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SLEEPS 6
A delightful restored detached Vendeen cottage situated a mile from the
historic village of Maillezais. In the heart one of France's hidden
jewels, a wetland reserve known as the 'Venise Verte' (Green Venice).
Cut through ancient marshlands
and meandering through canopies of overhanging willow, beech and
poplar, this magical network of canals and rivers simply enchants. You can take boat trips, rent
bicycles or walk along the canal paths and over the seemingly endless
picturesque bridges from villages that seem to have changed little this
century.
The house has two spacious open plan
bedrooms, and will sleep six. There is a double bed in each room, and
two single beds that can be moved as needed between rooms.
Barbeque |
Wood
Burning
stove |
Enclosed
garden |
Linen
& towels for hire |
Washing
machine |
Downstairs
WC |
Cot
available |
Rural |
Shower |
Short
breaks all year |
Open
fire |
Microwave |
Parking
available |
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Some Customer Comments: (extracts from
our
visitors book and direct feedback)
A superb
gité
… with everything necessary for a comfortable
stay. We have seen numerous rare (in the UK)
birds. Had a hands-on experience having rented
boats on the Venise Verte. And learnt much about
the area by visiting the various maison’s du
Marais poitevin. pps. For those that like to
cook, there were plenty of pots, pans etc.
Roy & Sue (Leicestershire).
September 2011
Great time; relaxing, lots to do. Restaurant
by the Abbey is great… We will recommend & be
back one day! Karen, Chris (Jersey).
August-September 2011
A
very relaxing, peaceful
gité
with good facilities. Nat and Step
(housekeepers) were really welcoming… Having an
18 month old daughter, I thought we might
struggle for suitable things to do, however the
Zoo at Mervent was an excellent day out, as was
the afternoon spent on the boat on the Venise
Verte! … La Rochelle is well worth visiting and
the aquarium is excellent. The beach at the Les
Conches is lovely and safe. La Faute-sur-Mer is
a bit touristy but again a nice beach and a
market on a Thursday morning. The restaurant
just over the bridge in Damvix is good and there
are plenty of tables. The abbey in the village
is also worth a visit. A great holiday overall,
and the welcoming wine and cheese were a nice
touch! Jon, Amanda and Imogen F. (Stone,
Staffs) August 2011
We
agree. Lovely cottage in a fantastic location!
We recommend the restaurant opposite the Abbaye
de Maillezais. Try the moulade (regional
speciality; mussels with a curry sauce) … and
the eels, not to mention the snails. Guided
boat tour from the Abbey also good. Also
amazing restaurant across the bridge at Damvix
with fantastic food. We enjoyed a great day on
the house bikes and a trip to La Rochelle which
is only 45 mins away. …
We’ve had such a lovely week discovering a new
part of France, thank you! (Also thanks to the
wine and cheese on are arrival– lovely) Sam,
Sara & Maisie W. (Twyford). July-August 2011
Lovely
cottage in a good location; nice and peaceful,
which was just what we were looking for. Plenty
of places to see, and things to do. Used the
bikes left in the house. Great food .. we
enjoyed plenty of fish…. Jo & Anna. July 2011
A beautiful and well equipped
gité,
so peaceful and quite. Some very hot days which
were spent in the garden. Lots of trips out
which were lovely. The B. Family (Hempstead,
Essex.) July 2011
Had a lovely stay. A peaceful place and plenty
of space to relax. Enjoyed the bird life…. A
very pleasant holiday, Merci! Caroline &
Terry (Hertfordshire) June-July 2011
We had a gloriously peaceful week at La Barche,
it’s a beautiful spot and great for cycling.
Lots of great bird spotting opportunities on the
doorstep (Kingfisher, Redstart, Hoopoe. … We
recommend a trip to the Ile de Re if you are
here out of the main season, on bike cycles it
was beautiful. The cottage had everything we
needed and Nat and Step (the housekeepers) were
so helpful if we had questions…. We will be
back!! Richard and Carolyn P. Weston
Super-Mare. June 2011
We wanted a quite week, with sunshine and access
to the coast. The house was bigger than we
expected and in a lovely rural setting. It had
all the basics that we needed and was a great
base for us. PS. The Donkey from the nearby
farm is called Percy! - Fiona & Ruth W.
London and Cardiff. April 2011
We had a great time here; the gité has all
the necessary mods & cons and has been very
comfortable. We took the canoeing options
instead of punting (on the canals). Auberge de
la abbey is a good local restaurant and well up
to par. A thoroughly enjoyable late season break
with good weather all week! Pete &
Gill, West Sussex. September 2010
Well equipped cottage… in peaceful setting,
perfect for relaxing in the garden. The cottage
is ideally situated for exploring the area. We
recommend a boat trip from near the abbey in the
Maillezais, we had a boatman who spoke English
and did his best to set the water alight (using
marsh gases). We also recommend L’lle d’Rẻ,
Nieul-sur-l’Autise abbey. Our weather was
un-expectantly very hot and sunny, 33c on one
day with the odd shower only at night. We hope
all future visitors to the cottage have as
enjoyable a stay as we have. Jan &
Sally. Wiltshire. September 2010
A peaceful and tranquil experience, wonderful
sunsets & great wildlife – look for the
kingfishers on the river! Enjoyed eating
outdoors all week, weather fine and warm. Eat at
the Abbey restaurant – recommended. Lesley, Ceri & Phil. Wale. August 2010
We enjoyed the simplicity of the house and
being here only with bicycles. We loved the
Abbey of Nieul-sur-l’Autise and the amazing
lunches at the Hotel Central in Coulon.
