Limousin holiday accommodation
| country: | France |
| location: | 35km south of Limoges, Limousin |
| price: | From €45 per room per night (at certain times of the year) or from €140 - €192 per night for the whole house or €1000 - €1300 for the whole house for 7 days (sleeps >14). |
| offers: | 15% discount for self-catering rentals in September & October - for up to 14 people. |
description
Welcome to our beautiful self-catering holiday village house in the rural Limousin region of central France - the land of a thousand lakes. Whether you are looking for an ideal holiday rental for your self-catering group, family or club, or want to experience our stimulating residential courses (including organic vegetable gardening), you will find this to be the perfect base for a relaxing holiday in France. We can accommodate up to 14 people within the 6 lovely bedrooms (5 with private bedrooms).
We are situated in the friendly village of St Germain les Belles, which is surrounded by some of the loveliest countryside in France. This unspoilt region of France is ideal for large families or groups of bird-watchers, artists, canoeists, walkers, cyclists... in fact, anyone who loves being surrounded by nature and wants to enjoy a 'greener holiday'. The owners, Howard and Anna, live just a few minutes away and are happy to help you in all aspects of your holiday, from travel arrangements to telling you their favourite places to visit.
Step out of the door and discover everything that our village has to offer - local shops selling fine Limousin produce, restaurants, historic buildings, summer fetes, markets, the swimming lake and beach... Turn away from the village, and within a few minutes you will find quiet country lanes with wild hedgerows.
Limousin has been called the 'French Lake District' and it has a beauty and charm all of its own with some of the most unspoilt, natural landscapes in France. Within this enchanting scenery, you are never far from a tranquil lake or a huge network of meandering country walks across rolling hills and forests. You will certainly be able to experience a slower pace of life and true rural French culture.
We are surrounded by swimming lakes, beaches and outdoor swimming pools. The beautiful Lake Vassiviere, Europe's largest man-made lake, is only 45 minutes away and is also the site of the national contemporary art gallery. Please ask us for details of some of the best lakes or outdoor pools to visit, especially for those with young children.
By rail: There are rail links from Paris to Limoges and also a small station in the village itself. Please contact if you require any ‘pick-ups’.
By air: The nearest airports to our Limousin holiday accommodation are at Limoges (40 minutes by car) or Bergerac (2 hours by car).
We are situated in the friendly village of St Germain les Belles, which is surrounded by some of the loveliest countryside in France. This unspoilt region of France is ideal for large families or groups of bird-watchers, artists, canoeists, walkers, cyclists... in fact, anyone who loves being surrounded by nature and wants to enjoy a 'greener holiday'. The owners, Howard and Anna, live just a few minutes away and are happy to help you in all aspects of your holiday, from travel arrangements to telling you their favourite places to visit.
Step out of the door and discover everything that our village has to offer - local shops selling fine Limousin produce, restaurants, historic buildings, summer fetes, markets, the swimming lake and beach... Turn away from the village, and within a few minutes you will find quiet country lanes with wild hedgerows.
Limousin has been called the 'French Lake District' and it has a beauty and charm all of its own with some of the most unspoilt, natural landscapes in France. Within this enchanting scenery, you are never far from a tranquil lake or a huge network of meandering country walks across rolling hills and forests. You will certainly be able to experience a slower pace of life and true rural French culture.
We are surrounded by swimming lakes, beaches and outdoor swimming pools. The beautiful Lake Vassiviere, Europe's largest man-made lake, is only 45 minutes away and is also the site of the national contemporary art gallery. Please ask us for details of some of the best lakes or outdoor pools to visit, especially for those with young children.
how to find our Limousin holiday accommodation
By road: Our Limousin holiday accommodation is 35 km south of Limoges, we are conveniently located just 10 minutes from the A20 (junction 42). By rail: There are rail links from Paris to Limoges and also a small station in the village itself. Please contact if you require any ‘pick-ups’.
