Holiday Cottage in Saint-Seurin-de-Palenne, Near Saintes, Charente-Maritime - Pâquerette

Les Gîtes du Vigneron et Chambre d’Hôte

Our gîtes and facilities have been classified "3 star" by the Meublé de Tourisme. While Rose, our Chambre d'hôte, has has been classified "Chambre d'hôtes référence" by Charentes Tourisme. We can accommodate 22 people. We have a beautiful renovated cognac chai (barn) where we can arrange catered functions (see photos).

We look forward to welcoming you, in person, to this beautiful part of France where you will be able to enjoy the peace of rural life amongst the vineyards and fields of sunflowers.

We are situated in the heart of our small village in the Petite Champagne and Haute Saintonge regions. There are several local ‘vignerons’ (wine growers) in the village who still produce wine for the cognac houses and there is also a small distillery producing ‘eau de vie’ for one of the leading cognac houses.

At the same time as renovating our gîtes, we renovated an old stable to create a modern classroom which forms the centre of our new language school, Papillon Ecole de Langue. We offer both residential and non-residential language courses in French and English. Why not brush up your French while you are staying with us? This could either be to help you with your day to day shopping or clarify those technical grammar issues that has always been such a mystery. Vanessa has over 30 years' experience of teaching GCSE, AS, A2 and Pre-U level French in the UK so why not book some revision lessons?

The Maison du Vigneron was originally the vigneron’s (wine grower’s) home and farm outbuildings. It now forms a terrace of three gîtes (Pâquerette, Myosotis and Pervenche) and a laundry / library. The fourth gîte (Chèvrefeuille) and Salle de Jeux are located in two of the old barns and the Chambre d’Hôte (Rose) is situated between Chèvrefeuille and our house.

All of the buildings are fully insulated and double-glazed with electric radiators in all rooms.

The thick stone walls and insulation mean that the gîtes remain cool in summer and the addition of the radiators keep them warm in winter, enabling us to offer holidays throughout the year or long lets in winter.

The occupancy numbers quoted are comfortable maximums and are based on actual beds and rooms. However, some of the rooms have flexible bed layouts where singles can be changed to doubles with foam toppers for added comfort. 

Please note that we operate a no-smoking policy in all our properties and also within the grounds. All of our bedding is hypoallergenic and we regret that we do not accept animals, to ensure that no guests are adversly affected by an allergy.


Pâquerette Gite

This is the second of our three-bedroom, 2 bathroom Gîtes on two floors. Pâquerette is able to comfortably sleep six in a choice of bed configurations. There is a terrace to the side of the gîte where you can eat and relax in the warm Charentais sunshine.

This gîte is within the original Maison du Vigneron and was once the vigneron’s family home.

On the ground floor the original exposed beam, joists and ceiling have been restored and the stone wall cleaned and repointed giving the room an abundance of character. There are windows and doors in all three of the external walls allowing plenty of light to illuminate the room. There is also a renovated stone wall in bedroom 2. This Gîte has the wow factor.

Ground floor:

The main living space (40m²) includes a fully fitted and well equipped kitchen. The lounge, with its comfortable sofa, armchairs and bean bags will suit all the family. Should the sun not be shining then you may adjourn to the dining area and enjoy a convivial family meal around the cherry wood dining table.

There is also a television, satellite box, DVD & wifi but, be warned this is rural France.

First Floor:

The master bedroom (17m²) has a king size bed along with plenty of storage space in the large half-mirrored wardrobe, a chest of drawers & two bedside cabinets. There is also a sitting area to allow you to read quietly or simply sit and reflect. The ensuite bathroom has a shower, toilet, wash-hand basin and vanity unit.

Bedroom 2 (13.5m²) has an exposed stone wall. The room can be configured to include a king size bed (160cms) or two single beds (80x190) to suit your needs. There is also plenty of storage space in the half mirrored wardrobe, chest of drawers and two bedside cabinets. There is a door from bedroom 2 to the large “Jack and Jill” family bathroom.

Bedroom 3 (10m²) has two single beds (90x190), a wardrobe incorporating two large drawers and two bedside cabinets. Similar to bedroom 2 there is a door that gives direct access to the large Jack & Jill family bathroom.

The large family bathroom is accessed from both bedrooms 2 & 3 and contains a shower, toilet, wash-hand basin, vanity unit and additional storage space.

Baby equipment including a high chair, stair gate, bed guard, baby bath, potty, travel cot (no linen), night light, plastic bowls & cutlery, can be borrowed free of charge if available and reserved at the time of booking.

The private terrace is to the side of the gîte. It is south facing and sheltered by the large stone wall, being the side of the neighbour’s ‘chai’ (wine storage barn). It has a dining table and chairs together with sun loungers, deck chairs and a BBQ.

Laundry and  Library:

There is a Laundry and Library situated in the Maison du Vigneron. The laundry contains two washing machines, a sink, an iron and ironing board, airers, pegs, vacuum cleaner, mop, bucket and long handled brush (although Pâquerette has a vacuum cleaner, mop, bucket and brush of its own).

The library has a selection of books and DVDs in French and English for adults and children. There are also a number of board games and a wealth of tourist information.

Toddlers Play Area:

We have converted the old tractor hanger into a large (approx 50m2) covered, fenced and gated toddlers play area. It includes a slide, swing, sand pit, wendy house, beautifully decorated old school desk, rocking horses and much more. There is also a comfy 3 piece suite in which the adults can relax while the children play.

Games Room:
In our Games Room we have a table tennis table, table football and various other indoor and outdoor toys for all ages.

Swimming pool:
We have installed a large heated salt water swimming pool (11mx5m) which is wrapped around by a large terrace with plenty of sun loungers and deck chairs. The pool is 1.40m deep throughout ensuring that the full area can be played in by, nearly, everybody! There is no need to crowd in the shallow end.