2 Bedroom Cottage in Aulnay

This region of France is second only to the Mediterranaen coast in terms of hours of sunshine. It is an ideal base for exploring the miles of peaceful countryside, charming villages and the wonderful Atlantic coastline - over 300 Kms of it! Many of the towns in the area (for example, Saintes and St Jean D'Angely) have Roman origins and there are some fascinating remains to visit. 
The house itself is a quite recently completed barn conversion built of the local limestone with a tiled roof. All the internal floors are tiled.There is one vast living room/kitchen diner (52 square meters) with exposed stone walls and a vaulted ceiling showing off the ancient oak beams. Two French doors lead out into the sunny stone built conservatory overlooking the terrace, garden and the fields beyond. A short passage from the living room, off which is a storeroom and cloakroom, leads to the two bedrooms. Bedroom one has a double bed, a double built in wardrobe and a French door leading onto the south east facing terrace. The en-suite here boasts a walk in wet room with shower, bath, WC and washbasin. Bedroom two is equipped with a double bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers and the en-suite has a shower, WC and wash basin. 
The living room is comfortably furnished with UK Freeview TV/DVD/VCR and radio channels operated by a Humax recorder and satellite dish. There is a CD/Radio stereo system with superb sound reproduction. There is a large dining table and chairs. 
The kitchen is really well equipped with all modern appliances: 5 burner gas hob with oven and warming drawer, dishwasher, tumble drier, two refrigerators, freezer, coffee percolator, washing machine, microwave,kettle, iron, toaster and even a bread making machine! 
The conservatory has a small table and chairs, easy chairs and another Freeview TV. Outside is a dining table with parasol, 4 chairs and sun loungers. A small charcoal barbecue is available. 
Hot water and central heating is provided by a gas boiler and the living room has a very efficient wood burning stove. Due to the thickness of the stone walls the house remains pleasantly cool even in the heat of summer.

There are 4 bycycles available for visitors' use.

Within a short drive you may like to visit: 
 
Cognac 
Famous for production of fine brandy - tours of the distilleries are available throughout the summer. There is a super park there alongside the Charente with a huge children's playground. 
 
Saintes 
Beautiful town steeped in Roman history with original baths to explore. Interesting market and excellent restaurants. Variety of river trips. 
 
St Jean D'Angely 
Good Saturday market and a massive indoor swimming complex - Atlantys - with a brilliant water slide. All the major retailers are represented here. There is a McDonalds (next to Intermarche)with free WIFI. 
 
Further afield are the fascinating islands of d'Oleron and de Re, zoos at Chize and Palmyre (Royan), Futurescope near Poitiers, historic Angouleme, Bordeaux and "Green Venice" at the Marais de Poitevin - ideal for bikes and boats. 
 
 

• Nearest Airport : La Rochelle at 75 kilometers distance;
• Nearest Train Station : St Jean D'Angely at 20 kilometers distance
• Nearest Town : Aulnay at 8 kilometers distance
• Travel Info: Ryanair has flights to La Rochelle and Poitiers. Both these airports are about a 1 hour drive. Flybe alsao operates from the UK to La Rochelle. Web based car hire is about £150 per week. There are three excellent ferry operators - P+O, Brittany Ferries and Condor. Routes are from Portsmouth, Weymouth or Poole to St.Malo, Cherbourg, Caen anmd Le Havre.