Cottage from the garden
Garden and Private Pool
Master Bedroom
Lounge
Montaigu de Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees, France
Set in a tiny hilltop hamlet, a few minutes from the village of Roquecor, Petit Romarin was formerly the local bakehouse and still has a working bread oven although it hasn't been used for many years.
The hamlet is surrounded by arable farmland and, being situated in a no through road, is very quiet. Past guests have described it as 'a little piece of heaven'. The cottage has its own pool and secluded, rambling garden bordered on one side by an ancient stone wall. Here you can relax and unwind and enjoy the slow, gentle pace of life in this lovely corner of SouthWest France.
The cottage has been lovingly furnished with antiques from the UK and France but, more importantly, with good quality beds. It is very traditional, to reflect its 200 year heritage and original features, such as the marble sinks in the kitchen and the original washbasin in the shower room have been carefully preserved. We aim to give guests a sample of the traditional, rural French way of life so if you want IKEA and microwaves, this isn't the property for you.
It has a spacious master bedroom which opens on to a small terrace in the herb garden -a delightful spot in the early evening. The large lounge/dining room has french doors out into the private garden with pool. From here you can watch the wonderful array of birds that inhabit the trees at the end of the garden.
The second bedroom has french doors into the private front garden which has a raised terrace with a 'roof of honeysuckle and vines'. There is a shower room/WC with a stained glass window painted by a niece of Virginia Wolfe, the previous owner having been a notable artist.
The cottage has very low doorways so basketball players may wish to take note! The cottage is adjacent to the owners property and the surrounding 1.5 acre gardens are largely unfenced. We are very happy to welcome dogs providing they get on with children and other dogs as well as our cats, children and chickens.
The cottage also has WIFI internet access for those needing to stay in touch with home or office, and the ADSL connection means that the internet can also be used for making phone calls.
There is an artist's studio attached to the cottage which can be rented for an additional £50 per week.
Extracts from our visitors book:
This is our second stay and we enjoyed it even more than the first. Thanks for taking such good care of us. The T Family, Manchester
Thanks for providing us with such a beautiful place to stay - H and T, UK
We had a lovely week, and such comfortable beds - J and M, Exeter
Gorgeous cottage, beautiful area - D and T, Surrey
The owner's property managers live very close by and will be available to help with any information you require
Summer flowers
Bedroom 2
Kitchen
Terrace
With many local vineyards there is a whole host of wines to be tasted at your leisure. Roquecor, the nearest village, has a wonderful cafe with a chef who trained with John Burton-Race and lists Quaglino and the River Cafe on his CV. There is an excellent small epicerie for day to day needs. The larger towns of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Agen and Cahors are all 30-40 minutes away and have an array of hypermarkets to choose from.
The pretty villages of Lauzerte, Tournon d'Agenais and Puy L'Eveque are close by, all offering lovely cafes and restaurants for those hot summer evenings. Moissac, which featured in Rick Stein's French Odyssey, has roman cloisters, a beautiful Abbey and the 'Pont de Napoleon' restaurant. Petit Romarin is also ideally suited for exploring a bit further afield being set within 20 minutes of the Lot and Lot et Garonne. The Dordogne can be reached within an hour.
As you would expect from a rural area the local markets are lovely and offer a huge variety of fresh produce including the famous Agen plums.
The larger village of Montaigu de Quercy, where Sebastian Foulks wrote 'Charlotte Gray', has supermarkets, boulangerie, pharmacie and a very helpful tourist office as well as a lovely Salon de The. There is a large leisure lake with pedalos and sandy beaches which is open during July and August. Entry is just a few euros.
The lifestyle is slow and relaxing - ideal for escaping the stress of modern life. It's no wonder that people around here live longer than anywhere in Europe!
Special Offer
Click here if the owners have said that you can pay them online
7th January to 31st March £325 + heating
1st April - 25th May £450 + heating if req'd
26th May - 30th June £525
1st July - 31st August £850
1st September - 26th October £600
27th October - 21st December £325 + heating
22nd December - 4th January £445 + heating
Change over day is SATURDAY. Guests should not arrive before 4pm and should vacate the property by 10am on the day of departure.
WE ALWAYS KEEP OUR AVAILABILITY CALENDAR UP TO DATE THEREFORE,TO SAVE YOU TIME AND DISAPPOINTMENT, PLEASE CHECK IT BEFORE ENQUIRING.