Reviews of Property: La Petite Boutique, 15th century stone cottage in small medieval town
Description
Cottage, 87 m²,
2 Bedrooms, Sleeps 5, 1 Bathroom
2 Bedrooms, Sleeps 5, 1 Bathroom
Facilities
rural, town,
DVD,
parking
Rates
per property
Set rates in Euros
Set rates in Euros
€60 -
€75/night
€340 - €545/week
€340 - €545/week
GBP Conversion - Estimated
£54 -
£68/night £306 - £491/week
Deborah Lefeuvre
+33 (0)254-326911
+33 (0)684-588376
+33 (0)684-588376
Speaks: English, French
25 Reviews of Property 92204 in Loir-et-Cher, France
An abundance of French charm
Review Submitted: January 14, 2009
Date of Stay: September 2008
My partner and I stayed for three weeks in this charming and well-equipped gite in September 2008. We hired a car and used St Aignan as the base for trips to explore the Loire Valley - especially the chateaux.
The owner was always generous (and prompt) with advice and information, and welcoming and warm while we were there. Everything in the gite was as described on the holiday-rentals.co.uk website - only, if anything, more charming in reality.
The gite being right on the old town square - the Place de la Paix (Place of Peace - and it was!) meant that we were immersed in the spirit of the place all the time. The buildings surrounding the square include dwellings, a restaurant/bar, a pizza restaurant and a few other shops. Most of the week, the square is used as a carpark but on Saturday mornings it becomes a fresh food market with stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, meat, seafood.
There is no garage with the gite but we found it no problem to park in the Place de la Paix for short stays, or in a larger carpark only a 2-3 minute walk away for longer stays.
Even though the feeling of the gite is village-ish - within a 2-3 minute walk, there are: several restaurants/bars, patisserie/ boulangerie, supermarket, chemists, newsagent, laundromat, library, hat and shoe shops, dress shops, bank, gift shops, butchers, bootmaker, etc. There's no wi-fi in the gite but you can access the web free in the library, and for a fee from the shop next door or the tourist info place (limited times though).
We enjoyed meals/drinks at all the local restaurants/bars we tried. But there were three experiences in St Aignan that were supreme highlights for me:
The restaurant Le Mange Grenouille (The Eating Frog). Even though their lunch special of set price two courses was great quality/value - choosing from their a la carte menu is something I would recommend most highly (their signature salad with scallops was delicate and superb).
La Petrie, the artisan patisserie/boulangerie, produces the best baguettes we have ever eaten anywhere. Works of art. In fact, some days I just wanted to eat their baguettes with butter (well, OK, maybe some local cheese too) and drink Loire wine and nothing else. In fact, I'd recommend doing this to save up for meals at Le Mange Grenouille!
Also special is a nearby hat shop run by two sisters who make some very original hats (I think it might be called Et Pat Et Moi but I'm not sure).
Most highly recommended!
The owner was always generous (and prompt) with advice and information, and welcoming and warm while we were there. Everything in the gite was as described on the holiday-rentals.co.uk website - only, if anything, more charming in reality.
The gite being right on the old town square - the Place de la Paix (Place of Peace - and it was!) meant that we were immersed in the spirit of the place all the time. The buildings surrounding the square include dwellings, a restaurant/bar, a pizza restaurant and a few other shops. Most of the week, the square is used as a carpark but on Saturday mornings it becomes a fresh food market with stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, meat, seafood.
There is no garage with the gite but we found it no problem to park in the Place de la Paix for short stays, or in a larger carpark only a 2-3 minute walk away for longer stays.
Even though the feeling of the gite is village-ish - within a 2-3 minute walk, there are: several restaurants/bars, patisserie/ boulangerie, supermarket, chemists, newsagent, laundromat, library, hat and shoe shops, dress shops, bank, gift shops, butchers, bootmaker, etc. There's no wi-fi in the gite but you can access the web free in the library, and for a fee from the shop next door or the tourist info place (limited times though).
We enjoyed meals/drinks at all the local restaurants/bars we tried. But there were three experiences in St Aignan that were supreme highlights for me:
The restaurant Le Mange Grenouille (The Eating Frog). Even though their lunch special of set price two courses was great quality/value - choosing from their a la carte menu is something I would recommend most highly (their signature salad with scallops was delicate and superb).
