Faye l`Abbesse Holiday Home in Poitou-Charentes, Deux-Sevres, France Reviews

We all enjoyed another relaxing holiday at this lovely house; mainly relaxing around the pool but also bike rides through the countryside and a day out by train to Les Sables d’Olonne. Diana & Graham were great hosts as always; never intrusive but always ready with help and advice if needed.

A family of 14, aged between 3 and 73, were looking to rent a 7-bedroomed house of which at least 4 en-suite, plus a family bathroom, and private outdoor pool,south of the river Loire in the month of August to celebrate a Big Birthday… A tall order, but one to which Di and Graham responded straight away with a warm Yorkshire “Yes, of course!” What we, the tenants didn’t know when we booked, was that our hosts would exceed our expectations by providing not only a pool, but a heated, salt-water one, into which the 3 youngest children learned to jump, and then swim without armbands during our stay. They had free use of the many bikes of all shapes and sizes, and played for hours in the Wendy House, with the various toys and games at their disposal – as well as on the swings and slide in the hectare of garden.

Number 1 treat was going with Graham to pick up the eggs – and sometimes even the hens themselves - in the hen house, and to cook the eggs for next-day’s breakfast.

As for the birthday party, Diana arranged for a local caterer to e-mail menus well in advance, so that we could choose all the dishes – and the birthday cake – which were delivered ready to serve on the great day. She also came up with a superbly cooked 5-kilo gammon joint to accompany the eggs at breakfast…No small task in the depths of the French countryside…

Any requests for replacement light bulbs, ideas for excursions, eateries, taxi services were all met with enthusiastic and positive responses.

Once the younger generations of the family had returned home, the Grandparents dug in for another week on their own and were able to enjoy the peace and friendship offered by the house and its owners.

Thank you, Diana and Graham, for turning a unique and special time in the life of our family into an unforgettable and happy holiday for us all.

The Woolmers

Cirencester

A family of 14, aged between 3 and 73, were looking to rent a 7-bedroomed house of which at least 4 en-suite, plus a family bathroom, and private outdoor pool,south of the river Loire in the month of August to celebrate a Big Birthday… A tall order, but one to which Di and Graham responded straight away with a warm Yorkshire “Yes, of course!” What we, the tenants didn’t know when we booked, was that our hosts would exceed our expectations by providing not only a pool, but a heated, salt-water one, into which the 3 youngest children learned to jump, and then swim without armbands during our stay. They had free use of the many bikes of all shapes and sizes, and played for hours in the Wendy House, with the various toys and games at their disposal – as well as on the swings and slide in the hectare of garden.

Number 1 treat was going with Graham to pick up the eggs – and sometimes even the hens themselves - in the hen house, and to cook the eggs for next-day’s breakfast.

As for the birthday party, Diana arranged for a local caterer to e-mail menus well in advance, so that we could choose all the dishes – and the birthday cake – which were delivered ready to serve on the great day. She also came up with a superbly cooked 5-kilo gammon joint to accompany the eggs at breakfast…No small task in the depths of the French countryside…

Any requests for replacement light bulbs, ideas for excursions, eateries, taxi services were all met with enthusiastic and positive responses.

Once the younger generations of the family had returned home, the Grandparents dug in for another week on their own and were able to enjoy the peace and friendship offered by the house and its owners.

Thank you, Diana and Graham, for turning a unique and special time in the life of our family into an unforgettable and happy holiday for us all.

The Woolmers

Cirencester

We first stayed at this wonderful house in 2013 and so we were all looking forward to returning again this year. It really was just as impressive as it was on our first visit. Diana and Graham keep this large house very well maintained and the attention to detail is a credit to them both.

The house is spotlessly clean with very comfortable beds and good quality bedding and towels. We particularly like the French style kitchen which has a wonderful view/vista that seems endless. The pool is magnificent with good quality sunbeds and the outside area is spacious and well planned. The photographs of this house really do not do it justice as in reality it is so much grander and bigger.

The layout of the house is particularly good especially when you have a large family group. There is such a feeling of open space both inside and out. Diana and Graham are very good hosts, extremely kind and helpful and never intrusive in any way.

Again, our week flew by far too quickly.

We had a fantastic family holiday. The house, grounds and pool were amazing. Diana and Graham are great hosts. The surrounding area offers great days out for all the family. I would highly recommend staying at Le Belle Echappee. Its a wonderful place to take a dog as well, enclosed garden and wonderful walks around the area. Thank you Diana and Graham.

Returned from the most wonderful and relaxing week at La Belle Echappee. This magnificent house has everything you could wish for in a holiday home. We arrived late in the evening and as soon as we pulled up the drive to our very welcoming hosts Graham and Diana, I knew we were in for a perfect week.

The House

There were 9 people in our party (4 adults and 5 children; ages ranging from 4 to 15). The house is large and spacious and was spotlessly clean. It could have easily accommodated another family. The bedrooms are luxurious and beautifully decorated. The kitchen is very well equipped hosting just about every kitchen utensil you could ask for. For the little time spent in doors, the Sky TV & Wi-Fi access was an added bonus for when we wanted to keep the children out of the sun.

Outdoors

What can I say – fantastic! The house is set in large grounds. The heated salt water pool is gorgeous and a lot kinder to the children’s eyes than a chlorine pool; this was a bonus as the children spent the majority of the week in there!

Outdoor activities – endless!; football nets, badminton, table tennis, table top football, boules, croquet, swings and slide. There were a number of bikes which the Dad’s and older children enjoyed visiting the surrounding villages on. Prior to our holiday we planned on a couple of day trips out, however we never left the house – we had no reason to do so!

Apart from breakfast, we ate all meals outside, mostly BBQs, so the outdoor summer kitchen was ideal and well equipped for our needs. The large wooden patio table seated us all comfortably and is housed under a gazebo.

The village

Beautiful little village, very French and the people were friendly. Hosts a bakery, small shop, pharmacy, post office, and library and pizzeria restaurant (which we can highly recommend a visit to).

In a nutshell, we have already booked for next year – does that not say it all!

PS: forgot to mention the welcome basket and the fresh daily eggs - just perfect!

We had a really Beautiful Escape at La Belle Echappee. Excellent facilities - beautiful pool, table-tennis, badminton, football, bikes, cricket.... and more. Very rural location which was perfect for us. We took our 4 kids (age 19 - 23) & there was loads of space for us all - we all loved it. Graham and Diana are lovely hosts and make you feel welcome from the moment you arrive. Very highly recommended. Thanks for a wonderful holiday!

thank you for a amazing holiday, the property was amazing from the large private garden to the heated pool, perfect for gazing at the stars at night. a very warm greeting from Diana and graham excellent hosts. Excellent accommodation for guests of all ages. We will definitely be back.

La Belle Echappee lives up to it's name and is a fantastic home to visit for large families and groups. The house is very well presented, spacious and with very flexible accommodation while the outdoor space if truly exceptional with a well heated salt water pool and very large garden with almost every sport you can imagine to play for children, and beautiful views and outdoor entertaining space and facilities for the whole family . The owners live on site but can be seen and contacted as little or as much as guests want, they are a charming couple , very welcoming and helpful and our children loved helping them to feed the array of chickens.. We thoroughly recommend this property.

This is one of the best houses I have stayed in for the facilities and friendliness of the owners. They were very helpful and responsive and were extremely welcoming. The pool is lovely and was a very nice temperature and there is loads of space for kids to run around which was brilliant. The accommodation was very comfortable, spacious, nicely decorated and clean. I would highly recommend this place for families or a large group.