About La Maison Neuve
La Maison Neuve is a large fortified farmhouse set in 4 acres of meadows with nut grove and orchard, & the 40'x 20' swimming pool is surrounded by sun-terraces and shady retreats. The games room, with its table tennis table, is proving to be a very popular addition to the on site facilities.
Tucked away in a fold in the gently rolling hills of the Vendéen bocage, its tranquil position amidst farmland offers an ideal refuge for those in need of rest and relaxation, whilst the wealth of things to see and do within the local area will give the more energetic plenty of scope
The lovely, unspoilt Atlantic coast with its miles of safe, clean beaches is about an hour's drive away and the historic city of La Rochelle and the beautiful Ile de Re are within easy reach.
There are chateaux, pre-historic sites, gardens and museums close by;
Bazoges-en-Pareds has an impressively restored donjon, pigeonnier and
museum of Vendéen life set in the reconstructed medieval herb
garden.
The windmills at Mouilleron-en-Pareds, (10 mins away) acted as signalling
devices during the wars of the Vendée, and the elegant town of
Fontenay-le-Comte (25 mins) used to be the regional capital until Napoleonic
times. Medieval Vouvant (15 mins) with its narrow, winding streets,
ramparts and Romanesque church is one of the most beautiful villages
in France and its neighbouring forest of Mervent is a wild-life haven
with fishing, lovely walks and mountain-bike trails.
In the peaceful Green Venice of the Marais Poitevin (35 mins) you can visit the abbeys of Nieul-sur-l'Autize and Maillezais: enjoy the local speciality of jambon et mojettes at the delightful Grange aux Roseaux & maybe venture out onto the waterways of the Marais in one of the traditional barques after your coffee and digestif.
Local sporting facilities include riding, sailing, walking, fishing and tennis, and there is wind surfing at the lac du Rochereau (10 mins) and Mervent, as well as the European Wind Surfing Centre at La Tranche-sur-Mer (75mins)
There is a superb golf course 25 miles away.
There are many excellent restaurants in the area with traditional French value for money, and the local producteurs of the AOC Fief Vendéen wines welcome visitors to their 'caves', often offering entertaining and informative tours as well as tastings.
Artists
find the pretty and peaceful surroundings very inspiring. One of our
guests produced this superb painting during a recent visit. If you would
like to see more of his work please visit his website at: www.tonykerins.com
TRAVEL
La Maison Neuve is within easy reach of the Channel Ports - St. Malo
(approx 3 hours). Nantes Atlantique airport with its daily flights (75
min) from London. Caen, (approx 4 hours) and Cherbourg (4.5 hours).
The roads are mostly dual carriageway or motorway and the A83 autoroute
from Nantes brings the nearest less than an hour away.
How to get here!
The farmhouse and barns form three sides of a square around the large
South facing courtyard and the old Bakehouse and one of the barns have
been recently and skillfully converted using traditional methods and
materials wherever possible to provide three self-catering cottages.
LE FOURNIL Sleeps 2 plus cot.
The
old two storey bakehouse has a woodburning stove in the huge stone fireplace
which fronts the site of the original oven. The wooden staircase curves
up from the salon to the double bedroom, where there is room to put
up a cot if you wish, and the kitchen and bathroom are on the ground
floor. At the rear is a private garden and the whole cottage is compact
and cosy for a romantic retreat. Image gallery
& Virtual tour
LE BERCAIL Sleeps 8 plus cot.
This
charming single storey gite has three bedrooms (1 double with hand basin,
1 small double and one with 2 sets of bunk beds) The bathroom has shower,
toilet, bidet and basin and there is a separate WC. The salon is open
plan with kitchen and dining areas and outside there is a private terrace
area surrounded by flowers. Image gallery &
Virtual tour
LA LOGE Sleeps 6 plus sofa bed and cot.
This
is the other side of Le Bercail and the two can interconnect to form
one large unit sleeping a total of about 16, depending on whether you
use the sofabed or not.
It is a well appointed two storey gite with three bedrooms, (one double
on the ground floor and two upstairs) and two bathrooms (one with shower
on the ground floor, one with bath upstairs) and again, the open plan
salon incorporates a kitchen and dining area. Image
gallery & Virtual tour
