Les Gites du Moulin
Charente-Maritime
South-West France
A collection of 6 gites specialising in catering for the family |
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A lovely cluster of family friendly gites in the Charente Maritime At a Glance
Local airports: La Rochelle 1 hour; Bordeaux 1.5 hours
St Malo 4 hours drive
Rural hamlet location
Enclosed pool and heated children’s splash pool
Babysitting by an English speaking registered childminder
Plenty of outdoor children’s toys and activities
Wine tasting with the owner – a professional wine expert Gites Available here are:  Horloge (3 Bedrooms)
 Ruche (3 Bedrooms)  Peche (4 bedrooms)
What we think…
This is a small collection of 6 gites created from a renovated barn by the English owners since their move out here in 1996. With 2 young boys of their own, it is very clear that they know what families need and have put a huge amount of thought and effort into making these simple gites more than just somewhere to stay- they offer a wide range of extras that will help to make your stay here a genuine holiday for all. So as well as the floodlit enclosed pool there is also a very large heated above ground splash pool for young children (but big enough for grown ups too!) and a paddling pool for the really small ones, outdoor toys aplenty, indoor toys to borrow, babysitting, and a wealth of activities arranged on site and locally. The most popular of these is the wine tasting hosted by oenophile Chris- himself an industry insider. The gites are on two floors and provide clean and simple accommodation that is geared very much to the family in the traditional rustic French style; there is no antique French furniture to worry about breaking and you can rest assured that you and your children are both well catered for and very welcome. Towels for indoor use, linen, and tea-towels are all included and for a small extra charge, your gite will be cleaned for you at the end of your stay so you can reduce the work required to get you all out and on your way. Parent Points! All the gites are equipped with open tread spiral staircases (especially imported from the UK) which are gated but are steep so care will be required when carrying young children or with helping toddlers up and down them. For the Kids…
If you can drag them away from the pool for long enough, your children will discover the sandpit, swings and slide, shaded areas to play in, boules, a raft of outdoor ride-on toys, and a wonderful pirate ship! The garden faces Horloge and Ruche Gites so you are well placed to keep an eye on the children while you enjoy a glass of chilled wine perhaps while the barbeque warms up.
For the Grown ups…
There are very likely to be other young children staying which means that the children will often entertain themselves safely for longer than you may be used to – so why not relax on a lounger by the pool and take it in turns to keep an eye on them? As well as the wine tasting, your hosts will also organize a visit to a local wine producer and take you on a guided family vine walk. You can also organize a night’s babysitting to allow you to have some important time together perhaps in a local restaurant. There is a huge amount to see and do in the local area and as well as an information folder in your gite (with helpful comments left by previous occupants) Chris and Wendy love to chat and know the area in great detail – so just ask! Baby and Toddler Friendly!
• Box of toys (0-5yrs) provided in each gite
• High chairs
• Booster seat (no strap so not for the very young)
• Cots with fitted sheets and blankets if required
• Baby bath and bath toys
• Potty
• Plastic steps
• Avent steam steriliser available
• Hand held blender
• Plastic cups, crockery and cutlery
• Changing mat
• Stair barriers (top and bottom)
• Baby monitor with walk about handset available
• Bouncy chair
• Baby towels
• Toddler loo seat
• Non slip bath mats
• Chains on upstairs windows Extras…
The following are available at extra cost (subject to availability and payable locally) and can all be booked prior to or on arrival:
• Babysitting €10 an hour between 6pm and midnight; €20 per hour thereafter.
• Internet Access - €10 for 30 minutes between 4 and 6pm most days.
• Cleaning Service from €30 to allow you to leave the cleaning to someone else at the end of the week And Beyond…
Many people come here simply to explore this charming and rural part of France and to sample the things that make this country rightly famous – the food and wine. Local specialities include Mussels with Cream, Oysters, goat’s cheese, honey and cake with angelica. The local town is called St Jean d’Angely and is 6 miles away; the nearest supermarket is on the outskirts. There is a wealth of Chateaux to visit, but swimming, fishing, horse riding, golf, tennis and rowing are all available during the summer months in the local area if you so wish. The landscape is gently rolling and ideal for cycling and country walks en famille. The Atlantic beaches are an easy hour’s drive away and can be found all along this wooded coast – a part with a very interesting military history - and fortifications used to ward of variously the Normans and the English are much in evidence. You are never far from a vineyard in this part of the world so why not try the local ‘Pineau’ or for the real thing go to Cognac for a tour of one of the distilleries - we tried the Hennessy tour which was interesting for the adults and pacey enough to keep the children entertained . The Graves and Medoc vineyards are about an hour’s drive to the South and it is an easy day-trip to take in a whole clutch of the world famous names. The port city of La Rochelle has a fantastic aquarium (which was highly rated by other parents that we spoke to) and all the bustle of a provincial coastal city with the hip Ile de Re just a little further away if you want to mingle with the Parisian set and the odd celebrity. We visited the bustling town of St. Martin de Re which is beautiful and it is well worth planning to have lunch in this buzzy little marina. Finally, why not just relax at your gîte with some of the fantastic fresh sea-food (the local oysters are a real treat) bought from a market nearby? Getting there
It is easily possible to drive here in a day from St.Malo; you should allow about 4 to 5 hours with a stop. The longer Britanny Ferries crossings are good as they arrive at around 8am. The other big ports are a little further – Le Havre is about 5 hours, with Caen and Cherbourg about 6 hours away. You should allow at least 8 hours from Calais. The nearest airport is La Rochelle (about 1 hour’s drive), Poitiers is about an hour and a quarter and Bordeaux airport is not much further away at about an hour and a half.
| Arrive |
Depart |
Time |
Carrier |
| La Rochelle |
Dublin, Stansted |
1 hour |
Ryanair |
| La Rochelle |
Birmingham, Manchester, Southampton |
1 hour |
Flybe |
| Bordeaux |
Birmingham, Manchester |
90 minutes |
BMI Baby |
| Bordeaux |
Gatwick |
90 minutes |
British Airways |
| Bordeaux |
Southampton |
90 minutes |
Flybe |
| Bordeaux |
Bristol, Luton |
90 minutes |
Easyjet |
| Poitiers |
Stansted |
75 minutes |
Ryanair |
Gallery 
The main pool - safely enclosed.
The new heated childrens' pool.
Ahoy there!.
The new pirate ship!.
Hours of fun to be had!.
The Gites.
The garden - a haven for kids!.
Ruche and Horloge from the front.
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