Stu is another of our Loire Valley owners, with 3 self catering gites and a campsite. What’s striking about Stu is a passion for the authentic, ‘la France profonde’. But not just in places, also in people, through his art of connecting everyone and leaving lasting genuine friendships, perfectly demonstrated through the pizza evenings which we so often read about on his Facebook page…
“Our convivial, twice-weekly evening meals, or pizza evenings served fresh from our hand-built bread oven provide the means for folks to get to know their neighbours, and where many long-lasting friendships have been made. We often hear from guests to say they’ve met up again with other guests back home, and that’s just lovely”.
1) Tell us a little about your holiday gites
We came to be the guardians of Le Chant d’Oiseau in August 2005. We say ‘guardians’ because no-one can ever truly own a place like this. You nurture it, help it grow and then pass it on, hoping the next guardians will respect it the way we do. We feel it’s unique in that we have developed not only three gites, but also a small (but perfectly formed) campsite here too. The combination of the two ensures we have a steady flow of guests, and makes this a very viable business.
2) What made you buy the holiday gites – was it financial, emotional, a connection with the area, or something else?
We were just information gathering, for a ‘possible’ move five years in the future, but we saw Le Chant advertised at a property exhibition, and were immediately smitten by it, and by the scope and potential to create a unique holiday experience here. We booked a ferry for the following weekend in order to view, expecting it to be a complete waste of time, after all – nothing’s ever as good as it seems, right? Wrong! We fell in love with Le Chant and the area. We came home on the Sunday, made an offer on the Monday and had it accepted on the Tuesday. A real holiday romance! Just a few short months later (rather than 5 years, as per the original ‘plan’), we were here, and pushed off the top of a very steep roller-coaster ride! We’re still riding the roller-coaster, and it’s still a big thrill!
3) What’s the best thing about the region your holiday gites are located in? Is it the scenery, the pace of life, the locals, the activities, etc?
It may be a cliché, but I really can’t put my finger on any one thing. There’s just so much about this area that we love. The climate, the people, the stunning scenery, the amount of things to do, the food and of course – the wine! I think though, that the one thing that does stand out is that this really is ‘la France profonde’, real France in other words. Rural, unspoiled, undeveloped and certainly not commercialised. It’s possible to walk or cycle for miles and not see another living soul on your journey!
4) What are the 3 special touches you add to enhance the guest experience?
Difficult, as we’re constantly revising and improving what we offer in light of responses from our Guest Questionnaire. We strive to offer everyone a holiday they’ll remember, but I’d say…
1. The welcome everyone receives when we first open the gates for them.
2. Our convivial, twice-weekly evening meals, or pizza evenings served fresh from our hand-built bread oven provide the means for folks to get to know their neighbours, and where many long-lasting friendships have been made. We often hear from guests to say they’ve met up again with other guests back home, and that’s just lovely.
3. We have a blossoming on-line community in our Facebook Page, where everyone’s encouraged to join in and add their thoughts, their photos and their experiences of Le Chant d’Oiseau. This takes away a lot of the mystery, and therefore the stress of booking a holiday, we feel, making the guest feel like a friend even before they arrive here. Plus, along with the ‘blog and our newsletters, we can let people know what’s happening locally, giving them a chance to plan their holidays.
5) If a guest had just one day in your holiday gites what would you recommend they do for the perfect experience?
Well, we’d suggest waking naturally with the sunshine and the birdsong. Perhaps a stroll to the trout streams behind Le Chant, with the chance of spotting deer and coypu, perhaps a glimpse of the kingfishers. Then back to your gîte, or camping pitch in time for fresh pastries delivered in time for breakfast by Manu & Christelle, our village boulangers. Such a vast choice, but how about one of our favourites, a pain amande, or perhaps a croissant?
Make sure you order a lovely crusty baguette too, for a pic-nic along the Loire somewhere, perhaps at Chouzé sur Loire, just a 20-minute drive from here. Take the bikes along too as the cycling along the Loire here is simply superb. Views along the sandbanks to the chateau of Montsoreau are worth taking a camera along for. There are many shallow pools that form in the summer months, and swimming and splashing in them is a real pleasure! Dry off naturally, while sunbathing on the sands before heading back to the car and a drive along the empty lanes to the Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, burial place of Richard the Lionheart. Along the way, look out for the troglodyte homes that dot the landscape hereabouts. The Abbaye is simply serene, and architecturally stunning.
If you’d rather have lunch out, than a pic-nic, we’d suggest one of our favourite brasseries, Le Panorama in Saumur. With views overlooking the vineyards of the chateau, then the chateau de Saumur down to the Loire, it’s a setting to die for. Take your time, and eat as the French do and savour the food as well as the views! Maybe after lunch, a tour of one of the many wine producers in the Saumur area? We’d recommend a personalised private wine tour with our friend, Gérald. He’ll guide you around 15 or so quality wines from a respected domaine deep in the heart of the Loire. Tour the caves underground, the chai (fermentation house) and the vineyard too, before tasting your way through some of the best wines the area has to offer.
Back to your gite or camping pitch and a lazy snooze under the willow trees, or a dip in the pool to cool off before preparing yourself for a feast at our daughter’s restaurant, l’Oeil de Boeuf in a nearby village. You’ll want to be back in time for a nightcap under the stars, and the chance to see one of our owls make a fly past from the loft above ‘Hibou’, and out into the fields around Le Chant to hunt for tasty morsels to feed her young. Sleep will come easily, with only the sound of the crickets, the call of the owls and the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze to remind you that tomorrow, you can do it all again!
To rent Le Chant D’oiseau from Stu, please complete the contact form which can be found through the above link.
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