Village Gite with Modern Amenities, WiFi and Private Garden with Open Views over Farmland
Peaceful Rural Location 20 mins from the Sea & 50 mins from the D-Day Beaches
Sleeps 6 + cot (3 Bedrooms)
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'La Bourdonniere' is a modern cottage created from an ancient stone barn attached to the owners' home in Montpinchon, a small village between Coutances & St Lo in the Cherbourg Peninsula. The cottage is set well back from the road, down a gated drive. Its peaceful garden is completely enclosed & not overlooked, with parking for two or more cars. There are lovely views across the surrounding countryside. The accommodation comprises an open-plan kitchen/diner/lounge & a downstairs shower room & wc. On the first floor are three bedrooms (one double, two twin, additional wooden cot) & a wc. The cottage is WiFi enabled, has satellite TV & a supply of books, games & DVDs. Some hand towels & all tea towels, dishwasher tablets, detergents (dishwashing/laundry), sugar, salt, cooking oils & basic spices are provided. The coast is a 20-minute drive away, but many of our guests enjoy just sitting in the garden, watching our chickens, looking at the view & unwinding in the peaceful surroundings.
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| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 31 March 2012 - 30 June 2012 | £315 | 2 | ||
| 30 June 2012 - 1 September 2012 | £450 | 7 | ||
| 1 September 2012 - 3 November 2012 | £315 | 2 |
Notes on prices
2012 short breaks (available 31 March-30 June & 1 Sept-03 Nov): Weekend (2 nights) £175; Weekend (3 nights) £215; Monday-Friday (4 nights) £260. 20% Two-Person Discount on mid-season holidays (not July & August). 15% Small Family Discount for parents and one infant under 24 months (not July & August). NB: Discounts are dependent on bookings being for standard periods, e.g. Saturday-Saturday, week-end, or Monday-Friday.
Changeover day
Changeover day is Saturday. Arrival time is from 4pm, to allow time for cleaning, gardening and maintenance. Departure time is before 10:30am on the last day. From the beginning of September until the end of June changeover day and times may be flexible.
Accommodation
| Bedrooms: | Three bedrooms, all with open country views. Bedroom 1 with double bed, chest of drawers & bedside cabinets. Bedrooms 2 & 3 with twin beds & bedside cabinets. Bedroom 3 has a modern wooden cot. All bedrooms have shutters & fitted wardrobes with drawers. |
| Bathrooms: | The spacious modern shower room is on the ground floor through a lobby off the main room, with the separate wc next to it. A 2nd wc is on the first floor. |
| Kitchen: | Full-sized electric cooker with gas hob; fridge/freezer; dishwasher; microwave; toaster; coffee machine. Ample cooking equipment & utensils. Basic supplies of condiments provided. The kitchen is open-plan & is at one side of the main living area. |
| Utility Room: | There is a small lobby between the main room & the shower room/wc, with a coat rack, a shelf and room for the ironing board & cleaning equipment. A folding airer is provided for drying towels & clothing. The washing machine is located in the shower room. |
| Living Rooms: | Open-plan living area with an L-shaped sofa, a dining table with six chairs, coffee table, lamp, TV/DVD player with satellite TV, CD player, bookshelf with a selection of books, DVDs and games. |
| Cleaning/towels/ linen/maid service: |
Bed linen, shower mats and tea towels are included in the price and are changed weekly. Towels can be provided at an extra cost of 2.50€ per person. The cottage is cleaned prior to every let, but we request that guests leave it as they find it. |
| Amenities/Facilities: | hob/stove oven fridge/freezer microwave dishwasher washing machine tumble dryer iron/ironing board satellite tv tv internet access cot high chair barbecue |
| Location Type: |
Notes on accommodation
There are modern, thermostatically-controlled electric heaters throughout the property. Electricity is charged at cost by meter reading at the end of the stay. There is ample hot water available from the moment you arrive and the tap water is safe and pleasant to drink. The cottage is WiFi enabled. Mid-week and week-end breaks are available, except during July and August. The quiet and peaceful garden is particularly safe for young children, as it is completely enclosed and set well back from the road behind two sets of gates. Children enjoy playing in the garden and watching the antics of our chickens, which live in the adjacent orchard. There is a two-person discount of 20% on all Low & Mid-Season holidays. A couple with one infant under 24 months will get a 15% discount. Although we are fond of animals, we regret to say that no pets are allowed to stay in the premises. No smoking is allowed inside the premises.
Accessibility
Unfortunately, the property is not suitable for wheelchairs (narrow doors, no downstairs bedroom, living accommodation on different levels). However, the stairs are sturdy and have a strong handrail to aid people with slight mobility problems. Our oldest guest was in his nineties, and found the accommodation very convenient, particularly the downstairs shower room and wc.
Outside
The enclosed garden has lawns, a gravel drive with parking for several cars, a decked area, a barbecue, a garden table and chairs and a summer house. There are extensive views over the surrounding countryside, though the garden is not overlooked and has its own gates to ensure complete privacy. The wooden summer-house in the garden is used to store the barbecue, sun brollies and the beach bag. There is a garden table and six chairs for the grown-ups - and a miniature table and chairs especially for younger children! A store room next to the gite contains the electricity meter, hot water tank and the tumble dryer. This store can be used as a secure lock-up for bicycles or surfing/diving/sports gear. A washing line just outside the gite garden is available for the use of guests. Just hook it over the brackets and away you go.