By air: The nearest airports to our Limousin holiday accommodation are at Limoges (40 minutes by car) or Bergerac (2 hours by car).
rooms, food and facilities
Guests can choose from 6 bedrooms, 5 of which have en-suite bathrooms. We think the bedrooms are stunning - most have original oak flooring, items of furniture made from sustainable local timber, comfortable beds, and huge windows to make the most of the lovely view. All rooms are twin-bedded (perfect for mixed groups) but we can make them up as doubles to suit your requirements. The largest bedroom can have 3 beds and cots can also be added where needed.We are open all year round. There is central-heating in every room and the double-glazing, wood-burning stove and extra warm bedding will ensure a comfortable stay in the cooler months so that you can enjoy the wealth of activities that the region has to offer in winter.
There is a large private garden and dining terrace, with views out onto open countryside and buttercup meadows.
Organic holidays
Vegetable Gardening, the Organic Way From €780 (4 days tutoring plus 6 nights full board) based on 2 sharing. Departs in September
This 4-day course is suitable for anyone who would like to learn how to grow their own vegetables organically regardless of experience. Our Vegetable Gardening Course promotes the benefits of eating / growing organic food and how everyone can do so, with the right techniques. The experience of growing vegetables and then eating them fresh from the garden, without any pesticides is an incredibly rewarding experience. Where possible we try and serve up dishes made from organic vegetables or those that myself and our tutors have produced. Where this is not possible we have at least used local shops and locally-produced meat, from our village butchers.
Family friendly: Our Limousin holiday accommodation and surrounding area is very family friendly. The house has a spacious lawn area for children to play on and we provide childrens’ books and games. The roads and lanes around the property are very quiet and are perfect for a walk or a bike ride.
The local village lake is great fun for kids. There is supervised swimming throughout the summer and a lovely sandy beach. There is also a variety of play equipment, from a slide for toddlers to more adventurous climbing frames for big kids! There are also lots of other village lakes in the surrounding area. We strive to be child-friendly holiday accommodation - being a young family ourselves, we understand the pressures (and pleasures!) of taking the children on holiday. We can provide some of those 'bulky' items that are difficult to pack for a holiday (travel cots, high-chairs, toys, baby baths, stair-gates, etc.) - just let us know what you need when booking and we will do our best to provide it. Disabled access: We welcome disabled guests to our Limousin holiday accommodation. The large ground floor bedroom and private bathroom is fully accessible to wheelchairs. We have also installed French Windows and a wheelchair ramp for access onto the terrace. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions about how we can make your stay a pleasant one. We are happy to provide/research information about access at any local attractions, restaurants etc.
how this holiday makes a difference
 We believe that education is the key to making a difference and our Environmental Course Programme began in May 2007, with “Vegetable Gardening, the Organic Way”. Each course celebrates our environment in some way and we aim to inspire and encourage learning, all in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. We only use/provide, environmentally-friendly cleaning products. We grow our own organic vegetables and use these and only locally sourced or organic ingredients for our meals. We encourage visitors to recycle (recycling banks are a short walk away) and to compost all vegetable waste; compost heaps have been made on-site for this purpose.  We are sure that visitors will embrace the beautiful countryside and open spaces that are right on their doorstep. We also intend to produce information/books on the local wildlife that they can see e.g. the fantastic diversity of birds here that can exist as a result of the low-scale farming that leaves wild hedge-rows intact. There are also many ‘attractions’ in the area that guests can visit e.g. local Nature Reserves, National Park, lakes – these open spaces all have a benefit to our environment. We will provide links to all the environmental associations in the area e.g. SEPOL, a local birding organisation that promote the study and protection of birds in the Limousin. They also arrange frequent walks in the area. Guests to our Limousin holiday accommodation are invited to at least learn the French words for day-to-day pleasantries. We have made up a sheet of useful French words that guests can have a look at. This in turn will encourage people to use local shops/services, knowing that they will be understood.  We provide information about the wealth of local activities and services that are on offer here – much of life out here revolves around our enjoyable seasonal festivals and the activities that are organised by the local salles des fetes committee. We encourage participation in these to create a better understanding of rural Limousin culture. We encourage guests to our Limousin holiday accommodation to use our village shops and to therefore aid the local economy. These sell fine Limousin produce and locally-reared meat. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |