Font Remy - Honeysuckle

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Gite |3 bedrooms |Sleeps 6

Mortagne sur Gironde in Poitou-Charentes/Vendee

From £400 per week

Short stays welcome

Changeover flexible

Be the first to write a review

Key info  Swimming pool, beach or lakeside relaxation, balcony/terrace, car advised, no pets allowed

About the home

Font Remy is a 17th Century manor house converted into 4 lovely self-contained houses. All can be rented individually or together (see separate details or contact owners). Honeysuckle is a well-equipped 3 bedroom house with great character.

Font Remy is located 2km inland from the pretty fishing village of Mortagne-sur-Gironde near the mouth of the Gironde Estuary. Set in 2 acres of walled grounds overlooking the vineyards with its heated, fenced 15m x 8m pool, Font Remy is the ideal place for a family holiday. The games barn offers table tennis, a pool table and table football, plus a children's corner with books, games and videos/dvds. In the garden there is a boules pitch, swings, seesaw and plenty of space to run around and play football, cricket and badminton. Whether you want to relax by the pool, visit the local blue-flag sandy beaches (some with excellent beach bars), stroll into the village port nearby, indulge in the local history, food and wine or be more active you'll find it all in the local area. We love to walk down to the port of Mortagne in the early evening and enjoy a glass of wine watching the boats - the kids like to come too to feed the ducks and eat a big ice-cream.

There are tennis courts in Mortagne and you can hire boats and bikes locally.

The beautiful safe sandy beaches and coves of Merschers, Saint Georges de Didonne and Royan are 15 -20 minutes drive away. The historic towns of Saintes or Pons are both 20 minutes away. Within an hour you can be in the beautiful ancient port of La Rochelle, the famous vineyards of Bordeaux or the city itself.

Mortagne has an ancient fishing heritage and in the pretty harbour area backed by white cliffs you'll find many working fishing boats amongst the yachts. In the port and the main village there are bars and restaurants where you can while away the hours watching the world go by.

The boulangerie and general store are a pleasant 20 minute walk or a 5 minute bike ride from Font Remy through the vineyards. There are many local markets including those at Cozes and Gemozac, where you will find fresh fruit and vegetables, cheeses, meat and plenty of the local seafood.

There is a wide choice of restaurants within easy reach.

Facilities

Further details indoors:
One of the things which distinguish Honeysuckle and the other houses at Font Remy from most other gites is the marvellous feeling of space, both inside and out.

Honeysuckle is part of the original main house.

* All ground floor rooms have ceramic tiled floors and first floor rooms have polished wood floors. Some of the stone walls have been exposed.

* Well-equipped kitchen and dining area.

* The dining area opens onto the private terrace via French doors. There is a gas bbq and sun loungers, plus wooden table and chairs.

* Large living room with open fireplace, satellite TV, cd/dvd player, plus a selection of DVDs and books.

* Two twin bedrooms - one upstairs, one downstairs.

* Large bathroom with double sinks, bath and separate shower and wc. Second wc.

* Huge king sized master bedroom with lovely views over the vineyards.

Further details outdoors:
Honeysuckle has a lovely private terrace shaded by a pergola and has a gas barbecue, wooden patio table and chairs plus sun loungers.

Font Remy is set in a walled garden of 2 acres with views of the vineyards beyond. Outside there are swings, table tennis, a boules pitch, badminton, plenty of space for ball games. The games barn houses a pool table, table tennis, table football and a children's corner with games, books and videos.

Pride of place in the south facing garden is the magnificent heated swimming pool measuring 15m x 8m. There is an additional 3m of roman steps which assist young (and old!) to enter and exit. The shallow end is 1m deep and the deep end 2.4m to allow safe diving. The pool is fenced and situated within view of the individual terrace areas of all the houses so parents can keep an eye on the children.

Conditions

Changeover Day is Saturday. Arrival from 4pm, departure by 10am

Payment - a 25% deposit is required to confirm a booking. The balance is payable 8 weeks before arrival.

Bed linen and indoor towels included.

Photos

 

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Master Bedroom

 

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View of pool and surrounding vineyards

 

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Font Remy

 

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Sitting Room

The Poitou-Charentes / Vendee / Charente Maritime region

The area benefits from a wonderful warm climate extending from March right through to October due to the effect of the Gulf Stream – it is the second sunniest area in France after the Riviera.

There is something for everyone in the area around Font Remy, whether it's lazing in the sun by the pool, spending time on the beach, activities like watersports, go-karting and golf, birdwatching, walking, cycling, visiting historic sites or indulging in the fantastic local food and wine.

