Description
Bienvenue | Welcome......to our delightful self-catering holiday cottages at La Charronnière in the Vienne countryside.
| * | Three charming gites, all recently beautifully renovated, each accommodating up to four people plus baby - book two or all three and get a 10% discount. | | * | Secluded, sun-drenched 10m x 5m swimming pool enclosed by hedges - exceptional water quality.
| | * | Cottages generously equipped for 4 people, with oven, fridge, microwave, kettle, toaster, hairdryer, fan, TV, CD/Radio. | | * | Each cottage has one double bedroom, a sofa bed, shower room, kitchen/living/dining-room. | | * | Towels, T-towels and bed-linen provided. | | * | Cot, high-chair, baby alarm, potty, bath, bedding, all available for baby. | | * | Laundry room with washing machine, iron and ironing board. | | * | Heating for the colder months. | | * | Boules, badminton, ping-pong, darts, books, board games, barbecue. | | * | Futuroscope; La Vallee des Singes; L'Isle aux Serpents; Parc la Belle; the Silver Mines of Melle; Angouleme, Cognac, Poitiers, La Rochelle, Iles de Re et Oleron; Restaurants and Markets - so many things to see and do you will be spoilt for choice and a week will not be long enough. | | * | Located just off the N10 between Poitiers and Ruffec, near Chaunay in Vienne on the borders of Deux Sevres and Charente. | | * | Poitiers, La Rochelle and Limoges airports are all easily reached - the nearest ports are Caen and St Malo. | | * | Perfect location for a holiday, as a base for house-hunting, visiting friends and family or a stop en route to the South. | | * | Available for both short and long-term rentals and Chambres d’Hôte. |
| * | Bikers welcomed. Covered area for storing motorbikes and drying clothing. | | * | Pets are welcomed - to join the resident dog, Rosie, and the family of house cats. | | * | Covered caravan storage in conjunction with Camping La Bonne Vie at Tassay. Contact 0033549429972 to discuss. |
La P’tite BoulangerieThis enchanting little cottage was completely renovated in the first half of 2007. The gorgeous two-storey gite is full of character with old beams and wood everywhere. The original bread oven nestles in the corner of the living area and the original opening to the hangar next door has been turned into a little window. See if you can find the fossil. The floors througout the gite are wooden as is the staircase.
On the first floor you will find a large double bedroom where the ceiling soars up to the apex of the roof and features lovely old beams. There is a curtained wardrobe area, a velux window to view the stars through, a chest of drawers and two bed-side tables. There is a free standing fan for hotter weather and a convector heater for the cooler months. There is space for the folding bed in this room, suitable for a child. Also on this floor is a lovely modern shower room with heated towel rail and velux window and a dear little landing with a shuttered window that looks over the grassy courtyard towards the Ecuries and the Farmhouse. There are pictures and mirrors, and a hairdryer and small torch are provided for guest's use.
Downstairs is the open-plan living area which has a woodburning stove for the winter months with a mantle made from an original oak beam above it, the original bread oven in the corner, a double sofa bed, a television, a DVD player and a radio/CD player. There are also two rocking chairs, an uplighter lamp and a free standing fan. You will find a table and four chairs in the dining area and a full, extremely well equipped kitchen with gas oven, electric cooker hood, microwave, fridge and separate freezer. You also have an electric kettle, toaster and filter coffee maker. The front door is half-glazed and had a venetian blind for night time and privacy and there is a little window looking out of the back of the cottage.
The cottage faces east and gets the lovely morning sun so you could sit outside in the grassy courtyard at your wooden garden table and chairs for your breakfast. Opposite La P'tite Boulangerie are Les Ecuries (see below) which also share the courtyard, the games area in the hangar next to the little cottage, the laundry room and the swimming-pool. You can be as friendly as you like, but still find quiet areas to read and relax if you so wish.
