France

This beautiful medieval priory is now an Oliver’s Travels award–winning holiday home in Charente. It has also appeared as No 1 in The Times 2019 list of ‘50 Best Holidays in France’!

Located in the tiny village of Pressigny on private grounds, adjacent to the church and within the Deux-Sevres, this French manor house, converted to a priory in the fourteenth century, sleeps twelve adults in six bedrooms and can accommodate an additional four children.

Relax by the heated pool, dine al fresco at one of the great outdoor tables and enjoy the beauty of the rose covered walled gardens that surround the property, a lovely area for children to play.

Six delightful bedrooms accommodate up to sixteen guests. The high-ceilinged, beamed rooms, ancient wooden floors and honey coloured stone walls are a perfect backdrop for the mix of antique family furniture and pictures. The kids will enjoy playtime in the bright, colourful games room with its cool turret and arrow slits (no budding archers allowed to shoot the guests!).

The house is well appointed. The kitchen has a gas range, microwave, washing machine, dish washer and American fridge freezer as well as kettle, coffee machine, toaster and iron and ironing board. Hair dryers are provided in the bedrooms. There are cots, high chairs, baby bath, changing mat and pushchair available for little people. Satellite TV, internet connection and bicycles aare provided for the enjoyment of guests.

Attached to the priory is the equally stunning and romantic Tour St. Thérèse. Groups of up to 21 guests can hire both beautifully renovated homes; together, ideal for a celebration, intimate wedding or special holiday for a larger party of guests. Whilst they are attached, they each have their own entrances and gardens (see Tour St. Thérèse for full details of the tower.)

This unique home is perfectly positioned within the Deux-Sevres in Charente, known to be France’s second most sunniest region. There is a good choice of restaurants in neighbouring villages, about ten to fifteen minutes by car, where visitors are greeted with a warm welcome. You’ll find a supermarket, cafés, and bars just 7km away in Thenezay and the beautiful medieval town of St. Loup is just fifteen minutes by car.

This beautiful area, full of wooded valleys, streams, ponds and shallow, flowing rivers is a joy for walkers and cyclists. From great local food markets, vide greniers and country trail walks to riding, lake fishing and canoeing, there is a plethora of activities in the area. Historical Poitiers, an hour away, is a city full of centuries old art and history, visit the magical chateau and sample some fine sparkling wine in Saumur or head west to the Atlantic coast with its stunning beaches and interesting town of La Rochelle.

And, for those who truly want to relax, full catering is offered by the brilliant owner.

Features:

1) Prieure + Tower: 21 guests/8 bedrooms/6 bathrooms
2) Prieure only: 15 guests/6 bedrooms/5 bathrooms

Please note that only the 21 person prices include the rental of the adjoining tower, Tour St. Thérèse. As the tower can be booked independently or together with the priory it is subject to availabilty, so please enquire. See Tour St. Thérèse for full details of the tower.

Prieure Interior

Ground Floor

- Kitchen fully equipped wit a stunning  ancient stone chimney piece, a French range cooker, an American Fridge freezer and a second drinks fridge. There is a washing machine, Kenwood chef, microwave, four slice toaster and kettle as well as the normal utensils required in a working kitchen.
- Dining room that seats 12 with an additional four seats in the adjoining kitchen should there be further children as guests in the party
- Hall
- Drawing room which seats ten to twelve and has a baby grand piano, two sofas, a number of individual armchairs and a wood burning fire
- Study with further sitting area
- Bathroom with bath, shower, loo and bidet

First Floor (reached by a stone spiral staircase)

- Master bedroom with private, attached shower room, basin and loo (overlooks the valley and the garden). Extra single bed for a child available.
- Bedroom 2 with a four poster bed and attached retro shower room, loo and basin (overlooks the valley and the garden). Extra single bed for a child available.
- Bedroom 3 with double bed (overlooking the valley)
- Bedroom 4 with double bed (particularly cool in the summer heat, ideal for parents with a young child)

Second Floor (reached by a stone spiral staircase)

- Large games room with two extra beds for children, a fifty five inch smart TV, ideal for cinema nights, toys, games, books, dressing up box and a turret with arrow slits that is a perfect corner for small people to curl up in and enjoy a good story from the hundreds of children’s books (in English).
- Bedroom 5 with double bed and en-suite bathroom
- Bedroom 6 with double bed and en-suite bathroom

Outside Grounds

The garden surrounds the house, enclosed in an ancient stone wall that has been planted with stunningly scented English climbing roses. Amongst the trees and bushes in the garden are fig, walnut, crab apple, pear and cherries.