La Petrie, the artisan patisserie/boulangerie, produces the best baguettes we have ever eaten anywhere. Works of art. In fact, some days I just wanted to eat their baguettes with butter (well, OK, maybe some local cheese too) and drink Loire wine and nothing else. In fact, I'd recommend doing this to save up for meals at Le Mange Grenouille!
Also special is a nearby hat shop run by two sisters who make some very original hats (I think it might be called Et Pat Et Moi but I'm not sure).
Most highly recommended!
Owner's Response: "La Petite Boutique" and St Aignan is exactly as described by this review. It is a place where you become part of this small town, where you live the french way and take home memories of the spectacular Loire Valley.
La Petite Boutique
Review Submitted: August 19, 2009
Date of Stay: July 2009
This lovely little gite is perfectly situated in lovely St.Aignan.The gite was very well equipped and furnished to make our stay comfortable. Deborah the owner was extremely helpful in making our stay a very pleasurable experience.I would recommend this gite to anyone wishing to explore the Loire valley . We had an excellent week exploring the chateaux and relaxing in St.Aignan.
A Feeling of French Village Life...
Review Submitted: August 7, 2009
Date of Stay: July 2009
The description of the gite was accurate. It was clean and well maintained and had everything we needed for 12 days.
Customer service was good for booking, on arrival and departure; we did not need any during our stay as all went to plan!
I would definitely recommend to friends, though the central location in the market square means that it can be a bit noisy till around midnight and from 5am on Saturday morning as they set up the market. This might be a problem for families with young children. The very steep stairs on 3 floors could be awkward for older/disabled people.
We enjoyed the restaurant opposite "Chez Constant", they were very friendly greeting us every time we passed after our first visit! We spent a lot of time at the local pool (almost as good as having a private one) as it was very hot on several days and walking by the river.
Customer service was good for booking, on arrival and departure; we did not need any during our stay as all went to plan!
I would definitely recommend to friends, though the central location in the market square means that it can be a bit noisy till around midnight and from 5am on Saturday morning as they set up the market. This might be a problem for families with young children. The very steep stairs on 3 floors could be awkward for older/disabled people.
We enjoyed the restaurant opposite "Chez Constant", they were very friendly greeting us every time we passed after our first visit! We spent a lot of time at the local pool (almost as good as having a private one) as it was very hot on several days and walking by the river.
Owner's Response: The central location of the gite means that you are immersed into the life of the square. The market is one day a week, a Saturday morning, and there is often music being played by a local musician. This, plus the smell of roasting chickens and roast potatoes, the sellers chatting with the local towns folk as they buy their groceries make an ambience not to be missed, giving a feeling of being included in the french way of life. La Petite Boutique is very old and full of character, including the steep stairs, and therefore is not suitable for disabled/infirm persons. Its proximity, by foot, to the local outdoor and indoor swimming pools, restaurants and shops adds to the convenience of being centrally located in this small typically french town of St Aignan
A Wonderful Stay
Review Submitted: June 18, 2009
Date of Stay: June 2009
My best friend and I stayed at La Petite Boutque just last week and we enjoyed every minute. Not only is the location perfect, but the cottage itself is charming, thoughtfully furnished with comfy sofas, pretty bed linens and dishes, mattresses and towels that enhance the feeling that we were honored guests. The place is spotless, without the often-musty smell that some rentals have -- this one gleams. Light pours in the windows. We found the pizza restaurant across the street not only has great pizza, but wonderful Italian dishes, and the proprietress is warm. Deborah has created a wonderful place to relax and feel at home. We hope to visit again.
I have to return to this fabulous place
Review Submitted: May 14, 2009
Date of Stay: April 2009
I've been back at work in Australia for almost three weeks now - and it's time to plan another visit to this beautiful gite.
Deborah, thank you so much for your amazing organisation, helpfulness, knowledge and grace. You've set the benchmark for holiday rentals in Europe particularly high: how can anything else compete? Your cottage was delightful: light, airy, spacious, meticulously clean - and totally welcoming. All the appliances worked! (Don't ask).