There are many beautiful and historic towns and cities within easy reach of Font Remy. For example, the magnificent ancient Roman town of Saintes, with its 1st Century amphitheatre, one of the oldest discovered; the historic ports of La Rochelle and Rochefort; the magnificent restored 12th Century church at Talmont, not to mention Bordeaux, Cognac, Pons and Angouleme.

The wine areas of Bordeaux are close by. Take a ferry across the Gironde to the Medoc chateaux or take a trip to the beautiful town of St Emillion.

The Mortagne sur Gironde area

There is so much to do locally you'll have to come time and time again....

Sandy Beaches

Within 15 minutes drive of Font Remy you will find some of the best sandy beaches in Europe. The 3 star Michelin rated 2km long fine sandy beach at Royan, the capital of the Cote de Beaute (Coast of Beauty), stretches north to south from the yachting marina to Saint-Georges-de-Didonne. Here you can hire the wonderful old-fashioned blue and white tents to protect you from the hot summer sun.

Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, south of Royan, has its own long sandy beach and closer still to Font Remy at Merschers and La Plages des Vergnes you will find more sandy coves with caves and rock pools.

The beaches of the Cote Sauvage (north of Royan) have the best waves for water sports and fabulous sand dunes – though some of them are nudist! Similarly the islands of Ile de Re and Ile d’Oleron have some wonderful stretches of sand.

Watersports

As well as bathing and basking in the sun, Royan and the Ile d’Oleron are centres for water sports such as windsurfing and sailing.

Go on a boat trip or rent a boat. In the northern Charente Maritime, west of Niort, are the waterways of the Marais Poitevin, or "Green Venice" area. At several villages you can rent flat-bottomed boats and paddle around a delightful maze of tiny canals, lined with willows and poplars.

Cycling

There is a network of quiet lanes winding amongst the vineyards around Font Remy and Mortagne, and there are numerous cycle tracks in the area. Either bring your own bikes or hire them locally. From St Palais-sur-Mer near Royan there is 60 km of cycle track through the forest and along the coast. There are also marked routes for mountain bikes.

Walking

As you would also expect, this is a wonderful area for walking with some breathtaking views of the estuary beyond the vineyards. There are some wonderful seaside and cliff top walks. Details of walks can be found in the house.

Golf

Golfers are well catered for with excellent courses at Royan, Saintes, Cognac and Bordeaux.

Horse Riding

There are several good horse riding facilities locally.

Bird Watching

There are always birds of prey circling in the area around Font Remy and you are likely to see black redstarts, cuckoos, black kites, hen harriers, buzzards, goshawks, herons, pied flycatchers and hoopoes, amongst others. The area as a whole is excellent for spotting migratory birds (particularly spring and autumn).

At Rochefort, about 35 minutes north of Font Remy, 74 hectares of ecological lagoons welcome thousands of birds each year.

Fishing

Trout, pike, perch, big carp and whitefish are among the first class catches that the fishing enthusiast can pull out of the waters of the River Charente and other rivers and lakes in the area. The local tourist office in Mortagne has details of where permits can be purchased.

Deep sea fishing is also available at Royan.

Wine Tasting

You can taste (and buy) Cognac, chardonnay, sauvignon or pineau on the doorstep of Font Remy. Within easy reach is Cognac itself, where you can visit the famous producers and then, of course, there is the famous wine growing region of Bordeaux.

St Emilion is a must or take a tour of the Medoc, home to some of the most famous Bordeaux vineyards.

The Zoo at La Palmyre

In the heart of one of the most beautiful pine forests in the area just north of Royan (35 minutes’ drive) lies La Palmyre zoo. The most famous zoological park in France and recently voted European Zoo of the Year, it is the most visited tourist attraction in the department of Charente-Maritime. As a breeding zoo it is different from most people’s idea of a zoo with many animals free to roam – there are more than 1600 in all!

See apes, elephants, bears, jaguars, lions, panthers, giraffes, hippopotamuses, wolves, crocodiles, pink flamingos, cockatoos, red ibis, parrots. There is a new polar bear basin and tropical greenhouse, a reptile house and shows with trained parrots and sea lions. Kids love it!

How to get there

What's nearby: Attractions Restaurants Click map icons for more information

Map showing the Mortagne sur Gironde areaReset Map

BY CAR

Font Remy is about 4 hours' drive from St Malo, 5 hours from Le Havre or 7 hours from Calais. The motorway which brings you into Charente Maritime is the A10.

The best route from Calais is via Boulogne, Rouen, Le Mans and Tours - simply follow the signs and you can’t go wrong. It's motorway all the way (apart from going around Rouen) and brand new roads make the drive a pleasure and quicker than the route via Paris.

BY AIR

Font Remy is 1 hour’s drive from both La Rochelle and Bordeaux airports, 90 mins from Poitiers and about 2 hours from Limoges and Bergerac.

