B&B St. Crepin-Carlucet
 

Has anyone stayed at or have any knowledge of Les Granges Haute in St. Crepin-Carlucet?

We didn't stay there, but we stayed in a gite nearby in St. Crepin -C. I can't say anything about the B&B. I did notice there was a rather expensive looking B&B there. As for the area, it is rural, yet convenient. It's about 6km from Sarlat on the northside (which means less traffic). About 1/2 hr. or so to Les Ezyies, easy drive to the river and Beynac. We found the area peaceful and pleasant. St. Crepin is very tiny and not much too see but a few quaint building and a lovely old chapel.

GB, would you happen to remember the name of the gîte where you stayed in in St. Crépin-Carlucet?

I found some suspiciously cheap gîtes (80 euro per gîte for the entire weekend, sheets & towels extra) in the area. They look great on the website--fully equipped kitchens, washing machines, pool, BBQ, etc., but in reality who knows? They do not have the Gîtes de France approval logo, and I'm a bit concerned.

Combas at www.perigordgites.com
The property was very lovely-a large farm (stay at the main section, not a side area) with two beautiful pools. There was a small restaurant on the premise. The gites were a series of 1800's stone farm buildings renovated into sort of a cabin/townhouses. (Our was obviously the old kitchen because it had a fireplace with the old large burn marks in the fireplace and a sink dug out of stone(for show). Although it was clean, the furniture was summer cabin frumpy. Basic, comfortable, but old furniture and beds, as well as a small tv. The kitchen was very serviceable with a dishwasher, refrig,washer and stove, and kitchen necessities. The bath was clean and modern. And it was cheap about 290E for the week in June. (we are a family of 4 so this was a bargain). The owners work very hard, and I was amazed by the amount of work they do on their own. It was comfortable, adequate,but basic in terms of furnishing. Had to bring your old sheets or rent them from the owners. The other place in that area was a Eurocamp that had little cabins. It was a little more crowded than our gite. Our kids would have liked it better because there were more kids around at the campground, but the gite had a little more appeal asthetically. We would stay there again, but I wish the beds were a little newer. The pictures on their website are pretty accurate. In person, the furnishings are older than they look on the photos.

PS We stayed there June 2003.

gb,
many-many thanks to you!!!! that's the one i found, believe it or not, and it certainly helps to hear from someone who stayed at the property.

gb, sorry, one more question:
are the beds very uncomfortable? i don't mind old furnishings, but i don't like saggy beds.

We had a gite that had one double bed in a small room, two single beds in a larger room, and there was a sofa bed. we didn't use the sofa bed. The kids didn't complain about thier bed. I wouldn't say it was terribly saggy, but it wasn't exceptionally firm. It was a double so, with my 6 ft 3 husband, it was snugly. It was okay, but not great. Hope that helps.

ps sorry about all the typos.

gb,
it most certainly helps! just one more question (i hope it's the last one)--did you find reservations necessary? you were there in June; I suppose you did need to reserve ahead for the high season.

I also noticed that gîtes had different names; perhaps I should ask for a specific one in the main section, as you said.

It seemed that in June they were not full because French students were still in school. But, we talked to some people there, and they said that they could not get a room in July. They said it was the third time using the gite and that July and August were usually booked well in advanced.
When we booked I did suggest a room (by name-I think we were Adeleine). I definitely prefer the grouping of homes because it was under the trees. There were several gites in the complex that were a bit of drive away from the main area. Even in the grouping, it was easier to take the car to the pools (it was very hot this summer, as you probably know). There was one gite up near the pools that looked good. Actually, from what I could see, all the gites were similar in design and furnishings on the inside, even though the shape on the outside was a little different.
Also, you said something about weekends. When we went in June, they were only renting for the week-Sat. to Sat. We did only stay until Thurs. because we had other plans, but paid for the week. But, it was so reasonable, we didn't mind. If you are a family, it was certainly priced well. Also, although the woman who responds to you in English, and seems to understand. She isn't really that accomplished, and speaks mostly French. Occasionally, in complicated matters, she needed to find someone to translate. Most of the visitors there were either French with a smattering a people from Great Britain. They also run a canoe company called Canoe Dordogne. So, if you want to rent canoes, they will take you down to the river at a reduced rate. We did a half day trip. But,the water was so low and so slow that it was quite a workout.

We're renting near the end of September--beginning of October, so they do rent by weekends as well. You are right about the prices: they are EXTREMELY reasonable (about 40 euro/per night). I speak French, so language is not an issue for me, although I'm never sure who replies to my emails--they are always signed M et Mme Coy. I must have sent them a dozen emails with questions, so I don't know how much more of me they're willing to take. So far, they've been very patient, though.

Thanks for telling me about the canoe rentals; that will surely seal the deal for my husband (if I tell him, that is) :)

I really appreciate all your help, gb!!!

