Guestbook Reviews for Property Ref 11767
Beautiful Rural Gite, France
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A holiday in the south of France.
We were looking forward to our holiday at Grand Pailley Bas and after a couple of days of travel, fell in love with the place as soon as we drove up the road. Fen and Ian were waiting to greet us and proved to be wonderful hosts. Most of the time you didn’t know they were there, unless it was to clean the pool or check that we were OK, or to offer suggestions of where to go.
The house was perfect for the six of us, Mum and Dad, two boys (3 and 5) and Nan and Grandad. Nice big bedrooms with French doors opening onto the decking which surrounds the front and side of the house. A big well equipped kitchen, complimented by an equally big BBQ outside. There is a lounge, but the weather was so nice we spent most of the time outside. And then there is the pool. We really could have done with another two weeks, by which time both of the boys would have been swimming without their armbands.
Around the property there were fields of sunflowers, corn and plums. The views were superb, Marian and Joanne saw a wild boar crossing the cornfield one morning, we saw deer in the distance a few times and for a few days we watch the farmer harvesting his plums. In the first week the moon was quite bright in the early night, but by week 2 it didn’t rise until after midnight, which meant I spend several evenings looking at the stars. With very little light in the area there were a lot of stars.
Some days we traveled around the area, many days we just stayed at the house. Whichever it was we had a wonderful time in a really nice home from home.
Many thanks Fen and Ian, Your home is lovely and we are very grateful that you allowed us to have it as our home for 2 weeks.
19/09/16
August 2016
Families with Young Children, Older/Mature, Tranquility, Food/Wine, Sightseeing/History
Happy Holidays
As a family of 5, covering 3 generations, the superbly appointed accommodation was everything we hoped for and more.
With 3 spacious double / twin rooms on the ground floor with french windows opening onto a glorious rural outlook., there was no arguing over bedrooms! Two of the rooms shared a nearby large bathroom with over bath shower. Whilst the third enjoyed acces to an en-suite shower room.
The kitchen was large and equipped with all you would need for holiday catering and the lounge / dining room was comfortable with UK satellite TV allowing us to watch the Olympics.
Outside the covered seating area offers a choice of two dining tables, allowing best use in all weather conditions, while a third table is located in the large and securely fenced flat garden, ideal for young children.
The pool is over looked from the veranda but securely fenced and lit after dark, allowing the children to be safely supervised at all times. Access to the chest deep pool is via a short ladder and Fen and Ian equip guests with poolside loungers, sun parasol and inflatables for the pool.
Grand Pailley Bas is an isolated, rural property with good access to nearby towns and supermarkets (15min drive away). As keen cyclists, we enjoyed access to well surfaced, quiet French roads and a variety of way marked routes which helped to make the most of rides with and without the children.
During our stay, we particularly enjoyed the numerous local food markets and the Bastide towns as well as canoeing on the Dordogne.
Our hosts, Ian and Fen were warm and friendly and on hand to solve any problems whilst remaining inconspicuous throughout our stay, the perfect hosts.
In summary, a lovely property in a stunning rural location. Strongly recommended
25/08/16
July 2016
Families with Young Children, Older/Mature, Tranquility, Food/Wine
A lovely, lazy relaxing holiday in a breath taking panorama of sunflowers and prune trees.
A wonderful home with a great warm welcome from the hosts Fen and Ian. The house is cool even in very hot weather and well decorated. The beds were huge and very comfortable. There is UK Freesat and a DVD player. There are plenty of books, games and DVDS, plus internet access to keep in touch. The kitchen is equipped with everything you might need (from cold boxes, cool blocks, dishwasher tablets for the week to coffee pods for the Senseo coffee machine and all possible needed kitchen utensils). We appreciated the welcome pack including bread, butter, local jam, milk, 3 bottles of wine (red, white and sparkling!) and 2 boxes of biscuits! The owners are incredibly helpful!
The pool was cleaned daily. The view from the pool is a breath taking panorama of sunflowers and prune trees. We had the pleasure of watching the nesting swallows until the fledglings made their final flight from under the canopy.
