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FRANCE 2
TRAVEL LINKS TO FRENCH HOLIDAYS COTTAGES AND VILLAS
The best train selection system and comprehensive ferry system
The Dordogne is where the south of France begins and where some of the country's best food and wine is found.
A country Cottage or Gite a villa rental break the perfect way to sample the fresh air & local produce.
The Dordogne has a lot going for it: wonderful weather, beautiful countryside, a real rural feel - and a long tradition of shopkeepers The biggest draw is the food and wine, both of Bergerac and Bordeaux, just a little further east.
Bergerac and over the River Dordogne with its stone bridge, then south to the ridge of hills running east to west,
through mile after mile of vineyards. In the Bergerac region there are 13 different appellation controlées
(The official areas for wines) ranging from full bodied reds suitable for ageing to easy drinking whites. But the vineyards
we were passing through were those of Monbazillac - a sweet wine second in reputation only to Bordeaux's Sauturnes and Saussignac, a lesser known but equally seductive wine.
There is no shortage of hotels in the Dordogne, of course, but renting a house villa or cottage brings its own freedoms.
For those of us who travel frequently on business, the thought of staying in yet another hotel, no matter how lovely, is not particularly tempting. What's more, one of the joys of France is its food and wine. You can get both at hotels, but how much better to spend the mornings at daily local markets buying fresh ingredients, then preparing the food and eating it
with friends. As for the wine, hotels will have a good selection.
It's much less expensive to find a local, friendly proprietor, and you can leave with enough quality bottles to keep everyone supplied for a whole week. It would be twice as expensive to buy in the UK, even supposing we could get hold of it.
Choosing a house cottage or accommodation to rent is easy using cottages 4 you You can type in your requirements,
number of people and specific region, and take a tour of the properties online. But rather like viewing houses to buy online,
there is a temptation to look at the very best on offer - places so grand that you'd need to win a life-changing amount
of money to afford them. The advantage of renting, however, is that the larger your group, the less you pay and the
grander the place you can afford to stay in.
Chateau les Tours de Lenvege, overlooking the Dordogne valley and about nine miles from Bergerac. It consists of two renovated 13th-century defensive towers with ivy creeping up the stone. Connecting them was a hayloft converted into bedrooms. It slept 12, and when the price was divided it became about £270 per person for a week (depends on season).
Included in the price were the services of house manager Henrietta, a maid (one visit per week) and a handyman/pool man
in the form of Henrietta's husband
Constructed over the centuries from pale and extremely hard limestone, the Chateau has been through many transformations. The common thread behind each being that people have simply fallen in love with the place and have spent a large amount of money on it as a result.
Live like millionaires, without either the costs or the responsibilities. As anyone who has a swimming pool knows
they require a lot of upkeep, they are expertly tended.
Day trips to markets, and to Bergerac are a highlight or a visit to the Maison des Vins in the Cloitre des Recollets,
The orientation of the house looked down over the surrounding hillside of vines to the Dordogne, miles distant somewhere in
the large flat valley.
Bordeaux is only a few hours' drive to the east or instead explore the numerous huge stores selling wine along the roads.
Their daunting selections of wines came not just from Bergerac and Bordeaux, but from every region of France.
The Dordogne feels pleasantly empty compared with England, you may feel like buying a vineyard and raise
bi-lingual children - before finishing another bottle of wine and going into the kitchen to another rustic French recipe.
Well it is the perfect place to Day Dream...
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