Ryanair
Stansted to La Rochelle & Poitiers
Dublin to La Rochelle
East Midlands to Limoges & Bergerac
Liverpool to Limoges & Bergerac

Flybe
Birmingham to La Rochelle & Bergerac
Southampton to La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Bergerac and Limoges
Bristol to Bordeaux & Bergerac
Norwich to Bordeaux
Exeter to Bergerac
Leeds Bradford to Bergerac

BMIBaby
Manchester to Bordeaux
Birmingham to Bordeaux

British Airways and Air France fly from main airports into Bordeaux

Easyjet
Bristol to La Rochelle
Luton to Bordeaux.

Activities near Mortagne sur Gironde

Guestbook for Font Remy - Honeysuckle

"We had an absolutely fabulous time - you have thought of everything to make a family holiday successful. We especially liked the information folder - our trip to the zoo was a big hit."

"We have got to come back. No really! We didn't see much of the local area because we couldn't get our kids out of the pool!"

"I am always going to want a heated pool on holiday in future. Yours was just right - and much bigger than it looks on the website."

"The games barn was great for getting the kids out of the sun at midday and it was there that they made friends with the really nice family from Wisteria."

"Grant (manager) was excellent - always reassuring to know you can call someone if there is a problem (we needed a doctor for Maisie)."

"Honeysuckle living room is the perfect place to lie on a sofa and read a book."

Rental prices

Prices for group size 6
Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
March, April, May	15 Mar 08	24 May 08	425£ 425	0-	0-	1 Week
Whitsun and June	24 May 08	28 Jun 08	650£ 650	0-	0-	1 Week
Early July	28 Jun 08	19 Jul 08	900£ 900	0-	0-	1 Week
Summer Hols	19 Jul 08	30 Aug 08	1250£ 1250	0-	0-	2 Weeks
September	30 Aug 08	27 Sep 08	550£ 550	0-	0-	1 Week
October	27 Sep 08	1 Nov 08	425£ 425	0-	0-	1 Week
March, April and May	1 Mar 09	23 May 09	425£ 425	0-	0-	1 Week
Whitsun and June	23 May 09	27 Jun 09	650£ 650	0-	0-	1 Week
Early July	27 Jun 09	18 Jul 09	950£ 950	0-	0-	1 Week
Summer Hols	18 Jul 09	29 Aug 09	1250£ 1250	0-	0-	1 Week
September	29 Aug 09	26 Sep 09	550£ 550	0-	0-	1 Week
October	26 Sep 09	30 Oct 09	425£ 425	0-	0-	1 Week
spring	27 Mar 10	29 May 10	425£ 425	0-	0-	1 Week
june	29 May 10	26 Jun 10	650£ 650	0-	0-	1 Week
july	26 Jun 10	24 Jul 10	975£ 975	0-	0-	1 Week
summer	24 Jul 10	4 Sep 10	1350£ 1350	0-	0-	1 Week
sept	4 Sep 10	2 Oct 10	550£ 550	0-	0-	1 Week
oct	2 Oct 10	29 Oct 10	425£ 425	0-	0-	1 Week
March, April, May	25 Mar 11	28 May 11	400£ 400	0-	0-	1 Week
Whitsun and June	28 May 11	25 Jun 11	650£ 650	0-	0-	1 Week
Early July	25 Jun 11	16 Jul 11	975£ 975	0-	0-	1 Week
Summer Hols	16 Jul 11	3 Sep 11	1275£ 1275	0-	0-	1 Week
sept	3 Sep 11	1 Oct 11	550£ 550	0-	0-	1 Week
oct	1 Oct 11	28 Oct 11	450£ 450	0-	0-	1 Week
	3 Mar 12	2 Jun 12	475£ 475	0-	0-	1 Week
	2 Jun 12	23 Jun 12	700£ 700	0-	0-	1 Week
	23 Jun 12	21 Jul 12	995£ 995	0-	0-	1 Week
	21 Jul 12	1 Sep 12	1295£ 1295	0-	0-	1 Week
	1 Sep 12	3 Nov 12	550£ 550	0-	0-	1 Week

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

bed linen and indoor towels included

Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Contact the owner

* Required fields Please check the following errors: First name * Last name * Email *   Did you mean ""? Yes / No Phone number Arrival date Departure date   Ignore calendar - enquire anway No. of adults No. of children Message * Email me special offers and holiday ideas T&Cs

5 years listed You are contacting Cathy Thomas Landline +44 01707 896555 Mobile n/a Web Visit site Languages spoken The owner is based in the United Kingdom and has advertised with Holiday Lettings since 2006. This gite has so far received 0 reviews.

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