There are a number of outdoor eating areas – there is a barbecue adjacent to a loggia that seats twelve. Additional seating can be provided adjacent to the loggia for more guests, and there is a table closer to the pool available that seats twelve.

There is a grass lawn, where games can be played and shaded areas under trees ideal for reading that great summer novel.

Facilities

- Wi-Fi
- Heating
- Sat TV (55 inch)
- Books
- Indoor games (eg. chess)
- Garden games
- Bikes
- Barbecue

Tower Interior

Please note that only the 21 person prices include the rental of the adjoining tower, Tour St. Thérèse. As the tower can be booked independently or together with the priory it is subject to availabilty, so please enquire. See Tour St. Thérèse for full details of the tower.

Ground Floor

- Living room with fire-place
- Dining area
- Small simple kitchen with fridge, cooker, vintage French percolator, teapot and antique French crockery
- Shower room with WC

First Floor

- Master double bedroom (accessed via its own spiral staircase)
- Twin bedroom with two further pull-out beds (accessed via its own spiral staircase), ideal for children

Outside Grounds

- Terrace with BBQ
- Truffle orchard
- Gardens
- Fire-pit

Facilities

- Wi-Fi
- Heating
- Working fireplace
- Books and games
- Washing machine

Location:

Prieure St. Thérèse is in the heart of a rural village, next to a beautiful and historic church, surrounded by some of France’s most beautiful and unspoiled countryside. You can go for wonderful walks straight from your holiday home with some lovely trails to follow. This is the Deux-Sevres department of the Poitou Charente region, the second sunniest region in France!

There are restaurants in various local villages about ten to fifteen minutes drive away, from pizzerias to fine dining and a warm welcome is afforded to visitors in this region. The nearest village is Thénezay (8km) where you will find a weekly market on a Sunday, cafes and restaurants, a supermarket, bakery, patisserie and butchers as well as the nearest petrol station. Gourgé and St. Loup are a similar distance away, each with a couple of restaurants and convience store.

There is a further choice of facilities in the larger town of Parthenay (19km) which has a train station, hypermarkets, independently owned shops as well as a fabulous market on a Wednesday morning. The best local market, however, is probably in Thouars (25km) on a Friday morning with fantastic fresh meat, fish and food as well as gifts.

This beautiful area, full of wooded valleys, streams, ponds and shallow, flowing rivers is a joy for walkers and cyclists.  Those who love the great outdoors will appreciate all the activities on offer such as horse-riding and fishing within a few minutes drive, a golf course 20km away, canoeing and windsurfing within fifteen minutes by car and a wonderful lakeside beach that you can get to in 20km.

There are numerous stunning historical castles to be visited such as the one in beautiful Saumur (70km) an hour away, a town also famous for its equestrian heritage and sparkling wine. The chateaux of Chenonceau, Chambord, Montreuil-Bellay, Ambois, Villandry and Usseé are all within drivable distance.

All the family will love Futuroscope (45km), France’s biggest educational theme park, situated near Poitiers (53km), a beautiful city with 2000 years of art and history, over 100 church towers and a great choice of shops, bars and restaurants.

There’s a good choice of local vineyards where you can sample some interesting wines, such as the Route des Vins du Haut-Poitou; 25 vineyards within an hour of Pressigny where you can taste Savignon, Cabernet, Chardonnay and Gamay wines, all of which can be purchased directly from the vineyard. If you are heading to Nantes (140km) for a day-trip there’s the wine museum there which is worthy of your time. Guided tours are available all year around, by appointment, in Cognac (142km) by Martelle and Camus producers.

Finally, head to the Atlantic coast to La Rochelle (137km), with its fantastic shops, brilliant beaches, great sea-food restaurants and the remains of the town’s fortifications. Families can include a trip to the fantastic Aquarium in La Rochelle  featuring the one of the largest shark aquarium displays. Combine with a trip over to Île de Ré with its unspoiled beaches and countryside all around.

Terms & Conditions:

Arrival time
4.00 p.m.

Departure time
10.00 a.m.

Changeover day
Saturday in high season, flexible during all other periods.

Pool heating charge
The swimming pool is open approximately June to October and can be heated upon request at £150 per week (a 7 days notice is required).

Heating costs included
No, there is a supplement of £100 per week.

Minimum stay
7 nights in high season, 3 nights during all other periods.