Eating Out

'Auberge du Chateau'
"The Auberge du Chateau at Villeneuve-la-Comptesse is only about 2 miles from the cottage. The chef quite simply has to be one of the top 3 in the area and a visit is an absolute must."

'Hotel de la Place'
"The Hotel de la Place in St Jean d'Angely is our favourite. The chef is excellent and presentation superb. Le patron is fluent in English and the atmosphere is very warm and relaxing."

'Le Mouton Noir, Loulay'
"Le Mouton Noir in Loulay is a restaurant cum pub which is run by an amiable English couple. Live music in the adjacent square every Friday night during the summer."

'Restaurants, General'
"Quite frankly, we are spoilt for choice on excellent to good value restaurants and all within a few miles from us. I do not wish to bore you by mentionning them all but briefly, there are 2 at Bouvoir, one at Dampierre, another by the crossroads at Aulnay and several in St Jean d'Angely itself - and most probably umpteen that we have yet to discover!"

Local Area and Activities

'Beaches'
"The beaches from La Rochelle south are absolutely beautiful, with the Atlantic breakers at Phare de la Coubre (north east of Royan) being quite magnificent. Don't forget, however, that this is the Atlantic so they are dangerous."

'Cognac'
"The city of Cognac has its rather obvious attractions - the world-famous cognac houses where you can learn about how this famous drink is produced, taste some samples and of course purchase as a special souvenir to take home."

'Futuroscope'
"No holiday is complete without a visit to Futuroscope, just off the motorway at Poitiers."

'La Rochelle'
"La Rochelle is steeped in nautical history and also has a superb aquarium."

'Lakes'
"There are 2 lakes, one at Melle which is NE of the cottage, the other at Matha, about 35 minutes drive towards Cognac."

'Orador sur Glane'
"This is the village which the German forces totally destroyed along with virtually all its inhabitants in the last world war. The French have kept it in its entirety as a monument to man's inhumanity to man. Allow yourself a whole day as the village would be about 2 hours drive and is south east of Confolens. An extremely moving experience."

'River Boutonne'
"The River Boutonne is only 10 minutes cycle ride away and offers you a paddle in total peace and tranquillity. A watering hole is never too far away - something I have found most useful indeed!"

'Venise Verte, Green Venice'
"About 35 minutes drive north of the cottage, you will find Venise Verte, Green Venice. As the name suggests, this is the French equivalent of Venice and gondolas, but in green! You can spend an idyllic day here by paddling your own punt around the slow moving waterways that criss-cross a huge area of beautiful green forest or indeed hire your very own gondelier (francais) and meander around the local forest in your own time. You are on holiday - in no hurry at all - absolute bliss. Oh, and by the way, a watering hole is usually available adjacent to the start/finish point, something I felt really important to point out to those who tend to develop a thirst whilst on holiday!"

'Water Complex, Loulay'
"Water will feature quite highly on your entertainment list. This not only applies to children but also the somewhat 'bigger versions'. There is an outdoor heated pool at Loulay which is only one mile away. Quite a number of our guests tend to cycle to the pool and spend the whole day there."

'Water Complex, St Jean d'Angely'
"There is a £3 million water complex that has recently opened at St Jean d'Angely, which is only 20 minutes drive south. This features 3 pools, waterslide, diving boards, sauna, Jacuzzi and solarium."