La Cour aux Bourgeois

We spent a week at La Cour aux Bourgeois and have no hesitation in recommending other families do the same.

The property is beautiful, the moment you arrive and take a look at the classical French farmhouse you immediately feel a sense of satisfaction (possibly smugness if I'm honest) that you chose this one rather than the various other options you spent hours looking at on the sofa trying to find the right option but bored to tears trying to figure out which one that is.

For us the accessibility of the property was a real positive. We came with our 13 month old terror 'Harry' who is into everything, and being able to drive so easily made this much more doable than other options we considered.

We stayed in Gite 2. Opening the door the feeling of satisfaction is compounded - the place just works. It is set out the way you want it to be. No clutter but all your home comforts and in a 17th century property, period features are everywhere, so a feeling of a well appointed, clean living space. Satellite tv, wood burner, windows looking out to both sides of the property, the interior garden and courtyard, as well as the views onto the outer garden, driveway and countryside.

Walk upstairs to the bedroom, you have more of the same - master bedroom, with a babyroom and another room for an older child immediately off the master with an en-suite as well. Perfectly set up for a family with young children. Throughout the property inside and out all the facilities you need are there. A big toy chest downstairs was immediately emptied and filled and emptied and filled etc, upstairs you have the potty, toilet step, change station, high chair, bibs - pretty much everything you need. Not having to take the buggy is a massive plus for us as we only drive a bmw 1 series, so that meant packing was a breeze where normally we are squeezing things in every corner - things like that just make the holiday work.

The play barn is brilliant in all weather - trampoline, soft play, cars etc, and outside the sandpit and swings are just the ticket when the sun shines. It provides that energy release option for the young ones - they are happy which makes you as the parent happy, so no need to drag yourself to a soft play centre, simply open a bottle of wine and walk downstairs to the one in the property.

The place is a 5 min drive from a massive hypermarket, Falasie as a town is pretty, with the castle of william the conquerer, it is easy to drive to the coast, and plenty of other attractions.

For us it nailed the holiday we were looking for - accessible, purpose built for a toddler, well situated, well appointed and in our view great value.

We have no hesitation in recommending this place.

Toddler Holiday has a number of gites available throughout the Normandy region of France and is a real gem. We booked via their website and stayed at La Cour Aux Bourgeois. Our gite was spacious and beautifully maintained, with great gardens and even more importantly - a huge barn filled with outdoor toddler toys.

The people who run Toddler Holiday think of everything. You need pack only clothes because they provide everything else - cots, travel cots, toddler beds, bedding, high chairs, booster seats, toddler cutlery and plates, sterilisers, listening services as well as two free nights baby-sitting/listening service so mum and dad can go out for dinner. They even stock your fridge with a pre-arranged shopping list and can bring you a restaurant cooked meal to your gite twice a week so as to save you cooking or hassle.

The gites are beautiful and the area is so idyllic, it is a great place to go on holiday and truly relax. Your toddlers are kept fully entertained with all the toys and books available to hand and there are files filled with Tried and Tested events and things to see locally from previous occupants you are never short of things to do.

Truly spectacular.

We had a lovely relaxing week at La Cour aux Bourgeois. It is very toddler friendly so basically what it says on the packet. We really did only take clothes with us, everything was on the spot so packing and unpacking was not the usual ordeal!

Having said this, I think the cost of the accommodation is not competitive in the summer season and a kinderhotel style hotel holiday would actually have been cheaper and would have included full time childcare as well. The baby listening service is a bit of a tease - there is no guarantee that a sitter will even be present in your gite as s/he may be shared with another gite.

Fantastic, beautifully kept gites, set it fantastic grounds. All gites are equipted everything you could possibly need for a toddler, including, buggy, cot, towels, toys, books, bedding, cups,bowls and cutlery, Cbeebies on the TV, DVDs, baby monitors, baby sling you name it they've got it etc etc. Shopping can be arranged to be waiting in your fridge when you arrive, Lovely local chef-cooked meals available nightly, with a children's menu. Baby sitting also available. When you can prise the kids away from the play barn and garden( a wonderful huge barn equipped with huge trampoline, countless ride ons, play houses, climbing frames, soft play equipment, with swings, slide, huge sandpit, in the garden) there is loads to do around the Normandy area, theme-parks, zoos, beaches,castles to name but a few. A great holiday for young kids and their parents.

La Cour aux Bourgeois is a group of three gites in a 17th century farmhouse and buildings. We stayed in Gite 1, which was beautifully refurbished and decorated. All gites have everything you could possibly need for babies/children (from sterilisers through to plastic cutlery and toys and books). There is also a huge playbarn with trampoline (big hit) and loads of toys, and an outdoor play area with swings, climbing frame and sandpit.

Meals can be provided three days a week, laundry is done for you, and there is a baby listening service twice a week (although we didn't use this).

It all combines to provide a holiday destination that is relaxing and hassle-free for parents, and lots of fun for the children. Car was half empty as we didn't need to take much, brought back a case full of clean clothes - so no need for endless laundry at home - and enjoyed some great meals that were waiting in our fridge in the gite when we returned from days out.

Lots to do in the area, which is only about 35/40 mins drive from lots of beaches, very close to castles, zoos, lovely little towns etc.

Highly recommended.