Holiday Reviews - Cottages, B&B's and Farms
Manoir de Maffrecourt, a gite in France'We have just returned from a truly memorable holiday in France. After years of pestering, my husband finally agreed to spend a week in France rather than taking our one-year-old son Charlie on a long-haul flight to a more "exotic" destination. I found the gîte on the internet and immediately booked it. It sounded idyllic and when we arrived, we were not disappointed. Grant and Sandra (our hosts) were extremely helpful and friendly and Hector the dog was very patient with Charlie. One of two gîtes, ours had direct access onto their 5.5-acre garden which was stunning. Travelling with a baby is not easy, but knowing that you will have everything you may need at your disposal on arrival at your accommodation makes life a lot less stressful. Grant and Sandra will provide everything, from sterilising equipment to pushchairs if required so if you are not taking a car your excess baggage can be substantially reduced! An easy 3.5-hour drive from Calais - without comfort breaks for us and our baby (or a 1.5 hour drive from Paris if flying), the Manoir de Maffrecourt is situated in a hamlet called Maffrecourt, 10 minutes from Sainte Meinehould: the birthplace of Dom Perignon and approximately 45 minutes from Reims. It is ideally placed to visit the Champagne Caves and went to Mercier and Tattinger. Mercier is ideal if you have young children as the tour takes place on a little train which means no long walks with a wriggly toddler. Many of the Champagne houses require visits to be pre-booked so it is worth doing this before you leave home. Disneyland Paris is also an easy drive from the Manoir if your children are old enough to appreciate it. For those who are tempted by these gîtes, the website is www.champagne-gites.com.
For next year, Sandra and Grant will have six eco-chalets in their large
garden, which will appeal to holidaymakers wanting a more eco-friendly
holiday. Cottage in Bundoran, IrelandMy husband and I chose to visit the west coast of Ireland for a last-minute weekend break at the end of September. Our girls are only little (Robyn has just turned 2 and Morgan is 3 months old) so this sounded like an easier option than travelling to another country or having to deal with heat waves etc. (I was pretty confident that we were unlikely to encounter one of those in Ireland at this time of year!) We live in the north of Ireland so it is only a two-and-a-half-hour car journey for us, which is very handy. However, Bundoran, the town where we stayed, is a popular seaside resort and tourists travel there from all over the UK. It is easily accessible if you fly into Shannon, Galway or Knock airports or you could bring your car over on the ferry. Donegal is renowned for being remote, untamed, wild and windswept. Given the choice I would prefer to take my car because it is such a wonderful place to 'discover'. Bundoran is in Co. Donegal and, personally, I think it is the Irish equivalent of Blackpool. There is no end of things to do for the whole family and the main street is just littered with hotels, pubs, restaurants, souvenir shops and amusement arcades. However, we noticed that it is a pretty seasonal town too as many places were preparing to close down for the winter or were just open for the weekend. We stayed in a three-bedroom cottage situated just a five-minute walk from the main street and the blue-flag beaches. It was great to be able to pop the kids in the double buggy and go off 'exploring' although we always made the most of every opportunity and if they both fell asleep at the same time you would find us in the nearest pub sampling the Guinness (which I have to say tastes better here than anywhere else I have tried it)! The cottage we rented was spacious and really well equipped (e.g. washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher, etc.) We much prefer this sort of accommodation to hotels because it gives us more freedom with the kids. We did very little cooking though, and tended to order take-away food from the local Indian and Pizzeria (well, we we're on holiday after all)! My husband was in his element when I gave him permission to go off and play golf at a nearby course on the Saturday morning. There are several golf courses to choose from so this area is a magnet for golfers. Bundoran is also famous for its big waves and attracts a lot of surfers. It was lovely to walk along the beach and watch them. All in all, I think there is something to suit everybody in Bundoran and it makes for a great family holiday. I know we thoroughly enjoyed it and certainly plan to return when the girls are a bit older and can appreciate it more. Janet Thomas Hope Cove, DevonWhat makes a great holiday? A fantastic holiday cottage, brilliant weather and a gem of a beach go a long way towards it. Throw in a small boat and you very nearly have perfection. We are in Hope Cove, Devon. It's only 9.00am and the rest of our party is still asleep, but I can't wait to catch a first glimpse of the sea. The cottage is only half a mile from the shore, so I decide to push the baby down to the beach. Breakfast can wait, the tang of salt on the air is too tantalising. We walk between high hedges, down the narrow lane and as we round the final bend, Hope Cove opens out below us. Seagulls reel and the baby squeals with delight - it is a truly beautiful sight. Hope Cove is a village in two halves - Inner Hope and Outer Hope. The villages spread before us and the sweep of Bigbury Bay is