Luxury Farmhouse with Swimming Pool in Ronsenac, Charente - BELLE ETOILE Reviews

We had a wonderful time in a fabulous house in the middle of the French countryside.The house has been upgraded to have fantastic facilities, great showers and bathrooms with a very well equipped kitchen. We would definitely return in the future.
Nigel W

Spent a few amazing days down at Belle a couple of weeks ago. The setting is beautiful and the house is spectacular. Loads of room and given that there were 14 guys around the place, it still felt spacious and open. The pool is great, the pétanque court in excellent condition and with the addition of the new fire pit, we were able to keep ourselves amused and warm long into the night. Bike hire was excellent, golf course was a huge amount of fun and the woodland restaurant divine. I would highly recommend it to everyone.

Phil Adams

We stayed at the Belle Etoile for my 40th Birthday. As soon as we arrived we knew we had chosen somewhere very special. The outlook from the property was over rolling fields of sunflowers (July) and was absolutely stunning. We rented the Farmhose, the Gite and the Garden room. Each building was unique and beautifully presented. Very homely with everything you could possibly need. Belle Etoile is clean, charming, and the owners have been caring and attentive throughout. Our children played in the wonderful spacious pool where there is plenty of space to sunbathe on the loungers/rattan corner set. There is a gorgeous outside dining area overlooking the fields, and the kids and adults alike spent many hours in the Games Barn and the Boules court! The paddock was an excellent space for croquet (or rounders) too.We hired bikes locally and cycled along the quiet country roads into Ronsenac and beyond. Ronsenac is very small but quaint with Jimmys Bar for a cold beer. Beyond this we visited Villebois Lavalette and it's beautiful Chateau, and dined in the square/visited the Market. Our favourite restaurant was L'ecole in Vendoire. This place is just stunning and the food/service was perfect. We recommend Congac for a Hennessey Tour, and Brantome or Aubetterre sur dronne for Kayaking! We would visit again most definitely, and would recommend this property 100%. Thankyou for letting us stay at your Belle Etoile, a real home from home.and dined in the square/visited the Market. Our favourite restaurant was L'ecole in Vendoire. This place is just stunning and the food/service was perfect. We recommend Congac for a Hennessey Tour, and Brantome or Aubetterre sur dronne for Kayaking! We would visit again most definitely, and would recommend this property 100%. Thankyou for letting us stay at your Belle Etoile, a real home from home.and dined in the square/visited the Market. Our favourite restaurant was L'ecole in Vendoire. This place is just stunning and the food/service was perfect. We recommend Congac for a Hennessey Tour, and Brantome or Aubetterre sur dronne for Kayaking! We would visit again most definitely, and would recommend this property 100%. Thankyou for letting us stay at your Belle Etoile, a real home from home.

Kay Thu, 16 Jul 2020

We visited late July 2019 as a celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary with two of our children and their respective spouses, plus six grandchildren aged 11 to 3 months. We booked 12 months in advance, having trawled through countless websites looking for the perfect place...and guess what...we found it! Superb accommodation converted from an original farmhouse and outbuildings, providing excellent flexibility for larger parties.During our stay the daytime temperatures hit in excess of 40C, so the huge immaculate pool was a must. Very quiet surroundings but with everything you need just minutes away by car. You can walk to Jimmy's bar in the local village (english run for the not-so-confident french speakers), but not when it's 40C!! So the acid test. Would we go back again? You bet!What could the owners do to improve the property? Short of installing a free bar in the games room, absolutely nothing! How was our experience of dealing with the owners, Gareth and Emma? We had one small mix up on arrival where one of the beds had not been made up. Five minutes after phoning Gareth, the local housekeeper arrived full of apologies and everything was sorted in an instant, so how can you fault that service? Last word..SUPERB!
Mark Allinson

