Sevenne - Drake Cottage, Aquitaine, France, Baby Friendly Boltholes

BFB's Overview

Described as ‘a slice of paradise’ by one delighted guest, Gites de Sevenne is a pretty pair of cottages for families to unwind, just 20 minutes off the beaten track from the tourist honeypots of the Dordogne. It took owners Sandie and Mark five years to find the perfect French property to be their home and business with no compromises, but in 2011 the couple fell in love at first sight with seductive ‘Sevenne’.

With Mark an ex hotelier and Sandie a former NNEB nursery nurse, the couple make the perfect Baby-Friendly Boltholes partnership, besides having the personal experiences of many happy years holidaying in France with their now grown up sons. To begin with the location is perfect for relaxing, just nicely secluded and surrounded by fields but close to amenities and holiday attractions. The setting of the gites is pretty special too, with 4-acres of gardens for children to burn off hyperactivity while parents chill out by the 12x6 metre fenced pool, under shady willows or with a fine Bergerac on the gites’ patios. Outdoor amusements include a football area, badminton and volleyball nets, swings, play house, ride-ons and a covered games area, plus guests can pick grapes from the vines in summer and youngsters will have fun helping the owners hunt for fresh eggs from the free roaming hens and ducks. Silk painting workshops for all ages are an added bonus and frazzled parents can enjoy a welcome break thanks to the ‘Duckling Club’ activity morning, available once a week by arrangement.

The two gites, Duck Cottage (sleeps 4) and Drake Cottage (sleeps 6), have been attractively created from traditional stone farm buildings to offer comfortable family accommodation, with all mod cons and the character of rustic original features. Both cottages have their own patios with outdoor furniture, BBQ’s and views over the gardens, while inside they each have a wood burning stove, well equipped kitchens and helpful baby equipment, MP3 docks, UK TV, games, books, DVD players and a selection of DVDs. The two cottages also adjoin each other, making Duck and Drake ideal for extended families to enjoy holidays together with everyone having space to themselves.

Accommodation Overview: Drake (sleeps 6)

Drake is a semi-detached (adjoins to Duck which sleeps 4) pretty stone gite with two bedrooms comprising a family bedroom with a double bed and bunks, and a twin bedroom. The larger room has its own vanity unit with sink and both bedrooms share a first floor family bathroom with full-bath, separate shower, sink and WC. There is a second WC on the ground floor. Also on the ground floor is a large open plan kitchen/dining/living area with a cosy wood burning stove. the kitchen comes with cooker, microwave, fridge, freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, kettle, toaster, cafetiere and cooking utensils and equipment. The cottage boasts two dedicated outside areas, a terrace overlooking the front garden and duck pond, and a private patio overlooking the rear gardens and pool with garden furniture and BBQ.

There are shutters on ground floor bedroom windows to block light, blinds on upper bedroom windows and electric fans provided in summer.

Location Information

Gites de Sevenne is a tranquil hideaway deep in the unspoilt Lot and Garonne region, ‘far from the madding crowds’ that flood into the Dordogne yet under half an hour’s drive from the buzzing ‘bastide’ walled towns and natural attractions. The nearest village is Saint Barthelemy d'Agenais (3km) where there is a tabac, bar, deli, boulangerie and post office. The nearest town with more shops, supermarkets, banks and restaurants is Miramont-de-Guyenne (14kms).

The region is famous as a foodies paradise, with mouthwatering delicacies to discover in every town and bordering the Bordeaux vineyards to the north. Every town has wonderful markets where the stalls are piled high with eye-popping local produce and throughout the summer, night markets are a quintessentially French way to spend the evenings.

Snaking rivers, rolling scenery and fields of sunflowers also put outdoor activities high on the agenda, whether hiking, cycling, horse riding or canoeing and the Dordogne is also legendary for its spectacular caverns with prehistoric cave paintings. The white sand-fringed lake at nearby Lougratte with its children's play area, slides, paddles and lifeguards, as well as the river beach at Castelmoron, both around 15-20mins drive away, are great for family-friendly 'beach' days.

For more man-made family fun, Walabi Theme Park, near Agen, provides a variety of rides for all ages, Cap'Decouverte, near Albi, is a giant leisure park and Archipel de Cahors is a water park with a 4300sq ft swimming pool, paddling pools, slides and Jacuzzis.

Getting There: The nearest airports are Bergerac (45 mins) and Bordeaux (85 mins). A car is essential and can be hired from either airport. For self drive holidays, the nearest ferry ports are St. Malo and Caen (7-8 hours) while Calais is a 9-hour drive.

Nearest Medical Services: GP 10 minutes; A&E 20 minutes

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5/5

Arrivals and Departures

Check-in time: 16:00

Check-out time: 10:00

Payment

Reservation Deposit: 100%

Balance: 56 days prior to arrival

Fast Facts

sleeps 6 in a family room (double bed + bunks) and twin bedroom and family bathroom with bath and separate shower.
The white sand-fringed lake at nearby Lougratte with its children's play area, slides, paddles and lifeguards, as well as the river beach at Castelmoron, both around 15-20mins drive away, are great for family-friendly 'beach' days.	Secure 12x6m swimming pool and sun deck.	Baby sitting is available by arrangement with owner (NNEB Nursery Nurse) Also Duckling Club to include an activity morning once a week by arrangement.	A travel cot, wooden cot, highchair, baby bath, baby monitor, potty, stairgates, plastic crockery, plastic cutlery & sippy cups, hand blender.
Indoor toys provided include: bath toys, childrens books, general toys including Duplo and U-rated kids DVDs.	The owners offer a pre-arrival shopping service, meals and picnic service on request.	There are a good selection of outdoor toys including: ride-ons, trikes, swings, trampoline, play house, 5 aside foot ball goal, + table tennis, snooker table, Badminton and volley ball nets for older children / adults.	stairgates provided
There is a communal covered play area and Drake Cottage has its own covered terrace. The 4 acre garden is secluded, surrounded by fields on all sides and there is no passing traffic.	WIFI is available.	There's a duck pond (away from the main property but within the grounds), ducks and hens to enjoy watching and for the children to feed and hunt for eggs(under supervision)	There is an 18 hole championship golf course at Villeneuve-sur-Lot 30kms from Sevenne. Villeneuve is recognised as one of the best courses in the Lot and Garonne. There is a 9 hole course at Tombeboeuf, 10kms away. Chateau des Vigiers is a 27 hole international golf course situated about 35kms away.

Reviews

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A fabulous 2 weeks in Drake Cottage. This was our first visit and I'm sure that it won't be our last. Sandie was a superb host and couldn't do enough for us, even babysitting one night so we could have an evening out. It was perfect for our toddler, with loads to do on site such as collecting the eggs, picking vegetables and helping Sandie water the plants. I would highly recommend this as a place to stay with a toddler.Review dated 20/07/2015
Yes - a wonderful place to stay and get away from it all. Nothing was too much trouble for the hosts and we were made to feel very welcome the moment we arrived. The setting is perfect for children and apart from shopping there would be no need to leave the gite!Review dated 19/07/2015

Parent Rated*

5/5

Overall Experience
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Location
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*Ratings by verified BFB guests who stayed here with young children.
Rated by 3 guests.

Sevenne - Drake Cottage

Aquitaine, France

BFB's Overview

Location Information

Arrivals and Departures

Payment

Arrivals and Departures

Payment

Pricing Notes

Seasonal Discount

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Arrivals and Departures

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Pricing Notes

Seasonal Discount

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Fast Facts

Reviews

Parent Rated*

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