Property Details of Poitou Charentes House

WELCOME TO LE MANOIR DES COUTS!

NEW: Exclusive use solar heated pool, UK Sat TV flatscreen , painting lessons available.

Summer nearly all booked!..
Special Offers :
-June, September: £50 off second week booked.
-2 to 9 July : £850 instead of £950.

Enjoy the charm and authenticity of this rare 16th C Manor House, lovingly restored to bring back to life its many architectural treasures : beautifully carved windows with interior stone seats, impressive opus flagstones, an arched stone sink, a gothic fireplace and the huge, original beams.. combined with modern comforts..

One of our little visitors, Emilia, 21/2 years old decided the house was a “fairy castle”, no doubt the castle was in her imagination but the fairy is perhaps more “tangible” since a local legend relates the tale of the fairy of the nearby spring, a Carolingian knight who claimed to be a companion of Roland and Charlemagne and a young couple. This legend together with the recent aerial photography revealing the presence of a nearby Celtic enclosure seem to confirm the house ‘s very ancient roots..

As keen gardeners, we have devoted equal care in restoring the pretty, enclosed garden, where we have created a 16th C style herb garden, built wooden pergolas covered by ancient vines, sheltering a picnic table and a bench. This garden, ideal for children, is very sheltered, a veritable heat trap, relax, enjoy the scent of lily of the valley, lilac, old roses, lavender, eucalyptus, and jasmine. A solar heated wooden pool (warms the water up by 3 to 5°, a must in the Spring and Autumn) is available for your exclusive use.

An article concerning this house's restoration can be found in the January 2006 issue of French Property News

Situated in a peaceful hamlet,within a wildlife protected area, ideal for birdwatching (15 protected species), this is the ideal location to walk, relax and discover the region's well known sites : Poitiers/Futuroscope, the Venise Verte (45mns), La Rochelle/Ile de Ré, the Monkey Valley and the many local medieval towns, villages, neolithic, Gallo-Roman sites and not least, a great market in Lezay and some good restaurants only minutes from the house!..

THE ACCOMMODATION

The house is fully detached, its ground floor accommodation 112m2 sleeps 6 and a baby (cot, high chair, baby bath provided), children are welcome.. We have taken great care in restoring and decorating it, respecting local traditions, often ahead of ecological norms : the thick stone walls have been re limed , increasing their insulation power and have been washed with warm, natural pigments. They keep the property beautifully cool during hot summer days!.. The wooden windows are either double glazed or single glazed with wooden shutters, the uninhabited first floor is insulated (200mm), there is a woodstove and all electric appliances are A rated.



-Living room : With a gothic fireplace and stove, comfortable sofas and armchairs, a hand painted antique buffet, French & UK SAT. flat screen TV, DVD player, a choice of books and many old fashioned wooden games and board games.

-Kitchen: : Newly equipped with a Smeg stainless steel gas cooker, microwawe; fridge freezer, dishwasher, electric coffee machine, toaster, kettle etc.. A glazed door lead to the pretty, enclosed garden.

-Dining Room: With the impressive stone arched sink and an antique Henry II buffet with its table and 6 chairs.

-Utility room : Washing machine, hoover, iron ironing table, clothes- rack, clothes cupboard and cleaning utensils.

-Shower room : : Shower with thermostatic tap, glass door, toilet, washbasin, cupboard.

-Double bedroom 1 : With four poster bed, chest of drawers.

-Double bedroom2 : One double bed, a cot, one wardrobe and one chest of drawers

-Twin Bedroom : Two single beds and one chest of drawers.

THE GARDEN:
Relax in the very private and sheltered garden, a veritable heat trap, help yourself to the delicious Moroccan mint for hot or ice cold tea or pick herbs for your barbecue from the herb garden, dine under the wooden pergola covered by ancient vines, Enjoy the scent of the old roses, lilac, lily of the valley, lavender, eucalyptus and Jasmine. A solar heated wooden pool is available for your exclusive use. Keep an eye (and an ear) open for the interesting local birds, some very rare : hoopoes, bustards, cuckoos, nightingales, barn owls, falcons, buzzards and herons.

2011 Rates :

-30 April to 27 May : £550
-28 May to 4 June : £599
-4 June to 1 July : £699
-2 July to 2 Sep : £950
-3 Sep to 30 Sep : £699
-1 Oct to 28 Oct : £499



GUEST BOOK :
-August 2010, the Lloyd-Adams family, Bucks, England
"We have had a wonderful time here these last 2 weeks and we go home rested and re-charged, sun-tanned and pleased to say our youngest child has learnt to swim in your pool!.. Thank you Keith & Francine for your hospitality and making us feel so welcome, you have been very attentive hosts. The house is beautiful and the garden an idyllic retreat, the children have spent hours enjoying the pool and we have enjoyed many hours sitting in the sunshine enjoying the peaceful surroundings."