If it were not for the attractions of the village of St Aignan and the surrounding areas, I would've been happy to hang around the gite, 'bonjour' the locals, eat, drink and be merry for the entire week of my stay. Well, we did all of the above anyway. But what about the incentives to leave the cottage?
Within the village itself, a walk in any direction was bliss. What about that fabulous 12th century church with the crypt? Mind boggling. Walk in, switch on the audio guided tour and be prepared to prop up your jaw for the next 45 minutes or so. Take the steps up to the chateau and snap shots of some of the finest scenes in Europe. Stick one on as background on your laptop; it'll make you smile every day. It might also make you get on to a travel site to book your next trip back to France.
Drive out to Montrichard, Montresrot, Loches (none of them very far - in Australian terms) and don't miss Chenonceaux. Surely it's one of the most beautiful places on earth. Take a picnic and enjoy it on the banks of the river at Azay-le-Rideau. And you can't miss the gardens at Villandry.
Chat to the vignerons at the wineries of Valencay and buy some of their wines for ridiculously cheap prices. Quaff them in the car park. Why not include some produce bought from the local markets? And what about the food - even in the local Intermarche? Mouth-watering.
O.K. I' m not a wannabe travel writer; I'm just a tourist who knows a good thing when I see it. Believe me: LaPetite Boutique is an exceptionally good thing. Deborah: hats off. I'll be back. And I've recommended your cottage far and wide. Cheers. patsy
Deborah, thank you so much for your amazing organisation, helpfulness, knowledge and grace. You've set the benchmark for holiday rentals in Europe particularly high: how can anything else compete? Your cottage was delightful: light, airy, spacious, meticulously clean - and totally welcoming. All the appliances worked! (Don't ask).
If it were not for the attractions of the village of St Aignan and the surrounding areas, I would've been happy to hang around the gite, 'bonjour' the locals, eat, drink and be merry for the entire week of my stay. Well, we did all of the above anyway. But what about the incentives to leave the cottage?
Within the village itself, a walk in any direction was bliss. What about that fabulous 12th century church with the crypt? Mind boggling. Walk in, switch on the audio guided tour and be prepared to prop up your jaw for the next 45 minutes or so. Take the steps up to the chateau and snap shots of some of the finest scenes in Europe. Stick one on as background on your laptop; it'll make you smile every day. It might also make you get on to a travel site to book your next trip back to France.
Drive out to Montrichard, Montresrot, Loches (none of them very far - in Australian terms) and don't miss Chenonceaux. Surely it's one of the most beautiful places on earth. Take a picnic and enjoy it on the banks of the river at Azay-le-Rideau. And you can't miss the gardens at Villandry.
Chat to the vignerons at the wineries of Valencay and buy some of their wines for ridiculously cheap prices. Quaff them in the car park. Why not include some produce bought from the local markets? And what about the food - even in the local Intermarche? Mouth-watering.
O.K. I' m not a wannabe travel writer; I'm just a tourist who knows a good thing when I see it. Believe me: LaPetite Boutique is an exceptionally good thing. Deborah: hats off. I'll be back. And I've recommended your cottage far and wide. Cheers. patsy
The Perfect Location
Review Submitted: May 10, 2009
Date of Stay: March 2009
What a great place to to spend some time in France!
A lovely well equipped house in a charming town that is just the right size, you can walk everywhere but it has everything you could want in the way of restaurants, cafes and shops, as well as a Saturday market right outside your door.
St Aignan is very well located to explore the beautiful Loire valley.
The owners could not have been more gracious.We will be back and soon we hope.
PS A restaurant called "Le Crepiot" was very good.
A lovely well equipped house in a charming town that is just the right size, you can walk everywhere but it has everything you could want in the way of restaurants, cafes and shops, as well as a Saturday market right outside your door.
St Aignan is very well located to explore the beautiful Loire valley.
The owners could not have been more gracious.We will be back and soon we hope.
PS A restaurant called "Le Crepiot" was very good.
INTOXICATING!!!
