hols in La haute barbarie in Notre dame de touchet
Review Submitted: August 30, 2009
Date of Stay: August 2009
My family of 2 adults, 3 children and 2 grandparents stayed in the cottage. We loved the quiet, sheltered and secluded setting, only farm noises/animals to be heard, though it was great to meet with the others staying in the adjacent accomodation too, sharing travel experiences. We immensely enjoyed the pool (needs a few tiling repairs) and it was warm enough to swim even early in the morning. The lawned area was big enough to sunlounge in peace with a book (lots on offer) or play cricket, rounders etc. We used the barbecue outside and it was very pleasant to sit in the late afternoon sun on the patio. The accomodation was good (could be excellent if updated still further), it was useful to have dishwasher and washing machine. There was plenty of sofa space in the lounge and we played board games in the evening around the table. Along the lanes from the cottage we saw many butterflies on the abundant wild flowers and many farms and fields of sweetcorn. We managed to walk to the local shop (a few km) which was well stocked.
Out and about the villages were pretty and so quiet, colourful flowering gardens. We visited Mortain which was very scenic and there were waterfalls. St Hiliare was also so attractive, fountains in the centre and a wander round the market and then the big lake just a few minutes walk. Good places to eat out and good supermarkets also. We travelled to the coast to St Malo which had a walled town which was very interesting and also Mont St Michel, though beware in high season the coast is extremely busy, queued 30 minutes for car park in st Malo and it took an hour to leave the car park at the mount.
The booking was easy with good communication with lovely owners. A cottage with good french rustic charm, though adequate, further updating of pool, beds and bathroom would bring it up to modern expectations. We travelled from calais, well signed but lots of driving. The roads were good and often fairly quiet (no lorries on weekends). It cost about 26 euros in tolls but no problems/hold ups. We liked the quiet but lots of zoos, gardens, castles, splash parks if you like more going on.
p.s. we wish ferry prices were cheaper in August as the St Malo and Cherbourg crossings were 4-5 times the cost of the dover to calais! If you are on a budget its a long drive from calais but probably best to break the journey up and stay overnignt.
Owner's Response: A fair and comprehensive description of the Cottage and the surrounds.The pool tiles will of course be repaired for next season and we are looking at improvements we can make to the Cottage to further enhance the quality of the accommodation. Many thanks to this lovely family.
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