Luxurious Cottage next door to the stunning Beynac castle!
- Chateau / Country House1300 sq. ft.
- People: 6
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 2
- Min. Stay: 4 - 5 nights
Cottage, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, (Sleeps 6)
Bedrooms
Owner
Ben Brubaker
- Languages:
- English, French, Italian
About Ben Brubaker
France offers the best of everything you could want in a vacation--culture, art, breathtaking scenery, excellent cuisine, history, etc. When we first visited Beynac, we felt as if we stepped into some sort of fairy tale--something we'd never experienced, even in France, up till this point. The Dordogne region, more specifically Beynac, is the perfect location for any traveler wanting to experience the best of France. Renovating this historic cottage was one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding 'adventures' we've ever taken and we hope you enjoy the fruits of our labors here at La Maisonnette du Coteau.
Ben Brubaker purchased this Chateau / Country House in 2009
Why Ben Brubaker chose Beynac-et-Cazenac
After falling in love with Beynac, we decided to check out a few properties in the area. Properties in this coveted Medieval village are rarely on the market and if they are, it's not for long. When we saw this little cottage nestled next to an amazing castle, we thought, 'this is our chance!' Cottages next to castles aren't exactly the norm :) We sacrificed much and put our hearts and souls into making this a vacation property you'll want to return to over and over.
What makes this Chateau / Country House unique
There are many unique aspects to La Maisonnette, let me name a few: the luxury kitchen, the washer AND dryer, the stunning views, the mature gardens, air conditioning, and well-designed spaces. If you choose to stay at La Maisonnette du Coteau, this will likely be the only time in your entire life that your view from the cottage includes a majestic river, a Medieval village and most importantly, a 14th century castle. Yes, as you walk out the door of La Maisonnette, you find yourself staring directly at the old castle walls.
Facilities
Featured
- Heater
- Children Welcome
- No Smoking
- TV
- Washer & Dryer
- Internet
- Air Conditioning
- Fireplace
- Parking
Bathrooms
- 2 Bathrooms
House Rules
Cancellation Policy
Cancelled bookings will not receive a refund.
79 Reviews
A great stay in Beynac
Exceptionally nice place to stay with a very helpful guide to the house, town and neighborhood. Emma, who let us in was very helpful. Expect some steps up or down to the house, but it’s right next to the castle, and immaculately kept. And the views of the hot air balloons floating down the Dordogne is not to be missed!
A perfect family break in beautiful Beynac
Situated perfectly beside the iconic chateau, La Maisonette is a beautiful and comfortable hideaway, ideal for accessing the little town of Beynac. The town (in late August), despite being a significant tourist destination, is actually pretty quiet early on and in the evenings, especially up by the chateau. Most mornings you’ll hear the church bells singing out into the valley below, accompanied by the subtle burn of a couple of hot air balloons heading out over the chateau. It’s gorgeous in every direction and suited our party of two grandparents, two more standard parents and two children (aged 8 and nearly 5) right down to the ground.
The terraced garden provided a fabulous warren for (supervised) adventures with swords and shields from the chateau.
If you’re planning on sitting out at night it’s worth investing in a citronella candle or two, just to help keep the odd interested wasp at bay.
Inside the house, we loved the layout and exceptionally high standard of finish. Our hosts couldn’t have been more helpful with an in-depth guide to the area and house itself, and the right amount of advance communication.
Finally, while the walk down to the house is fairly steep, and the one down to the town itself much more so, it is so worth doing and staying here. To have such access to the region, and to a place people tend to visit for only one day, has been a wonderful change and an opportunity to “vivre comme les français.”
Lots of character, fantastic surroundings
The cottage and castle grounds are beautiful. The cottage’s first floor has the kitchen, dining and small sitting area which is comfortable and air conditioned. The 2nd floor has two bedrooms, bathroom with a small shower and sitting room. This floor is not air conditioned which was difficult to tolerate when the temperatures outside were 90+. The 3rd floor has a king bed, a tub, sink and toilet (no shower) and IS air conditioned. The beds were very comfortable. My main complaint is a lack of shelves or drawers to unpack to. There was only a hanger rack so we had to leave most everything in the suitcase on the floor for the week, meanwhile having to be careful not to hit your head on the sloped ceiling on the 3rd floor. All in all it is a lovely cottage but definitely not for those who are not somewhat fit and agile.
Thank you for staying with us and I’m so glad the beds were comfortable and the cottage was pleasant. As the cottage was originally built as the structure for the medieval bread oven (and baker’s residence) for the castle next door and the surrounding village it does have steep stairs to the top floor. While we haven’t had complaints before, it is true that anyone who has difficulty with steep stairs might not want to sleep in the gabled master suite on the top floor. As a gabled room doesn’t provide the opportunity for shelves by definition, we do provide luggage shelves and ample hanging space for clothes and luggage. This has not been a complaint for past guests, but we will take your feedback and see if anything can be added. As for the air conditioning, when the weather is exceptionally above 100 degrees the middle floor may indeed be a bit warmer, however the two units in the cottage are rated and designed to cool the entire unit and have not posed a problem under the vast majority of conditions. That said we will look into adding a unit if possible. Warm regards!
Oh. The View.
For anyone thinking of a special place to spend time in the Dordogne Valley...this is it. Beautiful accommodations atop the winding steps to Castle Beynac. You feel like you are up among the clouds -- with a medieval castle at your front door. The sunrises are awesome. The castle at night is amazing. In the midst of a record busting heat wave in France, the cottage was cool and welcoming. Impeccable. Elly was always most gracious and helpful. Thank you, Ben. You've created an amazing space for people to make memories. I know we did. Simply wonderful.
Great location and very special house
You can already tell from so many previous reviews that this property. However, upon arrival it's better than expected. Modern coveniences including A/C which is not that common in the Perigord area. Location was spectacular. Elly, the manager was super accomodating. All this for a very reasonable price! Thanks Ben for sharing your amazing little country house
Amazing village house in the Dordogne!
We had an incredible time in the Dordogne last month. La Maisonette is an amazing property--beautifully decorated and filled with thoughtful touches. The countryside was gorgeous and, in late November, we had the entire region all to ourselves. Martine was a really super onsite resource and was able to assist us with reservations, traffic reports, and general questions. This was a dream location and a wonderful trip!
Subtracting one star because it was sometimes quite difficult to get a response from the owner. And although Martine was awesome, we were told another person (an English speaker) would be the person onsite. It caught us off guard to receive a voicemail out of the blue from a French-only speaker who said she would be meeting us. Just something to be aware of in case you (or someone in your party) doesn't speak French--there may not be an English speaker available.
Location
Paragliding, Truffle Hunting, Gourmet Cooking Classes, Hot Air Balooning, & Castles a-plenty