• Is your place available for the dates we want?
• What do we do about reserving the place?
• What are the arrival and departure times?
• Can I bring pets?
• Are there bicycles?
• Is there a cot?
• Do you perform a mid-stay linen change?
• Is there a restaurant in the village?
• What other facilities are in the village itself?
• Is there a dishwasher?
• Is the pool shared?
• How far from the coast are the houses?
• How far from the ferry ports, train stations and airports are you?
• Will there be any provisions provided upon arrival?
• Can we take a boat out anywhere local?
• Are there any Golf Courses nearby?
• Is there anywhere to fish locally?

Is your place available for the dates we want?

We operate a strict update rule on our advertiser's website ( www.holidaylettings.co.uk ) whereby we highlight booked weeks immediately, with no more than 12 hours delay. Usually if the week you want is highlighted in green it is free, grey highlighting indicates a provisional booking (and that we are not yet in receipt of the booking form). Red highlights that the week is booked. To find us quickly on www.holidaylettings.co.uk type in the reference '19856' for Le Petit Logis, '20413' For Maison Du Puits or '72974' for both houses together as one, then hit the availability button.

What do we do about reserving the place?

Just a quick e-mail or call to us expressing your interest and we will hold the dates for 5 days until we receive your balance payment. Then we confirm your booking upon receipt of our signed booking form(s). These forms can be downloaded or we can e-mail them to you instead.

The total price of your holiday must also include a returnable damages deposit of £200 for Maison Du Puits and £100 for Le Petit Logis. 25% of the total amount is required to hold the booking. The balance is due 8 weeks prior to your start date. The damages deposit is to cover any breakages in the house, pool or gardens.

What are the arrival and departure times?

Arrival times are after 4pm on Saturdays. Departure times are normally 10am on Saturdays. This is to allow for a thorough changeover, linen change, full clean, replenishing stocks, gardening and pool cleaning. Occasionally these times may be deviated from, for example if the previous guests left the day before the end of their stay. We recommend you liaise directly with your caretaker about this a good week in advance of your arrival.

Can I bring pets?

Sorry, we are afraid all pets, no matter how well behaved, are not permitted in either house. This is to avoid damage and to maintain healthy standards throughout the season for all present and future guests.

Are there bicycles?

We are afraid that we do not provide bicycles for health and safety reasons. You can hire them out locally or bring them along yourself.

Is there a cot?

In Maison Du Puits there is a cot with a mattress but we regret we cannot provide bedding for the cot. Le Petit Logis does not have a cot.

Do you perform a mid-stay linen change?

For bookings less than three weeks we don’t offer this facility as standard. However if you wish to take this luxury on, please tell us and we will make sure our caretakers are informed well in advance. The charge for this is €60 Euros in Maison Du Puits and €25 Euros in Le Petit Logis.

Is there a restaurant in the village?

Yes, the” Auberge Du Chateaux” is a bar/restaurant about 4 minutes away on foot. They offer a menu Du Jour which typically consists of an Entree of pate and salad or goats cheese, Main Course of steak and chips with salad or perhaps an escalope of pork with Ratatouille for example. Then either a good selection of local cheese or some selection of sweet desserts. This is only around €11.50 Euros per head from 12 noon to 2:30pm, then again from around 6pm until 9pm. A-la-Carte is also available at a higher price.

There are a couple more restaurants within a ten minute drive at Beauvoir Sur Niort (the information is in your welcome book). The finest of all restaurants are at La Rochelle where you will blown away! Surgeres and St Jean D’ Angley host wonderful Pizzerias and modern French up market eateries. These are only 15 to 20 minutes drive away and perfect after a day lounging by the pool. Both towns have a decent, atmospheric night life. Try “Ellis Park” bar in St Jean D’Angely.

Friday nights up at the square in Loulay (10 minute drive) host wonderful live music and are a “must go” You can eat, drink and be merry. Many Expats and English holiday-makers gather here and mingle in with their French neighbours. It is highly recommended.

What other facilities are in the village itself?

Villeneuve La Comtesse is well served, in fact; you don’t need to even leave the village for the entire holiday if you don’t want to. The new Co-Op is just a 5 minute walk away and is comparable to a “Tesco Express” in size and choice terms. A good selection of wine and beer, fresh meats, cheeses, tinned goods, bread and vegetables along with a good freezer section, tobacco, cleaning products, personal hygiene products and newspapers (sorry no Daily Express!). Remember, everything closes between 12 noon and 2:30pm every day.

