'Les Chardonnerets' - Extra Large Villa Ideal for Big Groups Summary A very large property sleeping 24 plus 5 babies in 12 bedrooms. Private, heated, swimming pool. Located in the South Vendée near Fontenay-le-Comte and La Rochelle. Description Providing high-quality self-catering accommodation that is particularly suitable for extended families, multigenerational parties and groups of friends. Les Chardonnerets accommodates up to 24 adults / children plus up to five infants in spacious comfort. Located in the South Vendée between the towns of Luçon and Fontenay-le-Comte, the gite is convenient for the excellent beaches of the Vendée and the many other attractions of the region. The property comprises of a converted barn and an adjacent farmhouse that have been co-joined to provide a total of 12 bedrooms (two of which are on the ground floor), 7 bathrooms (3 en-suite), and huge, open plan living & kitchen areas. Outside there is a covered veranda with gas BBQ. Les Chardonnerets is a stand-alone property and is not part of a gite complex. The pool and grounds are for the exclusive use of guests staying at the property. Les Chardonnerets is carefully arranged to cater for large groups. The large kitchen / diner and the veranda easily accommodate parties of 24 or more dining together, and the large, heated, private swimming pool (12m by 6m,
plus a shallow pool for younger children) is well supplied with loungers. The kitchen equipment includes two ovens, two hobs, two dishwashers and three fridges to ease the catering for large groups. For groups travelling with babies and toddlers, cots & high chairs are provided as is children's tableware; bottle warmers, sterilizers and buggies are available upon request at no charge. For security, the pool is fenced and has a locking gate. Both staircases are gated top and bottom. Les Chardonnerets has two sitting rooms, both of which have TV (English & French language). Books and toys are available in the property and internet access (both Wifi and Ethernet) is provided at no charge. To the rear, and bordering the kitchen, Les Chardonnerets has a large covered veranda (18m by 6m) behind the barn that is equipped with outdoor seating and dining furniture, and a gas BBQ. A second covered area is available behind the farmhouse that provides a more secluded, quiet, space. In total, there are twelve bedrooms. These comprise: one super-king size, three king size rooms,, two doubles, one triple, for twins and a single room. One of the twin rooms can be made up as a king sized room if desired. Five cots are provided. Two bedrooms are on the ground floor and are arranged as a family suite with associated bathroom. There are seven bath / shower rooms in total, three of which are en-suite. Outside, in addition to the pool, there is a play area with climbing frame, swings and slide. A large trampoline is provided as are outdoor games, such as ping-pong. The rear garden can be secured by a gate to the driveway, and at the front of the Les Chardonnerets there are enclosed gardens which can also be secured by gates. Les Chardonnerets is available for rental year round. Letting is by the week mid-june to mid-september with a Saturday changeover. At other times changeover day and length of stay are flexible and the property can be taken for week-end or midweek stays. Rental rates for short stays: 2 nights at 50% of the weekly rate, 3 or 4 nights at 75% of weekly rate. Please contact us for other rates. The gite is roughly equidistant between the market towns of Fontenay le Comte and Luçon, both of which have a full range of shops & services as well as a fine selection of restaurants. As well as bed linen (freshly pressed), towels (including pool / beach towels), all utilities and cleaning are included in the price. Equipment such as sterilisers, bottle warmers and baby listeners are available at no extra charge. We Jon & Julia have been resident in France for many years (our home is about 4km away) and we are on hand to provide any assistance or information you might need. Babysitting and a