Les Ecuries (The Stables)Your cosy holiday cottage has been converted from the old stables and you can see how the original horse boxes were arranged by the window and door openings. Les Ecuries are two semi-detached gîtes, both on the ground floor, and each one has a double bedroom, a kitchen/living/dining room and a shower room. There is a ‘clic-clac’ double sofa bed in each of the living areas and French terrestrial TV. You will also find a radio/CD player and a hairdryer. The floors are tiled throughout (don't forget your slippers in the cooler months!) and the ceilings have the original beams. Exposed stone features in these two lovely little gites.
The kitchen area has fitted cupboards, a gas oven, a microwave, a fridge with ice box, an electric kettle and a toaster. There are table and chairs for four together with folding seats for flexibility. Ideal for couples and young families, each gîte is generously equipped for 4 people. Bed linen, bath towels, electricity, cleaning equipment, T-towels and lavatory paper are all included. Both gîtes have electric heating for cold weather and a fan for hot weather.
Baby equipment comprising a travel cot with linen and duvet or blankets, a high chair, a baby bath, a potty and a baby monitor are available on request.
There is a laundry room adjacent to the gîtes where you will find a washing machine, ironing board and iron, mop, bucket and broom. This is also the pump room and storage area for the swimming pool. There are some free-standing clothes airers for hanging out your washing.
The hangar opposite Les Ecuries and beside La P'tite Boulangerie has a full-sized folding ping-pong table, an electronic dart board and shelves with various board games and puzzles for guests' enjoyment. Playing cards are available and books can be borrowed on request from the owners' extensive library.
Pets are welcome, bearing in mind that there is a resident dog as well as several cats, so visiting pets must be well behaved and trustworthy. The site is not enclosed apart from the swimming-pool area and the courtyard.
Smoking is not allowed inside the gîtes, but you may smoke outside using the ashtrays provided. In the original stable yard between the gites there is a grassed area, fenced either end, with wooden benches and parasols for your al fresco meals as well as a raised flowerbed with shrubs, plants and bulbs.
We offer a complimentary bottle of wine at the start of your holiday. We welcome any special requests. If you require any shopping to be done for you prior to arrival, please contact us to discuss.
La Charronnière Set on the borders of Deux Sèvres and Vienne, in the heart of Poitou-Charentes (reputed to be the second sunniest region of France), La Charronnière is conveniently situated close to the RN10 between Poitiers and Ruffec. Excellent terrain for walking and cycling, this is farming country, mostly arable, but you will see occasional small herds of cows and sheep. There are wonderful views over the countryside full of fields of summer sunflowers, maize and some colourful wildflower meadows. Wild deer, hare and birds of prey may be spotted and many other birds whose song fills the air morning to night. On clear nights the huge expanse of sky is filled with stars. Can you make out the constellations?
Local gastronomic specialities are charentais melons, duck and goat’s cheese to eat and Bordeaux wines, rosés and Pineau des Charentes to drink. Pineau is a fortified wine either drunk as an aperitif very cold, or as a digestif after a meal. Walnut oil is a local product – the nuts from our trees have gone to a local producer this year and we will have our own oil!
La Charronnière was built in 1865 according to a stone lintel set in the barn wall. You will find it just off a private, leafy lane in a quiet hamlet. This was once a mule-breeding farm; the old stables, built in 1942, have been converted into two cosy gîtes for your relaxing holiday home. La P'tite Boulangerie, totally renovated in the first half of 2007, is a cute little cottage featuring the original bread oven in the living area. La Charronnière is just 2 miles from the local town of Chaunay where you can buy your morning croissants in either of two bakeries and local produce in the Monday morning market. In Chaunay you will find two bakers from whom to choose your breakfast bread, croissants and pain au chocolate, a post office, pharmacy, small supermarket, a newsagents, florists, a “brocante” (bric-a-brac shop), a bar and the Hotel Central which has a nice restaurant. Don’t forget, though, the all-important French lunchtime when many local shops are shut between 12.00 and 3.00 p.m.
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