A quiet countryside retreat in the middle of France...
Have you ever dreamed of a lovely quiet holiday in the middle of the French countryside, living on nothing but delicious pastries and baguettes? Well I have the perfect spot for you!
Last December my sister suggested we book a big cottage somewhere abroad for us all to go stay in for a week, I can't take credit for the finds as we created a group chat between us and she sent a few ideas via Airbnb. One of them was this beautiful house in the middle of nowhere, but not a million miles away from Bordeaux, with an outdoor pool and dreamy interiors. We booked it for the next October half term when it would be less busy, and our children would be off school. It was 10 months away but came around so quickly! After a busy Summer moving house and moving cities, it was just the break we needed this year.
If you're a busy city kind of person, then stop reading now. This is the ultimate retreat for those that want to be surrounded by nothing but fresh air and peace and quiet...
Location
The house is located in a tiny town called Grand-Brassac in the south-west of France. It's based on a farm so you're surrounded by nature, and you can find chickens running about if you look out the downstairs windows! There's also apparently lots of hiking trails and fishing spots within walking distance, but we didn't check those out due to the time of year that we went.
You would definitely need your own car, or a hire car to stay somewhere this remote. The nearest shops are Lisle which is a 10 min drive away, we'd go here every morning to the bakery for fresh pastries. The almond croissants from there were the most delicious croissant I've ever eaten! There's also a spar and a butchers, as well as a restaurant.
There's also some other beautiful places to visit in the area, Perigeux is a 40 min drive away, we went here one day for a walk and some lunch and ate a delicious meal in a brasserie. It was pouring with rain but it really is a beautiful town full of stunning architecture. I would highly recommend a day visit here in dry weather. We also had a day trip to the nearest big city, which is Bordeaux and took us about 2 hours to get to, but it's a beautiful city and we wanted to do a spot of shopping! We went to a couple of other villages/towns nearby for a walk and a look around too, it really is a pretty area.
There was plenty of supermarkets around too, all a drive away but not horrendous, and if you plan well you only need to do one shop for the week. Utilising the local butchers which is only 10 mins away was something we did too, as well as getting fresh baguettes from the bakery.
The house
If we'd have gone at a warmer time of year, we definitely would have used the outdoor pool, however whilst the temperatures weren't too cool, it wasn't warm enough for the owners to maintain it sadly! If you visit during the Summer months then definitely make use of it.
It didn't make our stay any less lovely however, I think the house is so cosy that it's perfect for any time of the year. The amenities were fantastic, including everything you would need in the kitchen. Downstairs there's a big farmhouse dining table that seats up to 9 people, a highchair for a little one, a washing machine located in the outbuilding, a clothes drying rack, a big tv, a drawer full of board games, children's tableware, and books and toys for the children too. There's both air conditioning and heating, so we stayed lovely and warm on an evening.
Downstairs there's a bathroom that has a big shower inside, and upstairs there's a big family bathroom with a bath. Just outside the upstairs bathroom is a cupboard full to the brim of fresh towels. There's three bedrooms in total, two double bedrooms, and a third bedroom created for children with a double bed at one side, and bunkbeds at the other. Inside the children's bedroom is another room (without a door) that has a cot and a baby change table inside, as well as a rocking chair. It's perfectly set up for a family, including if you have a baby and the baby change table was fully stocked with every cream and lotion you can think of which I thought was so lovely. It sleeps up to 8 people, including an infant.
Getting there
We decided to drive there so we had our own cars, so we got the eurotunnel from Folkestone over to Calais and drove all the way to Grand-Brassac. It was a long road trip but the children were good as gold. I think it took us about 10 hours drive in total, excluding stops. I think the nearest airport would be Perigeux, so it's flyable if you aren't a fan of a road trip, but I would imagine you would definitely still need a hire car once you arrive. As I mentioned earlier, Perigeux is about a 40 minute drive away and if you want to really explore the area and get to supermarkets etc, it's not doable by foot.
We really had such a lovely week, and we ate so well. We had steak from the local butchers one night, cooked on the outside grill that was heavenly and cooked to perfection. We made a bolognese with mince also from the local butchers one evening, it was probably the best spaghetti bolognese I've ever eaten! We also had a salad one night with fresh produce from a supermarket, including some exotic tomatoes. We ate lots of bread and cheese, and the pastries from the local bakery were second to none. Food in France just hits different.
If you want more details about the Airbnb we stayed in, you can find the listing here.
Have you ever stayed in the French countryside?