Review Submitted: May 1, 2009
Date of Stay: April 2009
I have just spent a week here with my 3 sisters, and would describe the whole experience as intoxicating! La Petite Boutique is a wonderful gite in the delightful town of St Aignan on the banks of the River Cher. It has loads of character and is very comfortable, with all mod cons, including outdoor table and chairs to sit outside and enjoy village life in the village square.We had fabulous weather which made the whole experience of visiting the Loire & Cher valleys, their chateaux, their 'caves', their villages and jardins such a pleasure. Exploring 'our' town, it's church, shops and restaurants was enchanting. How many adjectives do I have left! Everyone had such generosity of spirit, from Deborah the owner, her friends Jackie & Mike who saw us off on the last day, to all the townspeople including the newsagent, the librarian, the tourist info, the supermarket, the boulangerie, patisserie, and Giles the antique dealer next door; in fact everyone. I speak almost no French, (fortunately my sister was excellent) but if I said Bonjour I had an immediate warm response.
We joined the French in their enjoyment of eating and drinking and generally enjoying life! What a pleasure to share their lifestyle for a short time.
Please stay for the Saturday market in the square on Saturday. So nice!
I hope to return with my husband next year to share with him the delights of St Aignan.
Thank you so much Deborah.
Marilyn, Donna, Jo & Patsy (Australia)
We joined the French in their enjoyment of eating and drinking and generally enjoying life! What a pleasure to share their lifestyle for a short time.
Please stay for the Saturday market in the square on Saturday. So nice!
I hope to return with my husband next year to share with him the delights of St Aignan.
Thank you so much Deborah.
Marilyn, Donna, Jo & Patsy (Australia)
La Petite Boutique
Review Submitted: April 12, 2009
Date of Stay: April 2009
La Petite Boutique was outstandingly beautiful, extremely comfortable and clean. The pictures really don't do it justice!
There was plenty of space and the modern facilities, including the dishwasher and shower were top class.
The location was superb, with a lovely local market just outside on the Saturday morning.
Thank you for a lovely stay, I would have no hesitation in recommending this property.
There was plenty of space and the modern facilities, including the dishwasher and shower were top class.
The location was superb, with a lovely local market just outside on the Saturday morning.
Thank you for a lovely stay, I would have no hesitation in recommending this property.
Owner's Response: La Petite Boutique has a charm of its own which can be appreciated as soon as you step down through the front door. It's furnishings give a snug and cosy atmosphere. It's cleanliness helps make a stay even more agreeable and comfortable for guests.
A relaxing week in the Loire Valley
Review Submitted: November 25, 2008
Date of Stay: October 2008
We had a wonderful stay at the end of October. Le Petite Boutique is well equipped, the bed in the main room was extremely comfortable and each person had two pillows! The property is central to many chateaux and vineyards (plenty of caves for tasting). The zoo is a full day out, and worth a visit. There is a welcoming pizza restaurant across the square where the owner loves it when the children speak French. Although I have said this is suitable for young families there are steep stairs to the loft room, so bear this in mind.The owners are very accommodating and have given a lot of thought to the furnishings and finishing touches. We would highly recommend Le Petite Boutique to our friends and would visit again in the summer months.
Very nice gite
Review Submitted: November 13, 2008
Date of Stay: October 2008
If I am writing a review of just the vacation rental, I would give it an excellent rating. From the welcome to the overall decor and the excellent bed linen, everything was as it was presented. We only had 2 nights at La Petite Boutique and as it was Sunday when we arrived and Tuesday when we left, we couldn't have picked worst days. NOTHING is open in town on Sunday and almost nothing on Monday too. Couldn't even buy groceries let alone eat out. We did enjoy visiting two exciting chateaus in close proximity. We also had rain on both our days here but that was the only time in all our vacation.
Owner's Response: St.Aignan is a small quiet town in the centre of rural France. It's supermarkets and local grocery stores are all accessible by foot. The supermarkets are open on Sunday mornings and everyday during the week. There are 7 restaurants in the town with varying menus and prices thus giving you plenty of choice when and where to eat out. There are also take away pizza or kebab facilities if you wish to eat in but don't want to cook.
You have already voted for this review. Thanks for voting!
Thank you for your response.
Helpful votes:
