This part of France has a climate second only to the South of France with generally long, hot summers and mild winters. You can usually eat well here and are never too far from a restaurant. The Charente is famous for its seafood, especially oysters and mussels (good with white Charente wine), cognac and pineau, melons and a variety of cheeses. There is an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables in local shops and markets, succulent lamb and beef from the Marais, sometimes cèpes sent up from Bordeaux.

The Cottage is an open plan studio at ground floor level in an attractively converted stable with a real country cottage feel about it. Ideal for those who prefer to be independent, it can be taken with either a double sofa bed or two single beds. The kitchen area has a cooker, fridge and washing machine, there is a table for two, television, CD and radio, and a bathroom with shower.

It has its own lawn garden area with furniture and a barbecue and awnings to provide shade and keep the cottage cool on hot days.

The Bergerie is also on one level and has been recently converted, decorated and furnished in fresh white and yellow and has its own private garden area with outside furniture and a barbeque. It has a double bedroom and a bathroom with shower and an open plan sitting room with a CD player and kitchen, equipped with a cooker, fridge and washing machine, plus kettle and all necessary pots, pans and utensils.