Every summer, we brave the overnight ferry and its fabled alarm, and head off to the little village of Nanclars, in the Charente region of France. My parents have lived there, near the larger town of Angoulême, for over ten years. They own a wonderful old farmhouse and get by in their “retirement” by renting out several french gites attached their property. It is an idyllic place, surrounded by beautiful french countryside. There is a swimming pool and a large garden and much to see and do in the area.
We consider ourselves very lucky that we get to holiday to such a place every year. We only need our ferry fare and petrol money to get us there. It is unlikely that we would afford a holiday abroad otherwise. My parents’ french gites are the perfect option for families that like a nice self-catering base, or as a stop off on the way to exploring the rest of Europe.
Maison de Figuier has been lovingly expanded and restored (mostly by my dad, who is not really retired at all). We frequent the main house when we stay. However, there is also a luxury two-bedroom gite and a one-bedroom gite available to rent out. If you are interested in visiting Maison de Figuier, you can contact to check availability via Maison de Figuier’s Facebook Page.
Our Family Trip to Maison de Figuier 2018
This year, I decided to make a video of our stay, as much to make a record of our holiday to treasure as to show it off for my parents. You can see it below. It takes you right from the ferry there to the ferry back home.
We spent our days in the pool and jacuzzi, eating lots of lovely food and enjoying the sunshine. We did a few trips out to a local pool and soft play. However, we mostly kept ourselves to ourselves and relaxed in the gardens. The soft play was actually excellent as it was much quieter than the ones over here in the holidays. Biggest had a really good time and did not get too overwhelmed, as you can see in the video.
Even though our travel was a little stressful and Biggest did struggle to adapt to the big changes, it was still lovely to spend time with family in such a lovely location.
Where is your favourite destination for a family holiday? Would you like to visit french gites?
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