Welcome to La Maison Hibiscus Gites in Charente,

The Charente is in the Poitou-Charente region of France and we are a six to seven hour drive on the Autoroute from the port and tunnel at Calais, slightly less from Boulogne and about four hours from St Malo. Fields of vines, sunflowers and maize surround the village and the region is renowned for it’s temperate microclimate and is second only to the Cote D’Azur for the highest number of sunshine hours in France.

The accommodation is described in detail on the information pages but in brief we have 3 gites in the converted barn of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. They are all fully furnished and equipped for a comfortable relaxing holiday. Each has UK Freesat TV and DVD player and we have an in ground 10 metre x 5 metre heated pool in the top garden with plenty of space for sunbathing and relaxation. There is also a well equipped games room with some exercise machines if you need to work off the superb local produce and we have a selection of bicycles for your use so you can explore the local countryside and other villages on the quiet country roads and by-ways.

We are happy to provide our guests advice, assistance and information on all the local and regional attractions.

The village itself is situated 5 minutes drive and a 20 minute cycle ride from the delightful small town of Villefagnan which has a post office and a range of small shops for all the essentials including a fabulous butcher with delicatessen counter, twice weekly local produce market, three bars, two of which also serve food and even an English speaking doctor although we hope you never need her.

When you can’t be bothered to cook there is also a mobile pizza, kebab and fish and chip stall in the summer months. About 15 minutes drive is the large market town of Ruffec situated on the Charente River, which has an extensive range of shops, bars, restaurants, supermarkets and even a TGV station with regular trains to Paris which is just two hours away if you fancy a visit.

Between Villeret and Villefagnan and a gentle 15 minutes cycle ride away is a swimming lake called Les Trois Fontaines with a safe sandy beach, children’s playground, picnic areas and even a food bar in the summer.

Full details of places to visit can be found on our information pages but we are ideally located for a day at the seaside with the large family friendly resorts of Royan and Chatelaillon Plage 90 minutes away. Right next door to Chatelaillon is the historic sailing port of La Rochelle with its harbourside restaurants and across the toll bridge from there is the exclusive resort of Ile de Re where wealthy Parisians spend their summers. Futuroscope theme park and the world famous La Palmyre Zoo are 75 minutes away and the historic cities of Cognac, Poitiers, Angouleme and Saintes with it’s Roman ruins are all an hour or less.

We welcomed our first visitors to the newly finished gites in July 2010 and had very positive feedback which was followed by a great season for 2011 and you will find guest comments on our testimonials page. We strive to maintain and improve our facilities and have taken on board all the comments and feedback our guests have given us. We have already taken a number of bookings for Summer 2012 already so if you are considering a Charente holiday and would like any information about our facilities and location then please get in touch early via the email address below. Don't forget if you aren't tied to UK school holiday dates, the Charente climate is generally very pleasant from April to early October as well especially May, June and September.

We aim to provide you with everything you may need for an enjoyable holiday and our prices include the use of all leisure facilities including our bikes. For 2012 holidays we are offering a discount of 10% on the second and subsequent weeks for all bookings. We are happy to discuss special rates if you want to book more than one gite, subject to availability so if you are considering us for your holiday then please get in touch via the email address below or the telephone numbers on our Contact us page.