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The main windows look down the valley to the Vendee River (as we are only 2 miles from the source it is really only a stream!) There are fruit trees and a shallow pond in the field. Guests are welcome to pick the fruit or hunt for frogs and grasshoppers! The swimming pool is natural, cleaned by aquatic plants and surrounded by plenty of decked area with tables, chairs and loungers. The children's playground has swings, a slide, somersault bars and a balance beam. The pool and playground are fenced off to prevent accidents. There is a parking area by the gite with a boules pitch next to it (there are boules/rules in the gite) The games room in the barn has table tennis, table football and darts. Bikes of various sizes are free to borrow. There are many lovely walks from the house and nearby. Ideal for an out-of-season cheap break with your dog(s)
There is plenty to see and do in the surrounding area. Golf course (30 mins) Adventure playground and go-karts (5 mins) Ostrich farm and maze (15 mins) Puy du Fou is a stunning day out and is 45 mins away. Futuroscope takes 65 mins and is also a packed day although in August the queues are boringly long for each attraction. The nearest beaches are an hour away. There are many old castles, fortresses, churches. La Rochelle is an hour away (more in summer) and has many attractions including a Sealife Centre. Like all the nearby towns it has an old quarter which is fascinating. Rochefort is a bit further but has maritime museums, ancient dry docks, rope works... There is a box full of brochures in the gite.. you will be spoiled for choice!
There are plenty of restaurants and bars nearby but they have different opening times, closure days and seasons so you will need to check the 'Eating Out' information in the gite before you go. This also gives some opinions about the food at the ones I have visited. There are two banks, a doctor, a dentist, a vet and the usual small shops (including a boulangerie) in L'Absie. For supermarket shopping you have to go to Moncoutant or La Chataigneraie (both just over 10 minutes away) You have a fully equipped kitchen, fridge-freezer and dishwasher, so making your own meals and clearing away is easy. In the summer you can eat out on the patio, in the winter you can use the dining table indoors. Welcome baskets can be ordered, see the website for details (www.lachanduriere.com) This is particularly useful for those coming by air who want to get straight to the gite and relax rather than hunt up a supermarket before they close. (Nearest airports are Poitiers or La Rochelle, both an hour away, or Nantes which is 90 minutes) The nearest ferry port is St Malo (3.5 hours) or Caen (5 hours)
The heating is electric which means quick warmth, particularly important after a bracing winter walk. There are fans to keep you cool in the hot months. All bedding and towels are provided clean at the start of your break. A change of bedding is offered every week. If you need to change before that there is a laundry room in the barn with washing machines and driers.
The main bedroom has a double and a single bed. The small bedroom has bunk beds and is ideal for children as it has soft toys, a dragon and a tiger mat. (For parties with 4 adults the other gite is more comfortable as it has a double and a normal twin bedroom) The bathroom has a shower, a sink and a bath, and the toilet is next door. There is a DVD/CD player in the sitting room plus DVDs, CDs, books, jigsaws, cards, boardgames. A wireless internet facility is to be installed in July 2008. You will find a bottle of red and a bottle of fizzy white wine waiting as a welcome.
There are no extras, electricity and tourist tax have been included in the price. Bookings are from Saturday to Saturday but in the low season other arrangements can be negotiated.
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