We loved the region and probably only scratched the surface of things to do, mainly because we lazily spent a lot of time barbequing and sitting by the pool. However, there are plenty of vineyards for tasting, try canoeing along the Dordogne (best way to view the medieval fortified castles clinging to the banks). Definitely, spare an evening or two for the food night markets for relaxed outside dining and music. Our favourite was the Friday evening marked in Issigeac set in a medieval village square surrounded by narrow alleys formed by 14th and 15th century stone and wooden framed houses.
We would highly recommend Grand Pailley Bas. Thanks to Fen and Ian for a lovely, lazy relaxing holiday.
25/07/16
July 2016
Families with Young Children, Families with Teenagers, Older/Mature, Tranquility, Art/Culture, Food/Wine, Sightseeing/History
Fabulous gite in a stunning location
Grand Pailley Bas is a beautiful 3 bedroom gite set in the most stunning rural setting with panoramic views over the ever changing landscape. We visited in July when the sunflowers were just starting to bloom and turning the landscape a vibrant yellow. Grand Pailley Bas is suitable for a couple or family alike, with a spacious airy feel and the wonderful wrap around covered terrace over looking the pool area, for those wonderful relaxing alfresco evenings. Fen and Ian live very quietly on site, but are always at hand if any advice is needed regarding great places to visit in the area (of which there are many). The pool, terrace and garden was ours to enjoy privately and is the perfect place to unwind from the stresses of everyday life. Thank you Fen and Ian.
M Aldous (Suffolk, UK)22/07/16
July 2016
Families with Young Children, Families with Teenagers, Sun Seekers, Older/Mature, Disabled/Infirm, Tranquility, Art/Culture, Food/Wine, Sightseeing/History
Lovely Place to stay in Rural France
Visited in Late August with my Partner. Lovely setting out in the French Countryside within easy reach (by car) of Bergerac Airport and Main Roads if you are driving. The Pool is available to use and has the benefit of wonderful views. In the area there are some lovely Market towns and I would definitely recommend making a visit to one of the many Night Markets!
Fen & Ian are both Lovely and couldn't have made us feel more welcome. .Will definitely be visiting again in the future!
23/02/16
August 2015
Families with Young Children, Families with Teenagers, Activity Seekers, Sun Seekers, Older/Mature, Tranquility, Shopping, Art/Culture, Food/Wine, Sightseeing/History
Great hospitality
I stayed at Grand Pailley Bas as part of a two-day photography workshop and I enjoyed every minute there. Fenella and Ian are wonderful hosts with nothing being too much trouble for them. Ian is very knowledgeable about photography and knows his subject inside out as well as being a great teacher. The accommodation is of very good quality, was very clean and comfortable and in a beautiful and peaceful setting. I would not hesitate to highly recommend.
Nicola (Dordogne, France)20/02/16
May 2014
Lovely location
My family and I stayed here in summer 2015 and are booked to go back. This very well equipped gite has a fabulous location, and is ideally situated to explore this beautiful region of France. The hosts are very friendly and will enhance your stay, and our whole family is greatly looking forward to our return visit. We couldn't recommend it more.
Dean and Louise (Europe, England)20/02/16
August 2015
Families with Young Children, Families with Teenagers, Activity Seekers, Sun Seekers, Older/Mature, Tranquility, Art/Culture, Food/Wine, Sightseeing/History
Fantastic Place to Stay
We have stayed here twice now and it's better each visit.
The hosts are friendly and helpful with good local knowledge.
If photography is your thing then this is the perfect place to learn from a professional... If food and wine are your thing then this area is hard to beat..... If stunning scenery and laying by a superb pool are your thing... It's here.
Are we going again ?.... Bet your life we are... Even if it's just for the super comfy beds !
20/02/16
May 2014
Families with Teenagers, Activity Seekers, Sun Seekers, Singles, Older/Mature, Tranquility, Shopping, Art/Culture, Food/Wine, Sightseeing/History
What a great find!
We had a lovely time staying with Fen & Ian and their three beautiful dogs.
The three bedroomed gite is attached to the main house but totally separate. The bed in the largest, en suite bedroom is huge and we slept incredibly well.
Don't wait until the summer. It was warm enough in the evenings to sit outside with a drink, there is plenty of walking in the area and the colour on the trees turning into their autumn shades was truly spectacular.
Plenty to do in the vicinity if you feel the need to move, but why not wander around with a camera or watercolours, sit in the autumn sunshine with a book or even write your own!
20/02/16
October 2015
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