La Bouygue - Gite 2

Nestling amongst three acres of grounds in in of the oldest and largest oak forests in Europe, La Bouygue is rare combination of contemporary style and comfort with parent-friendly attention to detail and rural beauty.

The property is split into a ground-level 1-bedroom apartment, ideal for a couple and a baby, and a 3-4 bedroom first floor apartment. The glorious shared grounds hide many a quiet shady spot for relaxing on a lounger with a book, plus BBQs for al fresco dining and a handy selection of outdoor toys, paddling pools and a brilliant treehouse for mini guests, although for many the highlight is frog hunting at the safely fenced pond!

Accommodation Overview
The airy 60m2 ground floor gite (gite 2) is ideal for a couple and a baby. Its single-level design is perfect for crawlers and new walkers, whilst the good-sized bedroom with adjacent dressing room area has plenty of space for a cot. The stylish and comfortable open-plan lounge/kitchen/diner has floor to ceiling glazed doors opening out on to a pretty dining terrace with stunning view of the grounds and woodland beyond. It is idea for outdoor-indoor living. The chic, contemporary kitchen boasts kitchen area has a ceramic hob, oven, fridge, freezer, dishwasher and Senseo coffee maker, whilst the lounge has Satellite TV, DVD player, CD/MP3 Player and WiFi. The large, sleek bathroom area has twin sinks and a luxurious walk-through shower (baby bath provided). A utility room contains a washing machine and dryer, shared with the other gite and reached via an outside door.

Owners Roger and Nadine have clearly given a lot of thought to making the packing, as well as the stay stress-free by providing a long list of useful baby and toddler gear including two baby cots with linen, changing mats, highchairs, a baby bath, baby bouncer, Beaba baby cook, baby monitors, all-terrain 3-wheel stroller, hammocks and even bath toys, plastic cutlery and crockery, and night lights. There's also plenty of toys, buckets & spades, swings, paddling pools and ride-ons, as well as the specially-built tree house in the garden outside. One of the great things about the gite is that it gives you a 360 degree view of the area outside so parents can keep a discreet eye on older children enjoying 'independent' adventures in the grounds, safe in the knowledge that the pond is fenced, as is access to the road that leads into the forest.

Reviews Show Location Map

A visit to this breathtaking region of the Midi-Pyrenees, halfway between Albi and Moutauban, is getting away from it all with a capital G.

Like a contemporary twist on a fairytale woodland cottage, Domain La Bouygue nestles at the end of a lane in the middle of the 9000-acre Grésigne forest, the oldest and largest (9000 acres) oak forest in Europe. Miles of forest tracks echo with bird song and, between mid-September and mid-October, the bellow of rutting stags. The feeling of having wandered into another time doesn't end there. Ten minutes away by car are several pretty medieval Bastide towns and villages such as Penne and and Bruniquel, each with amazing views over stony peaks. Whilst 10-20 minutes in the other direction will take you to the hill village of Campagnac, the start of the Gaillac wine region, and is the so called "Tuscany" of France. The village has several working vineyards where visitors are encouraged to wander inside to taste and buy the local wines.

Not surprisingly, the rugged area is a magnet for outdoor adventurers, with parascending, rock climbing, hiking, kayaking and fishing on tap all around you. High on the rocky hilltops are beautiful bastides – ancient 13^th century fortified villages with pretty squares and ordered streets. Penne is one of the most scenic with a fortified chateau peering down at the gorge of the River Averyon. Many of the villages have lively weekly farmers market. The Friday market at Gaillac – a few minutes by car - and the Sunday market at St Antonin Noble Val are the largest and the best in the area. Children will love the region's many swimming lakes the nearest of which is the sand-fringed La Roucarie, which is lovely with little ones and comes with lifeguards. For a full day by the water, try the stunning Cap Decouverte water park (approx €50 per family), which is a short drive away at Garric and has its own sand-fringed lake, water-slide park suitable for all ages, various cafes and play areas, as well as life guards.

Getting There:

Car - 9-10hrs drive from Calais

Air - Toulouse Blagnac Airport (90kms), Rodez Airport (110kms) & Carcassone Airport (170kms).

testimonial scores:5:::

Roger and Nadine were extremely welcoming and seem to have thought of everything...

Roger and Nadine were extremely welcoming and seem to have thought of everything for a baby-friendly week away. The facilities in the gite are excellent - all recently kitted out to a very high standard which made spending time in and around there very relaxing and enjoyable. The location is fairly remote but right in amongst hundreds of vineyards and countless medieval villages. Driving around them and generally relaxing at the Gite made for a very successful first week away for us and our 4 month old baby.
Overall Experience Rating: 100%

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