Ruti & Di, Somerset, August 2010
Beautiful weather in a lovely area of
France. Nice to stay in a traditional cottage,
well equipped. A full afternoon had with the
‘flat boats’ in
Maillezais.
Beautiful walk along the canal in Maillé.
Caroline & Wyn, South Whales. August 2010
I liked the beach in Les Conches…Spending
time in the gité
was fun. Sion, Nia & Cerys Ann, July
2010
Thank you for a peaceful stay and your kindness, Au Revoir.
Richard and Judy. September 2009
Very comfortable and well equipped gité,
no problems in our 2 week stay, so can only compliment caretakers on
leaving everything in working order so no need to bother them.
.. We had good meals at the Auberge by the Abbey here in the
village. .. Citronel restaurant on Coulange, it might pay to book
even though we got in on spec, we saw 6 or 8 people turned away
during the next 20 minutes so we booked for our return trip. .. The
weather was wonderful, 10 straight days of bright sun and over 30º
everyday, then one cold day followed by sun intervals. .. The
fishing permit from the tabac covers a trillion miles of fishing. I
only managed small catfish, bream and roach...We will probably be
back! Val, Roy & Dudley (West Midlands) September 2009
The
cottage is lovely, very quite and relaxing. There are lots of
things to do; The aquarium in La Rochelle is wonderful for children,
the audio guide is great! .. .The town of Vouvant is a pretty as they
say! .. We went on two boat rides on the canals, one was guided
which was very relaxing, and one at St. Sigismond which was very well signed posted.
... We will miss eating our meals outside and the delicious bread
and peaches. Andy. Lesley, Jonathan & Michael August 2009
Very pleasant week, enjoyed by the four of us. Cottage is
great, quiet and restful. Beautiful part of the country. June
2009
Repeat visitor, prefect location,
near village but rural. Area beautiful. Great to do lots or
take it easy and do nothing. Chris & Maria (London), October 2008
The
cottage is charming, we received a warm welcome from the house
keeper even though we were late arriving! The area is beautiful with
much to do and see. Ile de Ré is very pretty with lovely
beaches. We also discovered a very child friendly beach at Plage d'Aytre, safer for young children. We had our last meal at La Pigouille in Coulon by the side of the river. We where very sad to be going home. We love La Barche and hope to return.
Marie & John (Rotherham), August 2008
Cottage - Great! Quiet with a good sized garden for the kids to
play.. Puy du Fou - Can be done in a day if you get there early.. Cinescenie is Fri/Sat only and you need to book
in advance.. La Rochelle - The aquarium is world class. Fontenay Le Compte - Chateau de Terre-Neuve, is well worth a visit.. Futuroscope - you really need 2 days...The evening show is
very good. .. I hope these comments are of some use, you never
know!. Cathy & Steve (Durham), July 2008
Lovely cottage with traditional features & very well equipped.
Enjoyed the garden and BBQ. Sampled many local wines. Spent a
lovely day on the Ile de Re and had a great meal in one of the
harbour side restaurants in La Rochelle....We had a nice relaxing
holiday and hope you do too. Lin & Mark (Bristol), July 2008
The
Cottage is wonderful & well equipped....you must visit Marans it's
every so pretty.... Martin & Anne, July 2008
We
loved the cottage and the area, we stacked up at the market and made
good use of the BBQ. We spent a lot of time relaxing around
the cottage (with a glass or two of local wines)! But we also found
time to go for a row along one of the canals. Wonder around the
Abbey in the village and hire bicycles for a few hours, all very
good fun! We ate more than once at the Auberge de l'Abbey, they have local dishes.....Coulon and Courdault are villages worth
finding. We had a great time here, hope you do too! Ralph and Lynne, June 2008
La Barche cottage is in a lovely
rural position, but close enough to Maillezais and other villages, to
enjoy the amenities there, like the boat trips, bicycle hire and the
beautiful ruined Abbey and of course wonderful restaurants, serving
local dishes. It is a real taste of French life. Mrs D. Norfolk,
June 2008.
Had a great time, lots to do and
see, loved the location. Great for photography. Will come back. John
(Birmingham), July
2007
Lovely house, peaceful location, lots to see and do, great local
restaurants, enjoyed the boat trip from the abbey in the Maillezais.
Coffee and Croissants from the local village every morning, can't
beat it. Stephen & Michelle (Brighton), May 2007
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