I would guess it's the Mrs. When you are there, take a look at here innovative system for keeping track of who is in what gite and when. (It's on a large rolladex of sort)

jal52-
If you do decide to stay in Les Granges Hautes, please do give a report on it. I had made a reservation for last summer (the double room was 84 euros/night), but had to cancel my trip. I'm planning to go to France next year, and would love to hear about this B&B. It seems to be wonderfully located with beautiful grounds. The rooms LOOK nice, but I don't know how comfortable they are in reality.
My dealings were all pleasant, though, and I am considering making reservations (after Jan 1) for next summer.

I think I may have praised their patience too soon. I sent my reservation request and my CC# (Mme said they would accept Carte Blanche for deposit), and haven't heard from them in 2 days... They're usually fast to reply.

I'll definitely check out their rolladex, if I ever get there.

I found that she usually did the email on Mondays and Tuesday, if that helps.

PS, If you don't here in a week, I'd email again because occasionally emails don't arrive.

oops- hear

gb,
aren't you tired of me yet? :)

actually, i waited a few days, then sent her another email, and she replied saying that they had received my reservation and charged my credit card a deposit--which was about 50% (but not exactly, strangely), not 25% as she initially said. I figured I won't bother her with any more emails and just settle the rest of the bill on the spot. Hopefully, that will work.

I also asked her if someone will be available in case we arrive late (we're driving from the Loire Valley, so we may not get in until 8 or 9 pm), and she ignored that question. Do you think it's OK if we come that late, or should we try to rearrange our schedule?

I don't mind-that's what we are here for. If I recall correctly, I think they charged me two or three nights on the credit card as a deposit. I also think they said if I were to cancel within a certain amount of time, they would refund all or part.
As to getting there at 8 or 9, I don't think it would be much of a problem. But, I think you might prefer to arrive during daylight hours (whatever it might be at that time of the year). Just so you can get a better feel of the place. The entrance was a little confusing. You follow the road signs into the gite area. You go pass the largest,long section, then turn left on a dirt road to the main office near the pools. But, if they aren't in the main office,you might find the in their home. Their home is on the property. When you turn left onto the dirt road, the gites are on the left, and their home is on the right. If anything, I think they would be a bit chirpier earlier in the day. Also,if they are making dinner for a group (you must request ahead of time), that would be about the time they are serving. Maybe in the fall they have extra help, but when we were there in June, the couple and their two late teens, early twenties boys did all the work.

I'll try to arrive a little earlier in the day, but unfortunately that doesn't entirely depend on me.

Thanks, gb!

We're back, and I thought I'd give you (and anyone else who's planning to travel to Dordogne) a report on the Combas gîtes. We were pleasantly surprised with the gîtes, the owners, everything.

We had 2 houses (we had initially requested two 1-bedroom gîtes, but all the 1-bedrooms were unavailable, so we got "upgraded" for the same bargain price of approx. 45 euro/night, incl. sheets). One of the houses was completely modern (renovated?) inside--including what appeared to be virtually brand new furnishings and appliances, as well as new well-lit bathrooms (quite a contrast with all the other dim bathrooms we had on the trip). The other one was somewhat older, but very comfortable and functional nonetheless, with a huge fireplace and lots of rustic charm. Our friends claimed that one because, they said, it had "more character". Both were extremely nice (much nicer than the other gîtes where we stayed later on during the trip).

I wish I'd listened to your advice about arriving during daylight hours!!!We got to St.Crépin when it was already pitch-dark, took the wrong turn off the main road (the sign said St.Crépin, but we actually needed the next--numbered--road), kept driving along what appeared to be the longest, narrowest and most winding road in the world, and eventually made it within 20 feet of the entrance, but couldn't see it. At the same time, the road sign informed us we were leaving St.Crépin, so we turned around and started looking for a place where cell phone reception would be available, which was no easy task (there is NO reception at all in the gîtes and the surrounding area). We called the Coys, told them we were lost, and they offered to come fetch us--if we could tell them where we were. Apparently, "on a long dark and scary road" wasn't precise enough, so we remembered the cemetery that we'd passed, and agreed to meet Mr. Coy there. I've never been so happy to see a Renault Twingo in my life!

Both Mr and Mme Coy were quite charming, and so was their son (we only met one of them). Mr Coy treated us to some local apéritifs, consulted us on our sightseeing plans (a big map & lots of brochures in the office), and was otherwise extremely helpful throughout the whole stay. When I saw that filing system at the office, I remembered you, and I exclaimed: "Oh! that's the thing she told me about!", and Mr., of course, asked "who", and I had to explain the entire message board thing to him.

Other than that... I flipped through the guestbook at our gîte, and it amused me to see some of the guests complain about poor TV reception and the lack of microwave oven. And these complaints came from the French guests! France is definitely not what it used to be...

