tell me about the charente area in france please!

[chimchar]

looking for a self catering place for 6 people, inc 3 kids, age 9, 6 and 3.

august, second week.

i'd love to be in/within walking distance of a town/busy village so we can go out to eat in the evening , or just take a stroll without having to drive everywhere....

have seen loads of lovely properties, but am very unsure about which town to aim for!

any recommendations most welcome!

bumpety bump!

no one? [sob]

The Charente is beautiful, my mil has a farm house out there.

Sadly it is a bit too of of the way for what your looking for, as it's a 30 min drive to any towns.

I'll have a word with Dp and Mil about areas, and get back to you.

Just didn't want your message to go unanswered.

yayyyyyy! moonmother!

thanks so much for replying....would really appreciate any more feedback you can get hold of. cheers!

Justs een this chimchar. We have been to a gite in a small village nr St Jean D'Angely for the past 2 years and again this year. Always found it a good location with lots of places to visit within an easy drive but sounds like you would prefer a large village or town???

Surgères is a market town with a beautiful Château in parkland.

La Rochelle - Good for eating ? and shopping!

Royan ? DH loves all the maritime stuff here including old rope making buildings, restored boats etc etc.

Cognac ? lovely town.

Saintes ? nice town with lots of museums, amphitheatre and abbey.

Ile de Ré is one of our favourite places to visit - would love to stay there one day! St Martin would be a great base?

There is a good guide book on the region by Judy Smith.

HTH a little bit! Happy holidays!

great! thanks ollie.

have found a lovely looking place in Meschers-sur-Gironde...its two minutes away from the beach...

am actually intending to visit all of the places you listed....i suspect a week won't be long enough to do it all though.

will look out the guide book now.

many thanks!

Thats great chimchar. I was thinking about what advice I gave and had one of those lightbulb moments - of course I should have told you to do to a coastal resort so pleased you have! Its lovely to be able to walk from your accommodation and be near the beach and have a choice of places to eat in the evenings etc.

You should def visit Cognac and do one of the distillery tours - one has a train and the other has a boat trip - kids will love it! Hire bikes on the Ile dÓrlean too which I think you will be close too. Have fun.