Coast/Beach
D-Day beaches, 50 mins drive. West coast beaches: Hauteville-Plage, 20 mins drive; safe, sandy beach in a small resort. Granville, 30-35 mins drive; smart resort with extensive water sports, day-trips to offshore islands, casino, marina, lighthouse, harbour, etc. Agon-Coutainville, 25-30 mins drive; typical French family resort with a lovely, safe sandy beach leading northwards to the oyster beds at Blainville, where low-tide fishing in the rock pools for shellfish is a local passion.
Golf
There are golf courses at Agon-Coutainville and at Breville sur Mer, both about a 30 minutes' drive away. The world-famous facility at Omaha Beach is about an hour's drive away.
Travel
The ferry ports of Caen/Ouistreham and Cherbourg are about an hour and a quarter's drive away, as is the international airport at Dinard. The ferry ports of Le Havre and St Malo are about 2 hours' drive and the Channel Tunnel about 4 hours' drive. Use of a car is recommended, if you wish to gain the maximum from your stay, however keen cyclists or hikers will find plenty to explore within the scope of a day's journey.
Distances
Many of the D-Day beaches, sites, museums and war cemeteries are within an hour's drive. Other places well worth a visit are: Mont St Michel (just over an hour's drive), the city of Bayeux (an hour), the National Stud at St Lo (20 mins)and the copper town of Villedieu-les-Poeles (35 mins).
The nearest big shopping centres are Coutances (15 mins drive) and St Lo (20 mins).
Further details
Fresh bread is sold from the bar/tabac in Montpinchon (200 metres from the cottage). The neighbouring village of Cerisy la Salle (2.5km) has a butcher, two bakers, a post office, a bank, two supermarket and a Tourist Information office. There are markets every weekday in some town or village within a short drive - there's a list of locations in the cottage. Buy local produce and soak up the atmosphere.
Normandy is world famous for its dairy produce, its cider and its fiery apple brandy, Calvados. In summer, many local farms, dairies and other establishments open their doors for visitors to come and see the manufacturing process - and sample the goods! All along the west coast of the Cotentin peninsula are centres for sailing, windsurfing, land yachting, sea-kayaking and fishing. The undulating countryside in this part of Normandy is very popular with cyclists. There is a five-day festival in Montpinchon around the feast of St Laurent (11 August), featuring a series of cycle races as well as a large fair, a car boot sale and a livestock market.
Booking notes
A non-refundable deposit of 25% is required to secure your reservation. (It is strongly recommended that you take out appropriate holiday insurance with a cancellation clause, which may enable you to to recover non-refundable monies). You will be sent a letter of confirmation together with a receipt. The balance is payable 8 weeks before the commencement of the rental period, when further information and directions to the property will be sent to you. Payment in GB£ sterling or euros equivalent.
Guest comments
'We have had a wonderful holiday. The gite is delightful & had everything a family could need. The location is charming & we love the chickens & dogs. Our boys will never forget collecting the eggs.' The Richardsons, Shepperton.
'Thank you. I have enjoyed our stay in your gite it is very welcoming.' Lauren Astbury 10 yrs old. 'Thank you. I have had a great stay here. I have really enjoyed myself. I hope we can come back here soon!' Ella Astbury 12 yrs old, Loughborough.
'Thank you very much for letting us stay in your lovely gite & for your hospitality. We particularly enjoyed the many & varied walks that there were from the gite; a bit muddy at this time of year (late October), but good fun. I think the chickens have been well fed whilst we've been here. They now run over to us as soon as the door opens.' Cox Family, Ashford.
Owner profile
About the owner
I'm Nicola Stevens and I live full-time in France with my husband, Tony, our two fox terriers (one smooth, one wire-haired) and a small flock of chickens. We are fortunate enough to have a three-bedroom cottage attached to our house, which we rent out for seven months of the year, enabling us to welcome holidaymakers to this peaceful corner of Normandy. 2012 is the fifth year we have run the gite. It has been a very rewarding experience and a million miles from our previous working lives in the Midlands.
Year purchased: 2007
Why the owner chose a home in this location
We chose the Manche region of Normandy because of its easy access to ferry ports and because the countryside reminded us of Shropshire and east Devon. The sea is only a 25 minute drive away, so we can go to the beach on the spur of the moment if the weather is fine; very different from when we lived in the Midlands and a trip to the seaside was a day out that had to be planned in advance. Living in a village gives us the advantage of being in a community and seeing familiar faces, while still enjoying the peace of the countryside. We enjoy being able to hear birdsong and see a dark sky with bright stars at night. If we want the bright lights, St Lo is only 20 minutes away and Caen less than an hour, but we don't stray away very often!
Unique benefits of the property
Many of our guests have told us that the part they enjoy most about their stay is being able to sit in the garden with a drink at their elbow, looking across at the view. For people leading busy lives, it's a great way to recharge the batteries. The parents of young children like the fact that the garden is completely enclosed, making a safe environment for the children to play in. It's also a bonus that our chickens live in the little orchard next to the garden and provide live interactive entertainment for everyone. The children love picking the warm brown eggs out of the nest boxes. In the summerhouse, there's a beach bag with toys and buckets and spades. Judging by the amount of sand that we empty out of it, that's a great hit too.
For booking and further information
Property Ref FR3029
Nicola Stevens
Tel: (France) + 33 (0)233 472 364
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Property Ref FR3029
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