The Dordogne: our rental and other highlights
Sep 20th, 2006, 07:34 PM
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The Dordogne: our rental and other highlights
We are back from our trip to Paris and the Dordogne, and I wanted to return the favors of those who were so generous with their expertise and advice when we were in the planning phase. The following are some of our highlights from the Dordogne:
Our house, <b>Chantepierre</b>, located on several acres just off the road to vieux St-Crépin (www.chantepierre-sarlat.com/en/accen.htm). A converted barn, it is now a home of great taste, comfort, and charm, even lovelier than the pictures on the web suggest. The living/dining area, kitchen, and one bath are downstairs; the master bedroom with spacious ensuite bath, two secondary bedrooms, a compact room with a shower and sink and a separate WC are upstairs. The baths are modern. The house is furnished with care and kept to a high standard. Sitting out in back of the house you look out over the countryside. There are two other smaller rentals on the property, one of which we could see at a small distance looking to the right from the rear of our house. The owners are Jean and Nicole Querre, a warm and delightful couple. The owners’ house is just adjacent; they were away for part of our stay and when they returned, we never felt our privacy intruded upon. If you follow the private, unpaved white road that winds through the property, you come to Les Granges Hautes, a B & B well-known to this board.
<b>Around the area:</b> A supermarket, ATM, and pharmacy are located in Salignac-Eyvigues, only 4 km away on a good straight road. There were fields of spent sunflowers along the way. A five-minute walk from the house is <b>Lacypierre</b>, a little jewel of a 16th century chateau, nestled in a glen. (I asked Jean about the enchanting outbuilding in front of the chateau, and he told me it was for baking bread). We enjoyed going to the morning markets in the area, particularly <b>the Sunday morning market in picturesque St-Geniès</b> which really brought the village to life. It was easily accessible and had a wide but not overwhelming array of products. Loved the cubist tableau created by the church and the chateau and enjoyed <b>the 14th century frescoes at the sweet Chapelle du Cheylard</b>. There was a market in Salignac on Tuesday and, of course, the Wednesday market in Sarlat. <b>La Meynardie</b>, where we had two fine meals, is an easy 10-15 minute ride away and is the best restaurant in the immediate area. The silken escalopes de foie de canard with truffle sauce were excellent.
<b>Other memorable experiences and sights:</b>
Overall, seeing the span of man’s history in the area from Font-de-Gaume and La Roque St-Christophe to the internet café in Sarlat
The canoe trip on the Dordogne: never would have thought to do this without Fodor’s–my sons loved it
Font-de-Gaume
The harmony of the golden stone villages with their lauze roofs
The fortified church at St-Amand-de-Coly
The grey and white mythological paintings in the meditation room at Puymartin and the view of the underside of the lauze roofs from the chateau’s attic
Olive sausage from the Sunday market at St. Geniès
Meeting up with the very large tractor coming in the opposite direction on the narrow road to the Moulin de la Tour
Being there at harvest time--lovely dark brown wood barns with corn drying from the rafters
Our house, <b>Chantepierre</b>, located on several acres just off the road to vieux St-Crépin (www.chantepierre-sarlat.com/en/accen.htm). A converted barn, it is now a home of great taste, comfort, and charm, even lovelier than the pictures on the web suggest. The living/dining area, kitchen, and one bath are downstairs; the master bedroom with spacious ensuite bath, two secondary bedrooms, a compact room with a shower and sink and a separate WC are upstairs. The baths are modern. The house is furnished with care and kept to a high standard. Sitting out in back of the house you look out over the countryside. There are two other smaller rentals on the property, one of which we could see at a small distance looking to the right from the rear of our house. The owners are Jean and Nicole Querre, a warm and delightful couple. The owners’ house is just adjacent; they were away for part of our stay and when they returned, we never felt our privacy intruded upon. If you follow the private, unpaved white road that winds through the property, you come to Les Granges Hautes, a B & B well-known to this board.
<b>Around the area:</b> A supermarket, ATM, and pharmacy are located in Salignac-Eyvigues, only 4 km away on a good straight road. There were fields of spent sunflowers along the way. A five-minute walk from the house is <b>Lacypierre</b>, a little jewel of a 16th century chateau, nestled in a glen. (I asked Jean about the enchanting outbuilding in front of the chateau, and he told me it was for baking bread). We enjoyed going to the morning markets in the area, particularly <b>the Sunday morning market in picturesque St-Geniès</b> which really brought the village to life. It was easily accessible and had a wide but not overwhelming array of products. Loved the cubist tableau created by the church and the chateau and enjoyed <b>the 14th century frescoes at the sweet Chapelle du Cheylard</b>. There was a market in Salignac on Tuesday and, of course, the Wednesday market in Sarlat. <b>La Meynardie</b>, where we had two fine meals, is an easy 10-15 minute ride away and is the best restaurant in the immediate area. The silken escalopes de foie de canard with truffle sauce were excellent.
