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sleeps 8 in 4 bedrooms +infants. There is one ground floor master, two twins and a further double all upstairs. |
 | Lovely paddling pool for the children and large pool for the whole family. |
 | A good range of toys, bath toys, books & DVDs are all provided. |
 | Paddling pool, swimming pool and pool games, sand pit, table tennis & badminton. A free tennis court 5 minutes walk away. Pre- bookable art lessons for budding artists of any age. |
 | Residents of 18RMB include 2 sheep, border collies Pippy and Smudge, 4 chickens & Mimi the cat. |
 | An evening meal can be arranged. |
 | The town of Thor, a 10 minute drive, has a lake for swimming. It also has pedalos, mini golf, boule and a restaurant. |
 | An exhaustive list of provisions are available. Wooden & travel cots, highchairs, baby baths, baby bouncer, steriliser, potty, buggy and car seats. Each property has fixed stairgates. Plastic crockery, cutlery and trainer cups are also in the gites. |
 | Available on request. |
 | Pre-arrival shopping is available on request and a hamper of local produce is provided on arrival. Evening meals can also be arranged. |
Seasonal Discount:
10% discount for dates booked between 02 Jun 2012 and 30 Jun 2012 minimum of 7 nights
EUR 106.2 discount for dates booked between 21 Jul 2012 and 27 Jul 2012
5% discount for dates booked between 01 Sep 2012 and 29 Sep 2012 minimum of 7 nights
Arrivals and Departures:
Check-in time: 16:30
Check-out time: 10:00
Payment:
Reservation Deposit: 30%
Balance: 56 days prior to arrival
Capacity:
Sleeps: 8 + Cot sleeping infants
As guests approach 18RMB and the gates open to reveal the full character of the Charentaise courtyard, they begin to understand why this beautiful 18th Century property holds such an attraction for budding artists.
Previously a farm and cognac distillery, hosts Nigel and Carolyn have sympathetically restored the property, successfully introducing stylish interiors and mod cons without compromising the rustic charm. A hamper of local French produce is provided on arrival but mini guests might enjoy supplementing this with fruit from fig, walnut, cherry and apple trees in the orchard which Nigel and Carolyn are happy for you to pick.
The accommodation comprises two gites: La Grange, with 4 bedrooms, sleeping 8 (plus cots), and L’Etable sleeping 6 (plus cots) in 3 bedrooms. Each can be booked individually but a double booking is ideal for two families, or a large extended family. The gites are fully equipped with modern kitchen facilities and satellite TV, a DVD player and Wi-Fi. For little ones there are toys, books and DVDs. A word of warning, before sinking into the luxurious Louis XVth bed at the end of the day, make sure a coin’s been flipped to determine who’s walking to the nearby boulangerie in the morning for fresh croissants and pastries! There are plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained allowing mums and dads important relaxation time beside the pool or in the courtyard. Pool games, table tennis and boule are all provided and additional hosts include 2 sheep, their shepherds Pippy and Smudge the border collies, 4 chickens and Mimi the cat!
There are tennis courts in nearby Haimps, which are free for 18RMB guests. If living the good life in the fabulous French countryside is enough to inspire a creative streak in any member of the family, there’s a chance to put it to good use as host and artist Nigel offers art lessons on site.
La Grange overview:
Guests enter into a spacious open plan kitchen, dining and lounge area, perfect for keeping an eye on the little ones whilst whipping up a spot of dinner. There are two bathrooms, one shower room with w.c on the ground floor and a family bathroom with bath and shower over on the first floor. Altogether there are four bedrooms, one master on the ground floor, ideal for frazzled parents thanks to the beautiful antique bed and two twins ( can be used as double cot rooms if needed) plus a further double upstairs.
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For guests who can muster the energy to leave the property, Fresneau is within walking distance and has a boulangerie, a park with a children’s playground, boule court and picnic areas. The property is a short drive to the picturesque towns of Cognac and St Jean d'Angely, both of which have plenty of options for when you don't feel like cooking and Nigel and Carolyn are happy to taxi parents wishing to have more than one glass of wine.
