a flight and a hire car to get around to make the most of the trip.
Any recommendations for a nice area to stay or any specific places you've stayed at.
Stayed at a lovely little chateau years ago near Bergerac with a pool but the stay was let down by lousy weather.
Something similar is the kind of thing we'd be after, although not so drafty. Cheers.
Here are two local to where I live. 40 minutes from Limoges airport. Airport has hire rentals on site.
https://domainedelapartoucie.fr/
https://partoucie.com/welcome/
https://domainedelapartoucie.fr/
https://partoucie.com/welcome/
We rented a lovely gite in the Charente when my wife was pregnant 10yrs ago.
She had terrible morning sickness and spent most of the week either in bed or chucking up. I lay by the lovely pool reading car magazines and every morning used to drop the roof on my M3 and take a spirited drive into the local small town to buy bread, cheese and wine, generally improving my GCSE French.
This place was a mile from us, the sign always made me chuckle!
She had terrible morning sickness and spent most of the week either in bed or chucking up. I lay by the lovely pool reading car magazines and every morning used to drop the roof on my M3 and take a spirited drive into the local small town to buy bread, cheese and wine, generally improving my GCSE French.
This place was a mile from us, the sign always made me chuckle!
Edited by Shooter McGavin on Monday 13th January 16:51
I think I have it in my mind of getting a small rental property that's private and with a pool. So not really a gite or b&b.
We had a shared place near Carcassone a few years back and the owner was bothersome and the set eating times didn't really suit us.
Ideally like a place we had outside Rome about a decade ago, but that's probably not much help.
We had a shared place near Carcassone a few years back and the owner was bothersome and the set eating times didn't really suit us.
Ideally like a place we had outside Rome about a decade ago, but that's probably not much help.
The Gite we had was owned by an English family who lived on site and was divided into three small self-catering units. They were lovely people, very much not bothersome, alas they had to sell it a few years later to return to the UK to look after elderly parents. They wrote to all their former guests and said "wanna buy our gite?" ... if circumstances were different I would have done as it was lovely.
I had a lovely relaxing time there but due to the aforementioned morning sickness my wife had a terrible time, so we try not to dwell on it.
However, there was a 24hr period where she stopped puking and we got to go out for donner in Aubeterre sur Dronne, a really picturesqsue visit and well worth a visit. Lots of nice small restaurants.
https://thegoodlifefrance.com/one-of-frances-prett...
Sorry I can't remember more than that, it was a bit of a tricky time. The foetus making her sick is now a lovely 10yo boy, I would like us to go back as a family at some point.
This won't apply to you doing a fly/drive, but we drove all the way and stopped off in Le Mans overnight on the way down. I made sure we left very early to do the final leg and told my wife to be quiet, close her eyes if necessary, I as I risked the wrath of the French rozzers and gave it the absolute beans down the Mulsanne straight like I was Steve McQueen in Le Mans. as opposed to Steve, a computer programmer from Reading! Great times, didn't get a ticket.
I had a lovely relaxing time there but due to the aforementioned morning sickness my wife had a terrible time, so we try not to dwell on it.
However, there was a 24hr period where she stopped puking and we got to go out for donner in Aubeterre sur Dronne, a really picturesqsue visit and well worth a visit. Lots of nice small restaurants.
https://thegoodlifefrance.com/one-of-frances-prett...
Sorry I can't remember more than that, it was a bit of a tricky time. The foetus making her sick is now a lovely 10yo boy, I would like us to go back as a family at some point.
This won't apply to you doing a fly/drive, but we drove all the way and stopped off in Le Mans overnight on the way down. I made sure we left very early to do the final leg and told my wife to be quiet, close her eyes if necessary, I as I risked the wrath of the French rozzers and gave it the absolute beans down the Mulsanne straight like I was Steve McQueen in Le Mans. as opposed to Steve, a computer programmer from Reading! Great times, didn't get a ticket.
Edited by Shooter McGavin on Monday 13th January 16:53
My parents had a house in the Charente - they loved it - me, less so.
One thing though - rather than fly and hire a car, why don't you drive there. Take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth -> St. Malo, it's then a very easy 4 hour drive. You'll be there in time for lunch. Coming home, the ferry runs overnight on Tuesdays.
One thing though - rather than fly and hire a car, why don't you drive there. Take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth -> St. Malo, it's then a very easy 4 hour drive. You'll be there in time for lunch. Coming home, the ferry runs overnight on Tuesdays.
You went out for a donner in Aubeterre??? Wtf? Was the Hotel de France having a Turkish night or something?!
OP, is there anywhere you wish to go specifically in the Charente, or what time do you wish to go? We have lived there for over 30yrs, so what would you like to know?
There is a lovely place that would suit you just down the road from Aubeterre, I recommend it thoroughly - Manoir de Longeveau. A long long time ago I helped build the golf course.
https://www.longeveau.com/
OP, is there anywhere you wish to go specifically in the Charente, or what time do you wish to go? We have lived there for over 30yrs, so what would you like to know?
There is a lovely place that would suit you just down the road from Aubeterre, I recommend it thoroughly - Manoir de Longeveau. A long long time ago I helped build the golf course.
https://www.longeveau.com/
DeejRC said:
You went out for a donner in Aubeterre??? Wtf? Was the Hotel de France having a Turkish night or something?!
OP, is there anywhere you wish to go specifically in the Charente, or what time do you wish to go? We have lived there for over 30yrs, so what would you like to know?
There is a lovely place that would suit you just down the road from Aubeterre, I recommend it thoroughly - Manoir de Longeveau. A long long time ago I helped build the golf course.
https://www.longeveau.com/
To be honest I know absolutely nothing of the region, hence asking for recommendations, it just has an appeal due to the climate, perceived laid back atmosphere and general Frenchness that we enjoy. OP, is there anywhere you wish to go specifically in the Charente, or what time do you wish to go? We have lived there for over 30yrs, so what would you like to know?
There is a lovely place that would suit you just down the road from Aubeterre, I recommend it thoroughly - Manoir de Longeveau. A long long time ago I helped build the golf course.
https://www.longeveau.com/
We're thinking of going around June time.
We're just looking for somewhere with some privacy, near to a small town with some nice places to eat and near to places to visit.
Somebody mentioned driving, well it's a bit of a long way down to go in my 4 speed car with no air-con. I adore driving in France and love to keep on the minor roads going through the small towns and villages but for this trip I'd prefer to fly and get something modern for getting around.
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