Les Noisettes, Nr. Coulonges sur L'Autise.

4 bedrooms sleeps 10/12.

Rural retreat with large gardens and private courtyard.

A large 4 bedroom well equipped spacious cottage farmhouse which comfortably sleeps up to 10/12 people in four bedrooms and is in a superb position within a private gated courtyard leading onto a large garden, at the end of a small lane overlooking and surrounded by the most beautiful countryside in western France. On the Vendeen - Deux Sevres border, Ardin is 1.5 Km away and Coulonges sur L'Autize which offers a large Super U supermarket, bars, restaurants and a weekly market for a real taste of the rural local life.

• 2 Double bedrooms
• Large multi-bed childrens room
• 1 Ground floor bedroom/sitting room
• 3 shower bathrooms
• 2 toilets
• TV, VCR, CD & DVD
• Garden furniture & BBQ
• Terraced decking
• Large private garden

The kitchen is newly refurbished fully equipped to including large farmhouse table and seating, 5 ring Gas range oven & hob, Combo microwave and fridge freezer, washing machine, all crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils.

Living area. The lounge/sitting room with a comfortable double sofa bed, armchairs and small chairs for the children, TV, VCR, CD & DVD, Log inset fire. Patio windows leading to the raised decking terrace and gardens, Open plan staircase. There is a second lounge that can double up as a further bedroom with comfortable double sofa bed.

Bedrooms. The Master bedroom has a modern French Sleigh bed and has a shower/bath, fitted wardrobe and bedside tables, the 2nd bedroom has a double bed, fitted warrobe and drawer unit, en-suite with hand basin and shower cubical. Bedroom 3 is a huge childrens bedroom that can sleep up to 6 with 3 single beds, 2 of which are captain beds, 1 single and one ‘Z' bed

Bathroom and Toilets. 2 separate toilets, 1 on the ground floor and 1 upstairs and apart from the bath/showers rooms upstairs there is a further shower room on the ground floor.

Garden and outdoor facilities. Large well kept private gated and secure gardens mostly down to lawn with mature fruit trees and established shrubs, some of the older trees provide plenty of shade to sit under, relax and read a book, the lower garden is all fruit trees and is meadow like, great for the children to explore.

Miscellaneous. Futuroscope, Puy du Fou & Cognac all easy day trips! La Rochelle and the Atlantic coast with long sandy beaches There are good roads from whichever direction you choose to come, be it from Calais, Le Harvre, Caen, Cherbourg, St. Malo or Roscoff.
The nearest airports are Nantes, La Rochelle or Poitiers and it is possible to hire cars from them for the period of your stay.

Location. The area is the Niortaise area of the Deux Sevres in Poitou-Charente. Nearby is the beautiful Venise Vert with its secret canals and waterways, ideal to explore by boat or cycle. The fortified village of Vouvant is regarded as one of the prettiest villages in France with its surrounding wall.

Activities. Mervent Activity Park (Pierre Bruin) and forest is a short distance, and provides lakes for swimming, fishing and boating. There are many historic houses and Chateaux in the area. Horse riding, tennis and swimming in Coulonges, where you can also visit the lively and very busy Tuesday market, supermarket, bank, shops and restaurant. 20 kilometres away is the city of Niort which has many shops and restaurants. The Atlantic coast is to the west, with its fine beaches, Isle de Ré is well worth a visit, but charges a higher toll in peak season! La Tranche-Sur-Mer to the North West is only 1 and a half hours drive, very wooded and Les Sables d'Olonne is a step further (about 2 hours drive) To the north is the lovely medieval town of Parthenay. Here you can swim in the large outdoor pool or fish in the lakes. There is a restaurant and bar overlooking the lake, tennis, crazy golf, boating, and a lovely spot for a countryside walk. Puy du Fou is a must. During the day there are all manner of activities including Roman Amphitheatre and games, Viking invasion, Mediaeval Tournament and spectacular falconry show. The evening "son et lumière" show depicting the history of the Vendee by actors and local residents with a spectacular back drop of the ruined Chateaux.
Evening show needs to be booked in advance in summer.

Prices per week:

Low season £300: Mid £400: High £450: Peak £500:

flexible mid-week changeover