There is also a lovely boulangerie which not only serves fine baguettes, pains, croissants, cakes and pastries, but also has a nice covered seating area where you can enjoy a nice range of coffees. This is 2 minute drive or a ten minute walk, depending what mood you are in.

A well stocked pharmacy is around an eight minute walk away.

A pizza van complete with wood fired oven stops in the village once a week; well worth it, they are huge and very tasty, plus they are only a few Euros. The date he stops varies throughout the season. Your caretakers will know though and he often puts a sign on a lamp post like “Pizza Mardi” which is “Tuesday Night Pizzas”. Don’t forget that phrase book! The time he stops is usually between 6pm and 9:00pm.

A petrol station is only 2 minutes around the corner but remember that this, too, closes for the lunch period.

You may be wondering what the “pip pip” of a little white Renault van around the streets of the village is: it's the bread man! Don’t worry, it is not noisy or disturbing, it’s really quite quant; you will see little old ladies waiting at their gates for “Pascal” to deliver fresh bread to save them venturing out! If you fancy getting involved, just flag him down and tell him what you want. (Pointing and holding up fingers for how many you want will do for those of you who can’t speak French!)

Is there a dishwasher?

There is a dishwasher in Maison Du Puits along with a washing machine, 2 fridge freezers, an oven hob, extractor, microwave, toaster and kettle. Le Petit Logis simply has an oven hob and extractor, microwave and fridge with freezer compartment.

Is the pool shared?

There are just 2 houses, Maison Du Puits and Le Petit Logis. Neither house looks onto the other and the pool is located round the back of Le Petit Logis. You can choose to have exclusive pool us if you book Maison Du Puits or you can share with no more than two adults with a small child in Le Petit Logis. See Packages for a better understanding of how this works.

How far from the coast are the houses?

We have found it possible to reach the coast in 35 minutes. Feedback from guests has varied but some have noted it takes up to fifty minutes. This may be because they are not taking the best route. If you want we can put together some directions for the “quick way”.

How far from the ferry ports, train stations and airports are you?

A lot can depend on which port and whether or not you take the faster toll roads. We have compiled a list of recommendations on our Travelling advice page. This information is invaluable and will save you time, money and stress so we highly recommend digesting that page.

Typically:

Ferry Ports

• St Malo: 4 hours
• Caen: 5 1/4 hours
• Dieppe: 6 1/2hours
• Roscoff: 6 hours
• Calais: 9 hours

Airports

• La Rochelle: 55 minutes
• Poitiers: 2 hours
• Bordeaux: 2 Hours
• Limoges: 3 hours

Train Stations

• Surgeres: 15 minutes
• La Rochelle: 45 minutes
• Niort: 1/2 hour

Will there be any provisions provided upon arrival?

We have in the past supplied a welcome basket but have found people’s tastes not all to be the same, plus often with people arriving late the bread can have gone stale, so rather than disappoint you we simply provide you with the basic toilet rolls, washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets and a bottle or two of wine. If you feel this may cause you problems then please just ask your caretaker (in good time) if they have time to get some basics on the day of your arrival and then reimburse them when you see them on departure (or before).

Can we take a boat out anywhere local?

20 minutes up the road is “Coulon”, dubbed “Frances answer to the Norfolk Broads but without the rain”. This area is known as the “Marais Poitevin”. In our opinion this will be one of the highlights of your holiday. You can take your own rowing boat out and stop on the banks for a shady picnic or you can take the tour boats with onboard commentary of the sights.

Are there any Golf Courses nearby?

30 minutes towards Niort we understand there is a nine hole golf course. 45 minutes into Cognac country there is another 12 hole course with exceptional views on the outskirts of the famous town of Cognac itself. We recommend you make your own enquiries into the opening times and facilities before you leave.

Is there anywhere to fish locally?

Yes, if you head east for 10 minutes you will come to the “Bouttone” river, with its streams heading off to all sort of tranquil spots, perfect for settling under a Silver Birch for the afternoon. We are not aware of anywhere to hire out rods and tackle though, so come kitted up!