If you would like to do a distillery tour, Hennessey in Cognac is a good option as kids are allowed but, even better, there's a cute town tour train that leaves from directly outside so parents can take turns entertaining the kids on that whilst one or other does the tour. Boat trips also leave from there in high summer / on weekends
Further afield, the white sandy beaches of Royan are worth a day trip as is the harbour town of La Rochelle which has a good selection of restaurants and shops and access to Ile de Re and Ile d'Orelon.
Nearest Medical Services:
Getting There: The nearest airports in order of distance from Fresneau are: Angouleme-Brie-Champniers (from Stansted), La Rochelle, Poitiers, Limoges and Bordeaux-Mérignac. Try www.skyscanner.net as a useful low-cost flight comparision.
Past Guest Ratings: * (9 guests)
*Rating collated since Feb '10.
All verified as genuine BFB guests who experienced the accommodation with young children.
Awards:
We took our boys aged 1, 3 and 5 and we had a fantastic time. We didn't venture ...
We took our boys aged 1, 3 and 5 and we had a fantastic time. We didn't venture too far because we didn't need to. The pool was just perfect and the secret garden with the apple trees, play things and animals was a big hit. Enjoy the home cooked meals well worth the money and they are both amazing cooks. A nice selection of toys and games for the occasional rainy day meant the boys were occupied. They were great hosts, we hope to return. We also took the second gite for a week for Grandparents and that worked really well.
Overall Experience Rating: 100%
Lovely accommodation, the owners couldn't have been more helpful. Nigels art le...
Lovely accommodation, the owners couldn't have been more helpful.
Nigels art lessons were a definite favourite activity with the children, along with feeding the chickens!
Overall Experience Rating: 80%
Nigel and Carolyn clear but a great deal of time and effort into making sure eve...
Nigel and Carolyn clear but a great deal of time and effort into making sure everything was provided to make breaks as enjoyable and stress free as possible for parents and their young children. They were extremely welcoming hosts and could not do enough for us. The gite was beautiful and had everything we needed, the welcome pack was a lovely added bonus. The grounds are beautifully maintained and Nigel and Carolyn were very happy to take our children fruit picking, egg collecting and sheep grazing! I would defiitely recommend this place to any parents ready for a relaxing break!
Overall Experience Rating: 100%
2 weeks of fabulous, relaxing fun in a wonderful setting. Our hosts Nigel and Ca...
2 weeks of fabulous, relaxing fun in a wonderful setting. Our hosts Nigel and Carolyn could not have been more wonderful (amazing cooks as well). Just what some tired parents with a young family needed to feel rejuvenated!
Overall Experience Rating: 80%
we have just returned from a wonderful week at La Grange with our toddler and ne...
we have just returned from a wonderful week at La Grange with our toddler and new baby and could not have hoped for a better experience. The setting is beautiful and very peaceful, pretty much everything we needed was provided and Nigel and Carolyn could not have been more helpful and hospitable. Carolyn's cooking is fantastic and definitely made us feel as if we were eating out (like we always used to pre-kids!). Would definitely recommend!
This property is really great for a relaxing break. The owners Nigel and Carolyn...
This property is really great for a relaxing break. The owners Nigel and Carolyn make you feel at home as soon as you arrive and go out of their way to make your stay perfect.The pool is lovely and the grounds, complete with play equipment and animals, are ideal for children. The building itself is also stunning. Somewhere you could easily return to.
Overall Experience Rating: 100%
A wonderful gite with outstanding customer care from the owners. Very baby/toddl...
A wonderful gite with outstanding customer care from the owners. Very baby/toddler friendly. Overall rating: Outstanding!
We have just come back from our first holiday with our 11 month old at the La Gr...
We have just come back from our first holiday with our 11 month old at the La Grange, 18RMB property. We really couldn't have asked for a better holiday to suit our current needs of R&R and great food. Nigel and Carolyn were the perfect hosts and both fantastic cooks, meaning we could enjoy restaurant quality food without the hassle of going out with a baby. Copious amounts of toys to play with, but best of all a very friendly cat provided lots of entertainment! Great swimming pool and beautiful gardens, with a spacious, well equipped gite, we wouldn't hesitate to recommend this as a holiday with baby in tow. Overall Rating: Excellent!
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