| Date | Rating | Comment
[Guest Comments: 4 positive, 0 negative]
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| 09/17/09 |
Positive
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| This summer my husband and I and our 2 kids (ages 2 and 3) stayed in this house for 5 weeks. The region is just as exceptional as the owner describes, and his enthusiasm for the house, the region, the activities, castles, river, etc., is not only contagious, but exactly right! What a wonderful stay – we adored the location of the house, just in the heart of a small town that has everything you would want, but slightly off the beaten path, and yet with an amazing marché every Sunday. While not an intuitive house for a family with small children (there is no yard for them to play in,) the access to parks, the attention to safety of the owner, and the quietness of the local town greatly made up for it, and made for a much more authentic stay rather than a house in the middle of the countryside! There’s nothing fancy about this house, no updates to bathrooms or kitchen remodels, but the history is its charm, the floorboards and stone walls all add to the experience. What an exceptional vacation! Thanks again! |
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Frederique, Washington DC
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| 08/23/09 |
Positive
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| Our family of four spent a week in this house in July and I have to say we had a pretty nice time. As the other posters have mentioned, it's quite a bit bigger than the description suggests and though the furnishings are fairly simple we found it comfortable, well equipped and amazingly relaxing. Parts of the house date back to the middle ages and you get a sense of that the moment you walk in the door. The lower floor with the kitchen stays cool even in the heat of midday. From the upper windows the view is spectacular: You see right across the Dordogne valley. The village of St. Cyprien (you can walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes) doesn't seem to make it into a lot of guidebooks but the benefit is it's off the beaten track. It is nevertheless quite beautiful. Like many of the towns in the region it's built up against a hillside and the yellow stone houses almost glow in the evening sun. The main street is two minutes' walk away, very convenient for picking up fresh croissants at the boulangerie. There is an excellent market on Sunday mornings and there are numerous castles and prehistoric caves in the area. Our two boys had a blast swimming in the Dordogne River (there's a public beach a short drive from the house). We all enjoyed visiting the Chateau de Castelnaud and some of the other nearby forts with their displays of swords, catapults, etc. The local hiking trails are also a treat. On one, we passed first an old troglodite village and then a truffle farm where the enterprising owner rents out his truffle sniffer dog to visitors on an hourly basis. Anyway, we thought the whole experience was a lot of fun. This house is a terrific spot to wind down and get a feel for what life is like in a village in the Dordogne. |
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Nanette Shahinian, Toronto, Ont. |
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| 08/14/09 |
Positive
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| We had the pleasure of staying in this 13th century house for a week in May of 2008. The house is quite nice and actually can sleep many more than 2+ BR would indicate. If you have some kids and aren't too picky, you could sleep 7 people! There is no outside area to hang out (yard or patio), but plenty to do locally! The location is wonderful, given all the local castles, the Dordogne, the history and its proximity to Lascaux, neighboring caves, troglodyte villages and Rocamadeur. If you want to exercise, the area is fine for pretty walks or jogs and if you're a cyclist, the roads (at least in May) were beautiful and quiet! The Sunday marche was fun, but there are plenty of local places to get supplies during the week as well. The owners are also extremely friendly to deal with and were very helpful with giving us a lowdown of the area before departing. (Thanks, Brian! We hope to return!) |
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Mike Gill, Berkeley, CA
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| 12/13/07 |
Positive
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| This house and village are much more wonderful than what the description promises. We spent the best week of a ten week vacation in this home. Because the house is lived in part time by the owner, the furniture is comfortable, the cookware is good and there is actually a place to store groceries. The kitchen area on the ground floor is much nicerand larger than the photos promise. There is a table large enough to eat at one end and store daily treasures on the other. There is a place on the upper level to dry clothes that is out of the way and which has beautiful views to make this chore almost a pleasure. In fact every room of this home was bigger than we expected, and every room was decorated with unusual and interesting art pieces. A week was not enough time to fully see all the pictures, photos, picture frames, wall hangings, floor coverings and other treasures. The village itself was also a delight. The walk into town was only a few minutes,maybe a hundred yards, parking was never a problem and the weekly market was the best we attended - large enough to have all the local products but small enough to be doable. The town also has a great art gallery and there is a restuarant in Meyrals, six kilometers away, which was half the price and had better food than more renowned places in nearby towns. This town seems central to anything one might want to do in this part of France. River rafting was a few minutes away and easily arranged, the caves were spectacular, the villages charming and the food and wine from local shops and markets made eating out less of a temptation. We could have happily spent a summer here, and in retrospect probably should have skipped a few other places on our itinerary to spend more time in St. Cyprien. |
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Donna Hess, Kirkland, Wash
425 828 0516 |
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