Maison Rose 3 Bedroom Manor (AD002025)

Eating Out

'Pizza Lovers:'
"L'Olive Noire - situated in the local town of Mareuil and offering a really good meal. In addition to pizzas, they offer other menus and also have a take away service. We have one of their menus in the house for you to make your choice!"

'Value for Money!'
"Chez Raoul - situated just a 20 min drive away, but a must if you love fish (among other foods). Very good value for money, their selection and price cannot be beaten. Run by a lovely couple, Josette and Raoul, in the centre of Bertric Buree, they offer virtually every shellfish available, with a tremendous "help yourself" salad bar. Not a "swanky" looking restaurant, but clean and welcoming, offering wholesome food at good prices."

Local Area and Activities

'Angouleme'
"Historic old town with vast amount of restaurants, bars, shops, churches and a good market. Also served by the TGV train service from Paris and Lille. This town is only a 30-40 minute drive from Maison Rose."

'Aubeterre'
"Very pretty town situated approximately 60 minutes drive from Maison Rose, with a selection of restaurants and bars. Well worth a visit is the monolithic church of Saint-Jean of Aubeterre. Saint-Jean d’Aubeterre is unique, being the only one in the world in which one can find all in one site a baptismal font, a circular gallery, a monument of the mausoleum type, a burial chamber just as remarkable, and a crypt."

'Bergerac'
"Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes drive from Maison Rose, and situated on the River Dordogne, with timber framed houses, pavement cafes, museums and wine estates. Bergerac is the capital of Perigord Purple. Once a flourishing port for the wine trade, it is still the main market centre for the surrounding maize, vine and tobacco farms."

'Canoeing'
"Canoes can be hired in Brantome, just a 20 minute drive from Maison Rose. You can participate in safe canoeing on the River Dronne, which encircles the town of Brantome or take a short leisurely boat trip on the Dronne, which can be boarded from in front of the Abbey."

'Foret de-la-Double'
"Les Espaces Naturels du la Jamaye. Beautiful natural wooded areas for walks and picnics, with restaurant/bar, beautiful clean sandy beach areas providing safe swimming (with life guard), watersports, beach volley ball and vast children’s play area. There is ample parking right up to the beach. The lake is one of the many hidden gems of the area, and only about 30-40 minutes drive from Maison Rose."

'Grotte de Villars'
"Situated about 40 minutes drive from Maison Rose and a brilliantly interesting place to visit for all ages. This is the largest underground cave network in the Perigord, with more than 13km explored up to this day. The tour starts with a 20 minute video, designed to help you understand the geological phenomena and to make the visit unforgettable. This is followed by a guided tour through beautiful underground scenery, showing impressive flows of calcite deposits, delicate stalactites, unusual calcite formations looking like fonts, transparent draperies, and countless stalagmites. In total, the tour and video show last for about just over an hour. As at summer 2008, admission is adults €7.00 and €4.50 for children (children under 10 go free). www.grotte-villars.com"

'Horse Riding'
"About a 15 minutes drive, just outside the town of Verteillac, is a good riding centre. Their name and contact details are available in the Maison Rose house book. "

'Railbikes'
"A novel way of exploring areas of the Perigord with each Railbike taking up to 5 persons (including babies). Time allocated is sufficient to cycle at your own rhythm and speed using old rail tracks. Details in the housebook in Maison Rose. www.velorailsdefrance.com"

'Royan'
"Lovely coastal resort, within a 2 hour drive from Maison Rose, which has a large beach area, providing windsurfing. Royan is one of the most prestigious seaside resorts on the Atlantic coast. There are facilities for almost all sports so there is plenty to keep you occupied, or just enjoy strolling along the 3 star Michelin rated 2km of sandy beaches. Just to the west of Royan is 'Zoo de-La-Palmyre' with 1600 animals to see, so there is plenty to keep the children busy."

'Tennis'
"For the energetic, there are tennis courts for hire in the local town of Mareuil, Villebois, and Verteillac, at reasonable rates. You normally have to bring your own rackets."

'Village Bournat'
"Re-creation of a Dordogne village 100 years ago, with local craftsmen and a funfair. See the old life of farmers taking place. A mill pressing walnuts for their oil, bakers baking bread in the old way, a “feuillardier” making barrels in his hut. There is a wedding ceremony and the school bell is ready to ring welcoming all pupils dressed in their aprons. There are refreshments and the Village of Bournat invites you to sample the regional products on sale in the shop. Tarifs: Adults €9.50, 4-16 years €6.00 and under 4 years free. www.lebournat.fr "

Markets and Shopping

'Perigueux Market'
"Very good for local produce and locally made crafts. Held every Wednesday and Saturday in the old town."

'Riberac Market'
"Held every Friday morning, definitely one of the largest markets in this part of the Perigord, offering a vast selection of locally grown foods, clothes, books, pottery, jewellery, plants, etc and a must to visit. Plenty of parking available in surrounding roads."