-June 2010, The Kemp family, North Yorkshire
“We ’ve had a fantastic week here at Le Manoir, the weather has been very fortunate with 31 33°c every day and the occasional thunder storm in the evening. Our girls enjoyed the pool which provided an excellent way of keeping cool. If you are an early riser, take a cup of tea into the garden and sit and watch the wildlife : nightingales, swifts, swallows, humming bird hawk moth and an owl, all can be seen between 6 and 7 AM.. Thank you Keith & Francine, we have loved staying here. “

-2008 Gillian, William, Sebastian & Giles Oliver, Kent.
“We've had a thouroughly enjoyable frotnight here in the lovely Manoir des Couts. It is a very relaxing and welcoming house and we have particularly loved the garden. Our boys have spent every day pottering about the garden where they are completely safe and happy”.

- Spring 2007 Mal and Jill Alston, Eurora, Australia
“Thank you for your friendship and opportunity to stay in your charming house. We leave with wonderful memoirs of French stone villages and green green fields!.. “

- 2007 Ian, Susan and Libby, Tadcaster, England
"What a fantastic week we've had here. We've had a very lazy time - helped by the great weather and the pool! The house is amazing and had everything we needed - even for an 8 months old baby.
Tuesdays market at Lezay was a favourite, lots of lovely tasty local produce. Wish we were staying longer!"

-2006 Sharon and Henry, Hereford England.
“A really peaceful and characterful property, just the place to unwind. Also great hospitality by Keith and Francine. Spent a lot of the week trying to visualise how the village would have looked in the 17th and 18th century”. ..

-2005 Michelle, Remi, Susie, Jamie and Liliane, London.
“Wow ! What a lovely house, what a lovely time. We especially enjoyed the lovely herb garden! To anyone else visiting, Cognac is especially worth a visit, go the scenic route”..

-2005 Terence, Sally, Helena and Teddy, Buckinghamshire, England.
“Thank you for a lovely stay in your manoir, we have enjoyed ourselves hugely and there has been masses to do without going too far. Thank you particularly for our painting lessons which have inspired me to get started again and which the children enjoyed too. Two weeks goes too quickly! My mum missed the kayaking and canoeing at Lambon. Great fun! We also went go-karting at Poitiers, an amazing area with so much to do. Thanks a lot, Teddy, age 12”.

-2005Alun and Kate, Reigate, Surrey, England.
“We are delighted to be the first guests to write in your book! Our stay at the Manoir has been everything we wanted from our holiday and more. The beautiful house and garden is a testament to all your hard work and creativity. We hope that your future guests love it as much as we did, a week is too short a stay! We will certainly be recommending the Manoir to our friends and we hope to see you all again soon ourselves.Thanks again to you all, particularly Francine- for all your efforts in making us feel at home. ! All the best for the future”.

Local Area Details

PAINTING LESSONS We are professional artists trained at the Royal Academy School London and Edinburgh College of Arts with wide teaching experience should you wish to seek inspiration from the beautiful local surroundings and improve your painting skills Keith Dunkley former tutor will be pleased to offer advice and the possibility of painting lessons Please do not hesitate to contact us for more details Keith is fully registered with the Maison des Artistes siret no 400 663 316 00018 .

-THE POITOUCHARENTES REGION POITIERS Enjoy its rich heritage The very rare 4th century Baptistre St Jean the beautiful Romanesque church Notre Dame la Grande the Palace of the Dukes of Aquitaine and many other medieval and Renaissance buildings not to mention a good selection of shops boutiques cafs and restaurants Children and adolescents have enjoyed Futuroscopes latest attractions.

-LA ROCHELLE Its wealth acquired through its sea trading is still very visible through its rich heritage there is a great choice of restaurants and a great ambiance dont miss the aquarium The trendy ILE DE RE and its lovely sandy beaches should not be missed either.

-THE VENISE VERTE Enjoy your chance to have fun rowing in the wrong direction the Marais Poitevin in only 45mns away.
-LA VALLEE DES SINGES Observe the many species of monkeys including a very happy family of gorillas and become the focal point of their attention.
A pleasant outing in a well designed park only 20mnsaway SANXAY An impressive GalloRoman site about 25mns away BOUGON An impressive NEOLITHIC site featuring several large tumuli and a well designed museum BAGNAULTEXOUDUNLA MOTHE ST HERAY Two untouched medieval villages a superb orangery in La Mothe.

-COGNAC Visit the cellars and discover how the wonderful Pineau de Charentes is made TENNSFISHING 5mns RIDING 15mns GOLF 45mns FRESH WATER LAKE CANOEING 25mns GO KARTING 15mns.

-MELLE A pleasant little town featuring 3 beautiful romanesque churches one of which is Unesco listed an ancient silver mine and its carolingian garden.

-LEZAY It offers one of the largest markets around much appreciated by all our visitors on Tuesday morning and the usual supermarket and shops There are plenty of untouched medieval villages nearby and a choice of good restaurants

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Property Features

* Has a Pool
* Children are allowed

Contact Information for 16th c Manor House with heated private pool France

Name:	Francine Dunkley
Telephone:	33-5-492972
Alt Telephone:	--
Fax:	--
It is completely free to send an enquiry! Use this opportunity and email the owner below to ask as many questions as you wish about this House in Poitou Charentes.