Beautifully Restored Character 18th Century Dordogne Cottage with Private Pool - Hill Top House Reviews

My wife, daughter, and I stayed here for a week in Summer 2014. Overall, a mixed review.

What We Liked: It's a pretty and rustic cottage set in a verdant landscape with a charming exterior. Our daughter also appreciated a nice selection of board games and pool toys. It's big enough for 2 adults and 1 or 2 children. The village of Coux-et-Bigaroque is a 15-minute walk. It's a pleasant village but not particularly interesting or charming.

What We Didn't Like/Missed: We missed some creature comforts like a dryer (you have to dry your laundry on a line in the garage), and the house (especially downstairs) had very old-fashioned furniture on the main level (think grandparents' sitting room!). It also wasn't super-comfortable. Other peeves were no bathroom downstairs, the need to cover the swimming pool each night (a very heavy cover), and (least important) we couldn't get the English TV channels to work.

While we were there, the owners (who have their main house across the way) weren't in France, which suited us because we prefer privacy when on vacation, but that might otherwise have been an issue because the cottage's pool and backyard are clearly visible from the owners' house's patio.

Our only other comment is to advise that it proved very difficult to get our full security deposit refunded, even though my wife took such pains to leave the house in pristine condition. The owners' seemed to have no scruples about retaining a portion of our money. We did eventually get all the money back, but it took a lot of time and effort. So, in summary, a nice cottage but too many issues for us to choose this one for our next visit to the Dordogne.
Paul M.

Just wanted to say how much we enjoyed our stay in Le Coux. The house is beautiful, very tastefully decorated and really well equipped (Thank you so much to the owners for providing a cot and high chair.) We were lucky enough to enjoy the fantastic pool every day. Really didn't want to leave!!
Gill M.

Lovely comfortable cottage-beautifully restored.Great kitchen,bathrooms,bedrooms & sitting room-all as lovely as they look in the photos.The pool was fantastic & as with the house everything you might need was provided. Ian and Heather are very welcoming and knowledgable about the local area. We had a fantastic week & can thoroughly recommend the cottage
Peter L.

My husband and I and our 6 year old son stayed for a week in Pierre Lapin in early July and had a wonderful time. It was the best accommodation and most lovely region of our 4 week holiday in France and Italy.

The cottage is beautiful, exactly like the photos on the internet and in a gorgeous and convenient location.

The cottage itself exceeded our expectations with an extensive library for both adults and children, children's board games, even a badminton set which was set up on the front lawn. A welcome basket including champagne, home made jam and croissants and coffee was an added bonus along with everyday necessities like washing powder, olive oil and glad wrap.

Ian and Heather were lovely and helpful hosts, with great tips for the region including fun family outings like canoeing and the nearby Air Parc (my son's favourite thing on our entire holiday).

You can walk into the small village for fresh bread from the bakery, as well as coffee at the cafe (although we relied on the great coffee machine in the house). The beautiful villages of Domme, Sarlat and Beynac and prehistoric cave paintings were a short drive away, along with other less visited, beautiful villages. Good supermarkets are a 5-10 minute drive.

Summer was a perfect time to stay and we swam in the pool every afternoon and even into the evening. We often ate on the outdoor table, even seeing a wild deer on two occasions.

I'd highly recommend this lovely region and cottage for a relaxing stay with a great mix of history, beautiful villages and fun, family activities.

Cathy, (Melbourne, Australia), July 2011
Cathy R.Melbourne, Australia

We found in this property what we came for: comfort and calm. The house is very well laid out and the huge garden. The swimming pool is perfect for swimming and its ideal surroundings for sunbathing and resting.

A lot of charm emerges from this place.
Jean-Luc C.