as blue and as calm as anything the Caribbean has to offer. The irony of holidaying at a place called Inner Hope does not escape me. I have breast cancer and am halfway through chemotherapy. If ever I needed any kind of hope it is now. This holiday is about taking a moment to reflect. The constant whirl of treatment since diagnosis has left me exhausted and I crave the peace and simplicity of village life. The beach already holds a gaggle of children, digging and making sandcastles like generations of children before them. There are records as far back as 1884 stating that the village pub was 'usually monopolised by artists, and there are two or three comfortable little cottages at Outer Hope where the weary tourist might rest and be thankful'. Indeed, the baby's grandmother spent holidays here as a child. Her grandparents took a house in the village for the month of June throughout the 1920s and 30s. I feel that sense of history and continuity, sitting here on the beach with the baby. Nothing much has changed; what brought people here then, brings them here now. It is a charming spot where children are free to play and parents can easily supervise. The pub serves good food and the café on the beach provides endless tea and coffee. There is no mobile signal here, so the constant background beep of modern life is, for once, silenced. There are no theme parks or amusement arcades either. The fun is cheap and if the sun shines, you can idle away the day with a packed lunch and a flask of tea. We are able to moor our little boat on the beach for just £25 for the week. The older children have great fun sailing around the bay as the baby and I watch and wave from the shore. The boating tradition in the village is strong; boats have even been built here from time to time, as fishing was the main business of the village for many years before the mass of tourists arrived. We take a day trip to nearby Salcombe, which feels as busy as a city after the village, with streets humming with people and shops open all hours. The estuary looks beautiful, filled with white sailed boats bobbing about. The teenagers in our party love it and they are soon walking around as if they own the place, looking for floppy haired public school boys to sail with, rifling through the shops and planning outfits for the prom. It is the perfect antidote to village life for them. I manoeuvre the buggy through the narrow streets and wish we were back on the beach. I have no time for the hustle and bustle. It becomes clear that the South Hams has more to offer than I am prepared
to do. A beautiful beach and a lazy day are all I'm looking for, but if
we wanted there are sailing regattas, zoos, surfing, walking, shops and
the city of Plymouth all within driving distance. Why bother, when you
can while away the day watching the sand trail through your fingers? If
it's an old fashioned holiday you are after, then you can't beat Hope
Cove. This week will set me up for the next onslaught of chemotherapy
and as we leave, I know the magic has worked. Inner Hope and Outer Hope
are mine for the taking. Mews Cottage,Lizard Peninsula, CornwallWe had the most wonderful holiday staying at Mews Cottage. Very quiet location on the Bonython Estate, with our own garden and use of the Estate's gardens too. Several pretty beaches of all shapes and sizes were within 10 mins drive. There is also a Seal Sanctuary, several fishing villages, lots of lovely country pubs and the great coastal walk. The cottage was clean, comfy and we had a tasty welcome basked with home bakes bread, cake, marmalade, tea, fruit and eggs. We were given lots of local tips by the estate manager who came round to welcome us. The Lizard peninsula has stunning scenery and some of the beaches are
easily accessible with buggies. We went with a 3 year old, a 4 month old
and grandparents and everyone enjoyed themselves. The cottage came with
cot, high chair, toys and was safe for children. Orford Mill, Torrington, DevonOne of the best family holidays we had was in Torrington, North Devon when our second child was only 5 weeks old. We stayed at Orford Mill which is an old watermill just outside the town, which has been converted into 9 holiday apartments of different sizes. All of the apartments are beautifully furnished and equipped and the owners are very welcoming and helpful. There's an indoor heated swimming pool for the exclusive use of people staying at the Mill and our 2 year old loved it - we couldn't get him out! Also on-site is a fort for climbing in and a children's playhouse and bouncy castle. In the town of Torrington itself is the Dartington Crystal factory which offers tours, a great cream tea and the chance to have your children's hands or feet moulded into a glass plaque as a unique souvenir. A little further afield is the fantastic sheep-themed atttraction "The Big Sheep" where kids can pet the lambs, get involved with feeding, go wild in the soft play area and watch a shearing demonstration. There is no shortage of fabulous beaches in North Devon, our favourites were Woolacombe for sandcastles and Croyde for rockpools. The accommodation varies in price according to the season, but our two bed apartment was £350 for a week in late September which is excellent value considering you have the use of the pool too. We are definitely planning a return visit to Orford Mill as we have yet
to spot the otters which have been seen in the river running alongside
the property. Where to next?
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