Le Bonheur dans notre Pré

The owners were lovely, and the pool was really inviting. We had a great time in this beautiful old stone house out in the countryside. Some of the decor felt a little dated, but it didn’t take away from the place’s beauty. It all felt wonderfully authentic, and we’d happily come back.

We spent a long stay at Castlenaud in May, and the setting was so peaceful. I loved walking our dog up through the forest in the mornings, with deer and other wildlife around. He was also happy roaming the fields behind the property and coming back to us. The garden is enclosed, though not secure, which worked for our family. The pool was clean and very well kept, and our daughter and her cousins absolutely loved it. The views are stunning, too. It’s a short drive to sarlat, with a shop and bakery about 5-10 minutes away. Our family came to visit during the stay, including our parents and other relatives with children. The Gitê was perfect for all of us. It’s a beautiful place, and the grounds are immaculate. You can tell Michele and Jean-Paul put their heart into looking after the property. The beds were made up, there was a cot for our baby, and the bathroom was clean, with a shower and bath. We had towels, and the kitchen was fully equipped. The washing machine is in a separate, clean, well-equipped communal room, so you have to walk through the courtyard or use the back entrance. I didn’t mind that and actually enjoyed the little trips to do the washing. It was me, my husband, our three-year-old daughter, our ten-month-old son, and our big husky. The owners were always around if we needed anything. Michele cooked for us one night, and it was lovely. I wish we could’ve stayed longer, and we’d love to return.

The countryside around the gîte was beautiful, and the place had a lovely atmosphere. We’d booked a studio but ended up with a whole gîte, which was very well equipped. Having access to both the washing machine and tumble dryer was a real bonus. We also met the owners and had coffee with them. There are lots of must-see attractions close by.

We were there for three nights, two people, and paid over 3,000 Euros. The promised written offer of a “full refund for unused nights” was then refused by the owners, even though 12 nights were unused. We only stayed those three nights because the experience was so awful. We’d come with family and friends for a reunion around the Rugby World Cup, hoping to watch some matches after a close family bereavement. On arrival, the owners’ representative didn’t show up as agreed. We were left in 35C heat for nearly two hours before the owners emailed us the key location. There was no welcome pack as promised, the TV and fridge were broken, and the beds hadn’t been made. We were generally treated like a nuisance. When I was away in Bordeaux watching the Ireland rugby match on Saturday, three people came to the gîte and aggressively accused my wife of breaking the TV. The owners also berated her over the phone. The implication was that we’d have to pay 100 euros for retuning or repairs if we’d broken it. We couldn’t watch the opening France/NZ match on Friday because the TV didn’t work. Their bullying, aggressive treatment was despicable, especially with my wife left alone to deal with it. The accommodation itself was shabby and poorly furnished, with little spent on it in the last ten years, in our view. Montfort and Milandes had three bedrooms below the gîte in a damp, cave-like area that needed a dehumidifier. Some bedrooms opened off another bedroom, making them totally unsuitable for adults. The courtyard was grubby and communal, with no private space. Behind the closed shutters, the view was a broken-down breeze-block barn just six feet away. The pool was around 300 metres away, behind three other buildings, in a field. The old fridge had no freezer compartment, so there was no way to take an iced drink along. There were passive-aggressive notes around the gîte listing fines for breakages. A couple of days after moving out, we drove past and my wife spoke to people in the courtyard who confirmed they were staying in the exact property we had rented. That looked like double-dipping to us. We might have put up with the lousy accommodation if the owners and their representative hadn’t treated us in such a disgusting, appalling way. They deliberately misled us about the refund we’d been offered. Don’t be taken in by the nice pool and garden photos in the literature, as those may well be out of bounds to you.