As I write this, five out of 6 of the families staying at La Grange du Moulin this week have been at least once before, several are on their third visit and another it's their fourth year in a row ! Next week we have a family on their 9th visit (I think - we've both lost count !) We've just taken two repeat reservations for 2020 (as well as several for 2019) This is a familiar trend with us. Families return year after year which is wonderful for us but it got us to thinking - why !? There are so many beautiful places to holiday in Europe, around France and also lots of other holiday properties in our area too - but why do families keep coming back to us ?
We decided to ask them and here are the results...
Everything about La Grange du Moulin works for us and even after 4 years the magic formula still hasn't worn off. Chris and Wendy have thought of everything and their friendly, personal touch makes it a friendly and relaxed place to be. Some of the reasons we love it are:
- There are so many lovely places to visit within an easy drive - towns, parks, beaches, lakes, markets, vineyards. Every year we find something new.
- The gite complex is pretty, has great facilities and even if you can't see your children you know they are safe (and if they're like our kids they're probably gatecrashing tea in someone else's cottage)
- Everyone else we've met here is like minded. Nice people who like to socialise are happy to look out for each others kids but respect your space and privacy when you want it.
- Wendy and Chris organise regular events which are always fun, but it's not 'organised' fun and it is pitched at just the right level. The adults always enjoy the weekly bbq, moules night and taste du terroir and the kids love the Teddy bear picnic, pottery painting and generally hanging out with all their new friends.
- The local food and drink is just delicious and this part of France is a foodies delight. Chris and Wendy are very knowledgable in this regard and always happy to point you in the right direction of the best place to buy things or restaurants to visit.
- The pool area is fab and the small toddler pool perfect for babies or the children who arn't confdent enough yet for the big pool.
Ultimately we love this place and so do the kids. We can relax and feel safe in the knowledge we will have a wonderful time and as every parent knows, happy occupied children = happy relaxed parents and that's what good holidays are about. See you again next year !!
and Drew said....
Initially, it seemed like a way to spend a family holiday in a relaxed environment and a country which virtually guaranteed good food and wine. It was also a manageable drive with 2 small kids and a lot of ‘stuff'. As our boys have grown older, the volume of stuff has decreased. What hasn’t diminished is our love of the area, the relaxed atmosphere, the ability for the boys to socialise with other kids and adults (including Thomas and Benjamin), form friendships and experience a degree of independence (which is sometimes missing at home) in a safe environment.
We love the fact there is little to no TV, wifi or other distractions. It has allowed (and in my case sometimes forced) us to divorce from social media and focus on just being a family together. From the moment we arrive, we feel the weight lifting, aided by a bottle of Sauvignon, the murmuration of the starlings and the sunset over the fields.
Ultimately, it has now become a part of our family where we (and you) have watched our children grow up. They now think of it firmly as their holiday home.
Lastly, we also feel we have been fortunate to meet and make some like-minded friends in yourself, Chris and your two lovely boys. We truly love it and look forward to returning from the moment we leave.
I have attached some photos below from the last 4 years.
A l’annee prochaine!
We have just returned for our ninth (yes 9th !!) year this year to La Grange du Moulin. What keeps bringing us back to this lovely part of SW France ? Primarily it is the relaxed family atmosphere and the warm hospitality that Chris and Wendy provide here. The children love the onsite activities (t-shirt painting, pottery painting, scuba diving) and the company of other children staying here making for a relaxed holiday for the whole family.
The weekly bbq and communal feel to the front of the gites enable the adults to be sociable in the evenings, knowing that the children can play safely in the adjacent garden and play area. The pool are kept immaculately clean by Chris and the hot tub is a welcome addition for those cooler evenings !
La Grange du Moulin provides the perfect base for visiting a number of attractions within an hours drive - La Rochelle, the Ile de Ré, Cognac and the little electric boats at Saint Savinien have all been hits with our family over the years.
