Le Tournesol 17th Century Farmhouse - Charente

Le Tournesol 17th Century Farmhouse - Charente

Large farmhouse with private 8X4 pool in a rural location, comfortably accommodates 14 in 7 bedrooms with 5 bathrooms and 2 kitchens. Lots of character with many exposed stone walls. PRICES REDUCED.

Farmhouse set amongst the vineyards and sunflower fields of the Charente
This beautifully renovated spacious house, which is full of character, has many stone walls and beamed ceilings. It is uniquely situated opposite a night-lit 12th Century church (only used for an occasional funeral these days) and 13th Century turreted Chateau (not open to the public). Set in a quiet rural hamlet, amidst the beautiful rolling sunflower fields and vineyards of the Charente, you are well positioned for touring this lovely region (Angouleme, Cognac and the wine regions of Bordeaux, and St Emilion are a short drive away). Of course you may choose to just relax the days away having a dip or soaking up the sun in the loungers by the pool, while the children also enjoy the pool, garden and swing set.

7 well appointed bedrooms and 5 bathrooms make this property an ideal option for a large family gathering, a group of friends getting together, or two or three families sharing a holiday, or perhaps one family that wants to have plenty of individual space. Although we have beds for more than 14 we generally do not let the house to groups larger than that, but if you wish to use the house for a larger group then let us know your numbers and the split of adults and children and we will consider the request.

The house has two kitchens, both fully equipped (one with a large fireplace and wood burning stove) both have tables that will seat 6/8 people. The kitchens both lead out to the large back garden, which has paved terraces, a stone barbecue and 8mX4m swimming pool.

The 500 square foot lounge, has a large fireplace reaching up to the cathedral ceiling some 30 feet above, and has exposed stone walls adding extra character. it is a great place to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet of the village, especially at night with the views of the illuminated Church and Chateau opposite.

The lounge also has a minstrels gallery which is a lovely area to sit quietly and read or just take a nap and provides a lovely comfortable area to relax in while the children of all ages enjoy the games and TV room.

A large formal dining room seats 14 and gives the option of having all of your group sitting down at one time to make dinners a special event, although you may wish to have less formal dinners and snacks either around the large table on the outside terrace or at the smaller tables in one of the kitchens.

There are two upstairs areas and these both have three bedrooms and two bathrooms, one has two double rooms (one en suite) and a twin bedded room. In the other upstairs area there is a family room which has an en suite and has a double bed and two singles, as well as a seating area, and another double bedroom and a twin bedded room. There is another additional bedroom (with two double beds) and a large family bathroom on the ground floor, although not wheelchair accessible this is a good room for people with limited mobility who can manage a couple of steps.

Visit our website to see lots of pictures of the house and its facilites, enter keywords chillac, farmhouse, tournesol in google we are at the top!

Out and About
The loisir at Brossac is 10 minutes away. This is a site set around a man made lake which, in addition to playing on or in the water, offers horse riding, walking and other outdoor activities. There is also a good restaurant on site.

Another popular family venue is the old town of Aubeterre, which has a number of good shops and restaurants on a river setting. There is a beach alongside the river and other guests have mentioned that they enjoyed renting Kayaks here to paddle on the river.

For a taste of the seaside the Atlantic beaches are about an hour's drive away.

For shopping there are supermarkets in both Chalais and Barbezieux, basic shops in Brossac and there are also markets in many of the local towns every week, see our website for full details.

Visiting the towns of Cognac and Jarnac gives an introduction to Brandy making, the drive through Segonzac takes you through some of the most beautiful vine growing areas of the region and provides the chance to sample or purchase the locally produced Pineau for which the region is well known. The medieval town of Angouleme is another lovely place to spend a day.

Bordeaux is about 50 miles away and is a large city with an interesting and lively centre, it is an enjoyable and interesting place to shop and tour.

The wine regions of the Northern Dordogne, notably St Emilion and Pomerol make another good day or half day trip, St Emilion is a lovely old town and has many "degustations" to sample the local wine.

The Lascaux Cave paintings, one of the major sites of European civilization, can be found about an hour and a half from the house. These incredible caves were discovered some 70 years ago and house some of the most extraordinary paleolithic paintings in the world.

Further afield the Futuroscope theme park at Poitiers is about 2 hours drive and provides a great day out at one of the premier theme parks in Europe.

Eating Out
Eating out is one of the joys in France, be prepared to spend many hours at a single meal, especially at lunchtime.

Most towns have many good places to eat, with a fixed price menu generally offering the best deal and usually made using the freshest produce. These are a few of our favourites, but food is so important to the French that you would be unlucky to have a bad meal anywhere and don't be afraid to try anything that catches your eye.

The best place in our view is the Chateau at Chalais, where you can enjoy excellent food in marvelous surroundings at a reasonable price - the fixed menu is 23 Euro (2007). We like to sit on the terrace and enjoy the summer evenings, but eating inside is also a good experience.

Booking is essential to eat at the Chateau, they do have two good sized dining rooms and a large terrace but the place is very busy, especially in the summer. The phone number is 0545 98 2358

An unusual and interesting experience for lunchtime is to try the Total service station near the N10 in Barbezieux. It must sound strange to suggest eating at what is essentially a motorway service area, but the food is good and inexpensive, you pour wine from a tap in the wall and the atmosphere is really good, It is open every day, but we think the best day to go is Sunday as local French people take their families there then and so the atmosphere is more family orientated especially as there are virtually no truckers then either (most trucks are barred from the roads on Sunday in France)

Our favourite lunch place is in the village of Bardenac, about 10 km away between Brossac and Chalais. It has a limited menu concept, basically lunch is 12 Euro (which includes as much wine as you want - amazing value!) and you are fed 5 or 6 courses of whatever the proprietor thought was good that morning. This is a popular place with the locals and it can get busy and so it is worth calling ahead to reserve a table, especially if you are going as a big group, the number is 0545 98 1431.

The restaurant at the loisir in Brossac is well recommended (as is the loisir itself as a fun place to spend the day), with well prepared food served in a nice atmosphere, available both at lunchtime and in the evening