meals service are available upon request. Nearby attractions include: Puy du Fou Twice voted by the theme park industry as being the best park in the world, the Puy du Fou is quite unique. The park revolves around six live shows or spectaculars that are dramatisations of historical or mythical events relating to the Vendée. The stage craft is exceptional and can justifiably be described as both world class and in some instances ground breaking. Away from the big shows, the rest of the park has plenty to interest the visitor. This is a must do for any holiday in the Vendée. Located about 65km from our gite in Les Epesses. Beaches of the Vendée The beaches of the South Vendée are a delight. For the most part they are sandy (though one honourable exception has a fine line in rock pools at low tide) and are very family friendly. Our favourites are:
La Faute sur Mer the closest beach at about 40km. La Faute is a low-rise, relaxed, small, resort town. Access to the beach is via paths of a couple of hundred metres length over the dunes. The sandy beach here is particularly fine. During the summer period the bathing is supervised on some stretches. La Faute is a nice town and has some good restaurants. We can recommend La Grand Voile on Avenue de la Plage. Les Conches is, overall, our favourite beach. Also sandy, this is a very gently sloping beach that is enormous when the tide is out and where the sea stays shallow for quite some distance. There is not a lot in the way of commerce here; just a few stalls selling drinks, snacks and ice cream. This is a good surf beach and there are two surf schools here. We recommend Manu Surf. About 55km drive. St Vincent sur Jard This is the most distant of our favoured beaches at around 60km. The beach here is notable for two features: firstly, there are lots of interesting rock pools to muck about in; secondly, the beach is over looked by the last home of the French statesman, Georges Clemenceau. It is a surprisingly modest house for a man widely held to be the father of victory in the First World War. The house is as Clemenceau left it at the time of his death in 1929. The gardens here were designed by his friend, the famous impressionist, Claude Monet. Indian Forest Adventure Park / O Gliss Water Park Located adjacent to one another near the village of Moutiers les Mauxfaits (about 45km distant), Indian Forest and O Gliss provide activity packed days. The Indian Forest adventure park centres around a series of high rope pathways (assault courses, really) slung through the tree tops. There is a range of difficulties available ranging from child s play to downright reckless. Also in the park can be found bungie jumps, go karts and water slides. Water slides (and flumes and rapids a lots of other aquatic lunacy) attain another level in the neighbouring O Gliss water park. This is the third largest of its kind in France and is open June, July & August. La Rochelle The city of La Rochelle is amongst the most visited in France. It is an elegant sort of place with lots of high end shops and many good restaurants. The aquarium one of Europe s largest is excellent, and is most certainly worth a trip to La Rochelle (about 45 km distant) all by itself, but the real charm of the place can be found in just strolling around soaking up the ambiance. The area around the old port is particularly pleasant. La Rochelle has hundreds of restaurants and competition generally keeps quality quite high. Our favoured eateries are Bar André (a La Rochelle institution) at 5 rue St Jean du Perot and Le Boute en Train (classic French) at 7 rue des Bonnes Femmes. Mervent Forest Located about 15km away, the forest of Mervent extends over 12000 acres. At its heart is a huge lake that acts as a reservoir for the area. Aside from providing innumerable routes for shady walks, the forest is home to a number of other attractions, including the activity park at Pierre Brune (very good for children of all ages), a rather good small zoo and a water sports centre (from which canoes & kayaks can be hired). The forest also