<b>Other memorable experiences and sights:</b>
Overall, seeing the span of man’s history in the area from Font-de-Gaume and La Roque St-Christophe to the internet café in Sarlat
The canoe trip on the Dordogne: never would have thought to do this without Fodor’s–my sons loved it
Font-de-Gaume
The harmony of the golden stone villages with their lauze roofs
The fortified church at St-Amand-de-Coly
The grey and white mythological paintings in the meditation room at Puymartin and the view of the underside of the lauze roofs from the chateau’s attic
Olive sausage from the Sunday market at St. Geniès
Meeting up with the very large tractor coming in the opposite direction on the narrow road to the Moulin de la Tour
Being there at harvest time--lovely dark brown wood barns with corn drying from the rafters
Sep 20th, 2006, 11:03 PM
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Thank you for your beautifully written report. It was so descriptive that I felt I was in the Dordogne again.
The house looks fantastic - I just have one question....
Were you and your family able to eat all of the eggs that the poulet kept laying?
Again, thanks for sharing a memorable stay with us.
Nina
The house looks fantastic - I just have one question....
Were you and your family able to eat all of the eggs that the poulet kept laying?
Again, thanks for sharing a memorable stay with us.
Nina
Sep 21st, 2006, 03:18 AM
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Very well done! That house looks beautiful. I am curious as to how you found it....through a recommendation? We will be in the region for a week in mid-October so the information is very useful to me and I thank you.
Sep 21st, 2006, 03:30 AM
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Thanks for the great post. As lovely as Chantepierre appears to be, it will work only for a limited number of Fodorites (right number of people, interested in staying a week).
But at a casual glance, you might miss their "partner" website - - http://www.les-granges-hautes.fr/en/accen.htm - - which is a nearby B&B, offering six rooms of varying sizes, and nightly rates.
Best wishes,
Rex
But at a casual glance, you might miss their "partner" website - - http://www.les-granges-hautes.fr/en/accen.htm - - which is a nearby B&B, offering six rooms of varying sizes, and nightly rates.
Best wishes,
Rex
Sep 21st, 2006, 04:11 AM
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Rex, thanks for posting! Your report brings back lovely memories of our trip to the Dordogne in June. Chantepierre seems like a great place to stay with a family. We drove through "your" village more than once.
You went to many of the same places we did. I'd love to be back canoeing down the Dordogne right now!
You went to many of the same places we did. I'd love to be back canoeing down the Dordogne right now!
Sep 21st, 2006, 05:05 AM
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I didn't discover anything - - I'm just a website snooper...
...and when I clicked on Rates (or maybe it's "Booking"
for Chantepierre - - at the bottom of the page is a link to their "partner" website. That's all that I "discovered".
But the link is not obvious in any other way that I noticed.
...and when I clicked on Rates (or maybe it's "Booking"
for Chantepierre - - at the bottom of the page is a link to their "partner" website. That's all that I "discovered".But the link is not obvious in any other way that I noticed.
Sep 21st, 2006, 07:54 AM
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Thanks,everyone, for your kind comments. I booked the house last winter and so the memory of how I found it is hazy. I am a patient and persistent searcher and looked at many, many sites. My search words included vacation, rentals, perigord, sarlat, france, and luxury. I found my way onto some British and French rental sites, and I believe I located Chantepierre on a few of the French sites. (Smiled at the French sense of whimsy with the birds). I suggested to Jean that he might also list on vrbo.
I, too, had seen the link to the Granges Hautes site--we might well have stayed there had we not wanted a house. I learned from Jean that they are good friends with the owners of LGH--they were our emergency contact when Jean and Nicole were away.
I, too, had seen the link to the Granges Hautes site--we might well have stayed there had we not wanted a house. I learned from Jean that they are good friends with the owners of LGH--they were our emergency contact when Jean and Nicole were away.
Sep 21st, 2006, 08:36 AM
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Thank you bon voyage for bringing back wonderful memories of the Dordogne. We stayed at Les Granges Hautes and it was a lovely place and the food was amazing. The walnut wine was very unusual. The Peche Merle caves were also quie spectacular, as well as the remains of the troglodite (sp?) cliff dweller's housing. I can't wait to go back!
Sep 21st, 2006, 08:47 AM
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Rex, I'm saving the link for the b&b you cited. I'm still toying with the idea of finishing our next trip by seeing some of the areas of the Loire and the Dordogne which we haven't seen yet. For the price, those little rooms look very cozy.