We would highly recommend this holiday to families with children under 10 years - thank you Chris and Wendy for nine memorable years !
and the children said....
...''My favorite things about this holiday are the comfortable gite and the swimming pool !'' (age 9yrs)
...'' I like the swimming pool, it is fun jumping in and I like to swim'' (age 5yrs)
We returned to stay with Chris and Wendy for a third time because it's simply a perfect family holiday. Our three boys are currently 8 & 4 yrs and 19mths old and it's a super environment for each of them to play safely with the friends they make. Even our toddler has the freedom to play independently in the garden while we watch him from our terrace with a book or cheeky glass of vin mousseaux. There are very few holidays around where you can let your toddler run wild safely.
For grown ups the social nature of the weekly barbecue that Wendy and Chris organise is wonderful too, it's a lovely informal way to get to know your neighbours and enjoy a local wine or three with them. It's not just the children that make lovely friends !
So all this when in the setting of rural France is why we return and plan on doing so for years to come. Even when we've tried another holiday we have ended up missing the gites - that says a lot !!
Like many families, we lead busy lives at home juggling work, school, sports and music activities and so on and our stays at La Grange du Moulin provide the perfect antidote - a relaxed stress free family holiday where we can unwind and reconnect.
Our children are now 10 and 7 yet were 6 and 3 when we first stayed - I just wish we'd found you sooner ! At each age, the children have been able to make friends and share the simple pleasures which La Grange du Moulin offers - swimming, 'playing out', making up games outside and building dens, counting bats and stars at night.
As parents we know they are safe which enables us to relax too. We have recommended La Grange du Moulin to many friends saying it's the only holiday we have truly relaxed ourselves - the children are happy so we're happy !
La Grange du Moulin offers the right mix of informal opportunities for socialising with the other like minded families through barbecue nights, teddy picnics etc as well as peaceful and private space for us as a family. We relish both and have made firm and long lasting friendships with other guests.
As a family, we enjoy discovering new places and there is plenty locally to explore. This is our third visit and we are planning our fourth. So why do we come back ? Whilst we enjoy other holidays in between our La Grange du Moulin visits to satisfy our thirst for travel, we have not found any of them to be anywhere near as relaxed. It's the simple pleasures, the perfect blend of social and quiet time, the warmth of Wendy and Chris and family as hosts, the slow pace of life not to forget the outstanding sunset views from the private terrace that bring us back time and time again. Thank you all so much .
This is our fourth visit to La Grange du Moulin and although we promised ourselves we'd never holiday in the same place twice - after all the world is a very big place ! However after our first visit to the gites it was obvious to us that Wendy and Chris offered something very special in a beautifully unspoilt area of France - it's been wonderful to return and explore the region from trips to the aquarium at La Rochelle to the lake and local markets. Our personal favorites have been Saint Savinien where the children can enjoy the boating lake and La Flotte on the Ile de Ré. However we know that we can find a real mix by balancing days spent out and about and those spent at the gites. The children enjoy the activities available from t-shirt painting, pottery painting and scuba diving. We have two boys aged 8 and 5 yrs and they look forward to this holiday like no other - making new friends, running around and playing in the garden, playing in the pool and swinging in the hammock under the trees. The gites offer us a completely secure gated environment so us parents can relax knowing our children are safe and happy playing and as everyone knows happy children = happy parents ! Wendy and Chris offer activities for the parents too - we've enjoyed the vineyard walk, taste du terroir, moules and bbq nights proving to be an absolute hit for the grown ups too ! After all it's our holiday too !
We've met some brilliant friends whom we've stayed in contact with and now endeavor to align our dates that we stay in the gites so we can enjoy the company of like minded individuals (of course by like minded we mean those who share our love for wine, cheese and laughter !) Wendy and Chris truly offer a delightful holiday for families and we whole heartedly recommend the gites. The gites have a certain charm which makes the experience of staying here just perfect for our little family. Thank you so much for all the memories you've given us.