has marked tracks for mountain bikes. There are a couple of restaurants in the forest we would recommend L Auberge de la Forêt. In the heart of the forest for higher end dining or the Mangoustan in Mervent village for a meal with children. Venise Verte Venise Verte (Green Venice) refers to a network of canals and dykes dug hundreds of years ago to drain the Poitou marshes. These days, the Venise Verte provides a haven for wildlife and is an area of gentle beauty. The best way to experience the area is by boat and these can be hired at a number of locations (for example Maillezais where can be seen the remains of a magnificent abbey and Damvix). For lunch, La Recré (a pizzeria / creperie in a converted school) in Damvix provides a perfect family dining option. Map
Address: 4 Rue du Moulin de la Croix, 85370 Mouzeuil-Saint-Martin, France Zip/Postal Code: 85370 Latitude / Longitude: 46.458943041109386 / -0.9821113018188043 Nearest airport La Rochelle 40 km Nearest bar / pub Aux Coeurs Vendéens, Nalliers 4 km Nearest beach La Faute sur Mer 40 km Nearest boulangerie Boulangerie Verdon 0.5 km Nearest canal Canal des Hollandais 8 km Nearest doctor Fontenay le Comte 15 km Nearest ferry port St Malo 300 km Nearest market Fontenay le Comte 15 km Nearest restaurant Le Cheval Blanc, Nalliers 4 km Nearest river La Vendée 15 km Nearest supermarket Nearest train station LeClerc, Fontenay le Comte Gare de Luçon 15 km 15 km Directions
Les Chardonnerets is easily reached from both the UK & Ireland and from elsewhere in France. The gîte is only about 12km from the nearest autoroute junction on the A83. The autoroute system allows swift travel from airports and ferry ports, with La Rochelle airport 40 minutes drive, Nantes airport about an hour away, St Malo ferry 3 hours drive and Calais (ferry & tunnel)6 and a half hours travel time. Accommodation, facilities, utilities House Board: Self catering Bedroom(s): 12 ( 24 Sleeps ) Cots: 5, Double bedrooms: 6, Double bedrooms en-suite: 3, Single bedrooms: 1, Twin bedrooms: 5 Bathroom(s): 7 Baths: 3, Showers: 6, Toilets: 7, Wash basins: 7 Suitability Long term rentals: No Pets: Some pets, please enquire Smoking: No smoking Children: Yes, great for kids Wheelchair: No Elderly or infirm: Yes Holiday type Beach holidays, Family holidays, Rural holidays View Countryside views, Village views General facilities Garden, Garden furniture, Parking, WiFi Indoor facilities CD Player, Central heating, Coffee Maker, Dishwasher, DVD Player, Fridge, Fridge freezer, ipod dock, Iron and Board, Microwave, Satellite TV, Tumble drier, TV, Washing machine Outdoor facilities BBQ, Gas BBQ, Heated pool (private), Patio, Terrace Services Babysitting, Beach towels provided, Cleaning inclusive, Linen inclusive, Towels inclusive Access Off-road parking
Activities Local activities: Boating, Boule, Canoeing, Cycling, Fishing, Horse riding, Swimming, Tennis, Walking, Watersports, Windsurfing Rates - Week Nightly rate Weekend Weekly Monthly Min. Stay Change-over Rate summary 86-872 860-5,920-2 Nights - 30-Mar- - 05-Apr- Easter 18 150 750 2,180-3 Nights Fri 06-Apr- - 26-Apr- 166 415 1,660-2 Nights Fri 27-Apr- - 17-May- 18-May- - 07-Jun- May Holidays 18 08-Jun- - 22-Jun- Early Summer 18 23-Jun- - 06-Jul- Mid Summer 18 07-Jul- - 27-Jul- High Summer 18 28-Jul- - 31-Aug- Peak Summer 18 01-Sep- - 20-Sep- 330 830 3,310-2 Nights Fri 346 865 3,460-2 Nights - 300 750 3,000-7 Nights Fri 450-3,150-7 Nights Sat - Sat 550-3,830-7 Nights Sat - Sat 845-5,920-7 Nights Sat - Sat 385-3,850-7 Nights Sat 21-Sep- - 04-Oct- 265 660 2,640-2 Nights Fri 05-Oct- - 08-Nov- 175 430 1,730-2 Nights Fri 09-Nov- - 20-Dec- 21-Dec- - 28-Dec- 29-Dec- - 04-Jan-2019 120 295 1,180-2 Nights Fri 177-1,770-7 Nights Fri - Fri 436 872 4,360-4 Nights - Policies Check in: 16:00, Check out: 10:00 Check in / check out times 16h00 / 10h00 unless otherwise agreed in advance. Smoking is permitted outside only.
Les Chardonnerets is nominally a Saturday changeover mid-june to mid-september and Friday at other times, though this may be flexible outside of the summer season.