12 of us travelled to France for a big family holiday and to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary. We flew into bordeaux and the property was an easy drive.... Approx 90 minutes. The property itself is amazing, very tastefully decorated, modern and has everything you need to make it your home for the week. It's excellently located to be able to explore the surrounding villages. We happened to be there on one of the hottest weeks (40degrees plus) so not a great deal of exploring was done, Angoloume is worth a visit though as is the nearby Villebois Lavalette for early morning croissants and late afternoon ice creams. The pool......it made it for us, amazing for all ages as it has wide steps leading into the pool which the younger ones liked to splash about on. It's deep enough but not too deep and large enough for pool float races!All in all a fantastic week of family time, we had a lot of questions prior to arrival and Gareth was very helpful in answering any queries we had and giving advice about the area. One slight improvement that we thought could be made..... More. Fans, we only had 2 and with the extreme heat could have definitely done with more but its a very minor issue. Would 100% return, we all can't wait to. 12 of us travelled to France for a big family holiday and to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary. We flew into bordeaux and the property was an easy drive.... Approx 90 minutes. The property itself is amazing, very tastefully decorated, modern and has everything you need to make it your home for the week. It's excellently located to be able to explore the surrounding villages.We happened to be there on one of the hottest weeks (40degrees plus) so not a great deal of exploring was done, Angouleme is worth a visit though as is the nearby Villebois Lavalette for early morning croissants and late afternoon ice creams. The pool......it made it for us, amazing for all ages as it has wide steps leading into the pool which the younger ones liked to splash about on. It's deep enough but not too deep and large enough for pool float races! All in all a fantastic week of family time, we had a lot of questions prior to arrival and Gareth was very helpful in answering any queries we had and giving advice about the area. One slight improvement that we thought could be made..... More Fans, we only had 2 and with the extreme heat could have definitely done with more but its a very minor issue. Would 100% return, we all can't wait to.

Mark Allinson

Brilliant relaxing holiday for all 16 of us ranging from grand parents to a baby. 8 young children and 8 adults. We must have picked the record breaking hottest week of the year so the beautiful big pool was ideal and in the hottest part of the day the cool games room and well equipped farmhouse were a welcome break from the sun. Lots to do for everyone so we didn't feel the need to leave Belle Etoile. However we did tear ourselves away to go canoeing in the pretty town of Brantome and visited Aubeterre's amazing subterranean church. A week wasn't long enough so we hope to visit again. The owner was very helpful with tips and advice from the initial booking right throughout our holiday. We would definitely recommend this beautiful home.

Anne T

Stylish , clean with amazing views

Loved our visit to Cognac, a short drive away. Will definitely visit Belle Etoile again soon

Emma W

We have visited Belle Etoile before in 2014 during the summer. This year we decided to visit in October for a week during half term. The house is immaculate and home from home. As soon as you arrive and your car tyres crunch onto the large gravel parking area, you begin to relax. Opening the door to the country style kitchen continues the process. The house has a comfy lounge and well equipped kitchen with everything you will need for the family. The furnishings throughout are stylish and you soon feel that your holiday has begun, yet you feel like you are at home. The bedrooms had very comfy beds, with one super king and plenty of space for large families. There is even more accommodation on the second floor, which we did not need to use. We also booked the Garden Room,which is freshly furnished with a double bed and an ensuite with wet room style shower. For October, we were not expecting much from the weather, but we were blessed with three days of full sunshine? with temperatures up to 25*C. We will be booking again for 2018.
Nigel Wilkes

The property is superb. The uninterrupted views across wonderful french countryside are incredible. I instantly relaxed. The house is so spacious; easy to spend time with lots of other people without tripping over one another. Brilliant pool too. And loads of space outside. Definitely going back. Owners very helpful and keen to ensure that we loved our stay. Which we did!
Helen L

We rented Belle Etoile for a week for a family gathering and celebration for 14 (adults & children). We rented the farmhouse, gite and garden room. Each element is beautifully decorated and it worked brilliantly as a combination for families with children and adults. The farmhouse accommodated the families with well proportioned rooms and gorgeous views. and the children loved the top floor rooms - especially as the height is a little limited so best for adults to duck! A perfect den for cousins to enjoy. The gite is a fabulous space and the garden room a perfect sanctuary. The furnishings are beautifully done. There are wonderful areas to all get together by the pool, outside dining area and kitchen but it has enough space for everyone to unwind and relax too. We enjoyed fabulous weather and loved the pool - the big sky and views are fabulous.The pool is cleverly designed - the extra length swimming lane is perfect for working off the extra breakfast croissant! The games room was enjoyed by all and is lovely and cool on a hot day - perfect for a bit of family competition be it pool, table tennis, table football. We rented bikes and cycled to the tennis court in nearby Ronsenac and did some short forays around the very quiet roads (good for children on bikes). The surrounding area is great and we enjoyed day trips to Aubeterre, the market at Riberac and the lake at la Jemaye. The owners are extremely friendly and could not have been more helpful. All in all a brilliant week and a perfect spot. We were all sad to leave at the end of the week. Thank you Belle Etoile for some wonderful memories.

Jane N