Holidays in France

I’ve been a regular visitor to France for 18 years now. In that time I’ve visited most areas but during the last three years my heart has been stolen by the Charente region in South West France. My overall memory of this region is of warm, sunny days spent relaxing and exploring.

The Charente area is beautiful. The diversity of its landscape makes for added interest and variety as you drive around. Further inland, in the Grand Champagne region, vines stretch as far as the eye can see. You have a sense of wide open spaces and the sky seems so much bigger and a more azure shade of blue than it ever does back in Britain. As you get closer to the Gironde estuary, the landscape changes to rolling hills, with more trees.

This year we booked a two week family holiday in this region. As parents of school-age children will appreciate, we were tied to the school holidays. However, we found that the summer half-term break proved to be an ideal time. We avoided the high summer prices and certainly didn’t feel overwhelmed by crowds of holiday makers, either on our journey or once we had reached our destination.

The house we stayed in was renovated last year. It really is lovely – in a beautiful place with fantastic facilities. A lot of thought has been put into updating the house and it has been designed with all ages in mind. There is a Wendy House, a trampoline and swing-and-slide set for the younger children. For the older children and the adults there is a great swimming pool and a games room with table football. A pool table is soon to be added. There is also a good library of books and DVDs to choose from. So, if the weather happens to be a little dull, there is still plenty to keep everyone occupied.

The owner couldn’t have been more helpful, from the very beginning. The English couple, who maintain the property for him, made sure we had extra supplies of food to cover our arrival, anticipating that the following day was a Sunday, with no possibility of shopping. As a family, we’ve stayed in various holiday lets over the years but this house has the best facilities by a long way. There was an excellent Welcome Pack and a good supply of clean bed linen and towels. The house, itself, is in a small hamlet with just a handful of houses nearby. Perfect for rest and relaxation! The youngsters will love the ducks, geese and chickens that roam freely along the road. The adults will love the lack of traffic!

However, it is only 5 minutes away from a wonderful boulangerie. Basic supplies can also be obtained locally. A reasonably–sized supermarket is 10 minutes drive away to stock up with a good choice of French provisions. It is close to the Gironde estuary. The seaside town of Royan and the ancient city of Saintes are each about 45 minutes drive away. The children will want to make a beeline for the spa town of Jonzac to visit Les Antilles, an indoor water complex.

All in all, a great holiday destination. A lovely house in a beautiful region. We are looking forward to our return and plan to spend more family holidays there. I’m sure they will be just as full of laughter and activity. My love affair with the Charente continues.

For more information on this property go to:
www.relax-in-france.com or email info@relax-in-france.com