We really had no complaints. The place was spotless; the bed was very comfortable; the washing machine and the dishwasher worked great, and the weather was splendid. We did not get to use the pools since we were gone during the day, and it was quite chilly at night. We were right by the pools, though. The only thing I wished for was a flashlight because we kept running back and forth between the gîtes, and at night it would get completely dark (the 'streetlamps' are turned off at midnight, and there is no other source of light). On the other hand, the starry sky was absolutely incredible, something we never get to see at home, in our light-polluted state. All in all, a great experience, and we're recommending them to everyone we know.

I've been checking the board to hear about your trip. I'm glad you liked it. It is charming. We had an older room with a big rustic fireplace. Did they understand you when you told them about the board and the filing system. I wonder if they remember us. Since we were there in the summer, it was light very late, so I didn't know about the lighting.

PS. Their tv reception wasn't any worse than any other place we stayed at in France, or most of Europe except Belgium where we had many more channels.

We are considering this area for a trip this summer, so any more ideas on places to stay or see, as well as things to do, would be great. Is staying in Sarlat to be avoided if possible? It seems that I read somewhere that it is crowded...is that true?

Well, I didn't go into details about the message board--just said it's something on the Internet I always check before I travel, so I'm sure they understood. I couldn't exactly refer to you by your real name since I didn't (and still don't) know it :)

And I couldn't say "the American family family from last summer" either, since they seem to have their share of American guests (although our gîte's guestbook was almost entirely in French... maybe Americans aren't used to signing those?). In fact, as we were leaving, Monsieur told me they were expecting a group of Americans who had reserved 8 (!) gîtes. If any of them are fodorites reading this, be sure to check the outlet by the bed for my adapter (my husband managed to leave it in when unplugging the cell phone cord). ;)

The TV reception was kind of poor, but you are right it wasn't better or worse than many other places. The lack of good programming was a bigger problem--most of the time we were there, they were airing the French version of the 'American Idol' (with really lousy singers) and lots of Johny Hallyday who's had so much plastic surgery (I presume) he kind of looks like Michael Jackson now. Oh well, we weren't there to watch TV anyway.

We spent about 4 days in the area, and it definitely wasn't enough (didn't even have time for any kayaking). We'd like to go back, but I don't know when that'll be feasible. France has gotten so darn expensive in the last 2 years; I could hardly believe my eyes.

wren,

sorry i must have missed your message as i was typing yesterday.

there are TONS of things to see/ do in the area--excellent castles (beynac, castelnaud, salignac, commarques, et al.), prehistoric art caves, stalactite/stalagmite caves, beautiful little towns on edges of cliffs, foie gras eating, as well as all sorts of water and cave-related activities (incl. something they call "potholing" or "spéléo"). What am i forgetting?

sarlat is a charming town, but i hear it does get pretty crowded in the summer. parking is not easy there either. i'd suggest something like st. crépin, since it's literally minutes away from sarlat. you could also try the town of beynac as an alternative.

i also found sarlat's layout to be extremely confusing. it's a piece of cake if you're walking, but it's full of twisty narrow one-ways if you are driving, and you get turned around so many times you completely lose any sense of direction.

Sounds wonderful! I was just looking at some of your other posts to get a sense of where you went on this trip, and it seems like you may have gone to the places we are now considering...Did you go to Giverny from Paris, then to Normandy, to Britany, western Loire, and to the Dordorgne? That is what I am thinking of for this summer. I would love to have your (or anyone else's input) on that itinerary. I am also considering going the reverse direction b/c of the heat even though we will be there in June.

wren,

we bypassed paris altogether this time (we both know the city quite well). we had a few deviations from the planned itinerary since we were travelling with friends (somehow, we get to see a lot more when we're by ourselves), but we still managed to cover quite a bit of territory. with open-jaw tickets (fly into paris, out of marseille) and 2 weeks time, here was our itinerary:

*essonne (personal reasons, mostly)
*normandy (giverny/vernon, rouen, mont st. michel, etc.)
*fougères castle on the way to the loire valley
*loire valley (more castles)
*dordogne (as described in the previous message)
*carcassonne and languedoc (albigensian castles)
*provence

i'm too swamped for a full trip report (plus, a giant tree just fell in my backyard, i'm not kidding!!), but i'll be happy to provide any input on your itinerary and share any other information with you (e.g. lodging). provence and languedoc will be unbearably hot in the summer, so it's a good thing that you're avoiding them. otherwise, it's hard to predict the weather. remember this summer's heat wave? even on our trip, when we arrived in normandy (the very end of september), it was extremely hot on our first day (around 90 and the sun was simply scorching).

Well, we have plenty of time to plan, so whenever you get around to more details, that will be great. I will be looking forward to reading it.

BTW, look out for the trees!!

wren,

you might have to wait a while; i'm not making any promises about full trip reports :)

in the meantime, let me know if you have any questions.