The newly converted barn sleeps 4 and can be rented on it's own out of season or as an addition to the main house for larger parties.
View upon arrival
View of the pool and house
Family lunch
Croquet for parents
Montoire, Loire Valley, France
Our house is organised so that it can be enjoyed by two families with 2/3 bedrooms and a bathroom at each end separated by the grand salon/sitting room. The double bedroom, a twin room, bathroom (with shower above the bath) and separate WC are upstairs at one end of the house with the new twin ensuite room on the ground floor. On the other side of the sitting room there is a double bedroom and bathroom with WC (shower above the bath) downstairs and a bedroom with three beds upstairs. The layout of our house is ideal for two families sharing or alternately you can put children at one end and have some peace at the other. The two downstairs bedrooms have doors opening directly onto the garden. There is oak parquet flooring upstairs and antique tiled floors throughout downstairs. Six of the beds are new this year and the others are only a few years old.
The grand salon/sitting room was the old hay barn and has wonderful beams, a huge table, 2 large new sofas, armchairs and a big stone fireplace. There are masses of books in the house and various games and toys for children. Our kitchen is very well equipped as we love cooking. There is also a small laundry room off the kitchen with clothes washing machine, new tumbler dryer and iron/ironing board.
We have just converted our barn into a comfortable 2 double bedroom cottage (visible in the last 2 photos). This is available to rent in addition to our main house to accommodate larger parties. Or it is available out of season on its own. Needless to say it is ideal for in-laws or grandparents who are not so keen on the 6 am activity in the main house! It is not let to other families independant of those in the main house.
There are lovely fruit trees around the house:cherries, apricots, plums, greengages, grapes, pears, apples, and walnuts. Help yourself if your visit coincides with the ripe fruit.
We are very lucky to have Albert and Annick Guerin, close neighbours, as our caretaker, gardener and friends. They do not speak English but they have no trouble in understanding what is needed!
Our heated pool(with roman steps)is a real delight and has a surrounding secure fence with gates for safety with children. It is surrounded by extensive lawns and flowerbeds and we have a croquet set which is very popular, a child's cricket set, a set of boules, a small tent and 2 hammocks. There are lots of inflatable pool items (hopefully not punctured by the families before you!) and there is also an inflateable paddling pool which is perfect for the very young. Why not try taking your dinner out by the pool and turning on the pool lights as it gets dark. Magic.
As mentioned the famous Loire chateaux are within easy driving distance (Chenonceaux 40 mins, Amboise 30 mins etc) but there is also lots to see locally in Vendome and Montoire. On a map we can be found north east of Tours, between Montoire and Chateau Renault (at Prunay). Our housebook is full of really useful information (local market days, good restaurants plus phone numbers etc) and we have a large box full of tourist brochures to hand. The tourist office in Montoire is very helpful and there is also one in Chateau Renault. Both only 15 mins from our house. Our phone is at your disposal so we ask that you keep a note of calls made and we now have a wifi internet connection.
We are putting in a tennis court in the spring, so with luck it shuld be available from late May onwards.
The Grand Salon
Time for a break
Dinner inside
Cool pool fun
Tours, the capital city of the Touraine, is full of interesting history, art, and architecture. The old town has attractive cobbled streets, charming half-timbered buildings and an incredible variety of bars and restaurants in the pedestrianised centre.
This area is famous for the many spectacular Loire Chateaux: Amboise, Saumur, Azay-Le-Rideau, Villandry, Blois, Chambord, Cheverny, and our favourite Chenonceau.
Local to us there is Boating/fishing at Prunay's small lake. A tennis court in Authon village (3km). Wonderful local markets and restaurants, plus lots of local tourist attractions in addition to the famous Loire chateaux. There is plenty for children to enjoy such as the Futuroscope theme park and Zoos etc. There are hundreds of tourist brochures in our info box. Cycling is a good way of exploring and we have 6 adult's bikes plus optional child seats which are available at a nominal price via Albert.
A day out in Paris is now easy as the TGV station at Vendome (30 mins from our house)goes directly to paris in 42 minutes!
Upstairs double room , main house
New twin bedroom, main house
Converted barn alongside main house
The barn sittingroom
From the UK we tend to go via the Tunnel and then a 5 hour drive south. As you go round Paris follow the signs for Bordeaux/Nantes and you cannot go wrong! A more scenic route (a little longer) is another motorway via Rouen and then cross country.
Taking a ferry is also popular and the longer (possibly overnight) Portsmouth to Le Havre is our choice. The cross country drive is very attractive and takes 3.5 to 4 hours.
Vendome-Villiers is a TGV station only 40 minutes from Paris-Montparnasse (the station is only 30 mins from our house) Not all the fast trains stop at Vendome but the next station just on the edge of Tours is called St Pierre des Corps and has a very frequent train service and it only 40 minutes by car from our house.
Ryanair now do flights all the year round from Stanstead to Tours for around £40 or less. Tours airport is 40 mins from our house. Hire cars are available from there.
Logs and central heating fuel are charged at cost.
Crisp white linen,duvets and towels etc are provided.
Last updated January 24th 2012. We plan to build a tennis court in the spring of 2012 so with luck it should be available from End May onwards. No extra costs this year!
Email me for more info about the house, the barn, the surrounding area and the famous chateaux. Our website for more photos and further details is: la-chapelle.co.uk