People | 15 |
Bedrooms | 6 |
Bathrooms | 5 |
Space | 2,152 sq. ft. |
Property type | cottage |
Minimum Stay | 3 nights |
Lovely village cottage, tucked away in this friendly Limousin village and just a short walk to several village shops, bars / restaurants and a swimming lake with sandy beach. The beach is ideal for guests with children, providing fabulous, free entertainment.
Saint Germain les Belles is really easy to get to - you can take a flight to Limoges (look up Ryanair and Flybe) and we are then just a 40 minute drive. We are situated 10 minutes from junction 42 of the A20 motorway, the main route from Paris to the south of France.
The Limousin has been called the 'French Lake District' and the tranquil countryside surrounding the village has many lakes, with walking / rambling and cycle tracks through forests and historical villages.
Wherever you are in Limousin, you will not be far from a lake. You can swim in most of them in summer and they often have sandy beaches. The Spectacular Lake Vassivière – one of the largest lakes in France, is just 40 minutes away. The “Isle de Vassivière” is the home of the National Centre of Contemporary Art. Follow signs for ‘L’Isle de Vassivière’ and walk across the bridge to the main island of the lake. Apart from the Art Centre, there are some lovely walks in the woodland and great places for a picnic.
If you are interested in doing a spot of fishing during your holiday, then the region is full of under-fished lakes and rivers.
To see the beautiful, unspoiled Limousin countryside from a different perspective, there are various canoeing centres, from which you can hire canoes and kayaks for a day’s adventure.
Limoges – the ‘capital’ of Limousin is 30 minutes to the north and is famous for its porcelain and there are many outlet shops, or smaller boutiques where you can buy pieces to suit all tastes and pockets. You can also enjoy antique markets, the covered food market, medieval churches and our personal favourite – the ancient carousel at Place de la République.
This partner has demonstrated and is committed to fast response times, the best rates, and a great guest experience.
What an idyllic place! We had a wonderful 4 night stay at this beautiful property and made full use of the spacious garden. We enjoyed our evening meals sat at the table outside with gorgeous views of the sun setting over the fields beyond. The Gite was full of character and charm and was very well equipped, we didn't want for anything. The local bar/tabac, bakers and butchers are all a stones throw away and the campsite offers delicious food with very welcoming staff (even if they were a little bemused at having a hen party arrive for dinner!). And a lot of fun was had by all at the swimming lake which is just a 10 minute walk.
In the lead up to our trip the owner was extremely helpful and happy to answer any queries we had about the property and local amenities.
We couldn't recommend this place highly enough, it has everything you want for a perfect break with family or friends and I can honestly say we didn't want to leave.....
We came to France from Australia for the wedding of our daughter. We wanted somewhere for all our family members who were travelling. This was the perfect house for us and was better than I anticipated. It was clean and had everything we could possibly need. Having ensuite bathrooms in most of the bedrooms was great, no one felt they were getting in anyone's way. The house was warm, and even though the weather was chilly it was warm inside. The boulangère and pâtisserie were just across the road and a small supermarket just around the corner. There was plenty of exploring of caves and interesting places to visit. It was a great house! The owner was very accommodating to our needs.
Had a lovely stay at this wonderful gite, there were 15 of us and there was plenty of room for us all. Out of the 6 bedrooms there are five en suites so there was no queuing for the bathroom! The gite is very clean, has a beautiful garden and patio area at the back.
The village has a bar / tabac, boulangerie, patisserie, general grocers and a butchers all within a few minutes walk.
I would definitely recommend this as a place to stay for a family break and I will certainly be returning in the future.
A last minute booking that the owner responded to fantastically. The property was perfect for our family.
My family and I spent a wonderful week at Vacances Vertes Les Belles at the end of June. The house was as advertised and more.It was clean , comfortable and accessible.We loved being in the village close to the butcher, baker green grocer and cafe, yet stepping out the back door and literally being in the country. We made good use of the veranda and the meadow beyond it. Fresh strawberries in the morning were delightful as were the fabulous fresh vegetables which our host Anna supplied to us. Because the clothes washer was not working, Anna on two occasions picked up our dirty laundry and returned it ti us on the same day washed,dried and folded.Our five year old grandson loved the beach and lake at the edge of town and the adults enjoyed touring several of the lovely villages in the region. In short , this was a fabulous place for a family vacation.
Six of us stayed at Anna and Howard's gite in St Germain les Belles in April 2008. And we had a great time. We could not have been made more welcome by this lively, outgoing couple and the gite was excellently and thoughtfully furnished and we found it very comfortable.
It could not be in a more convenient location, right in the middle of the town square. That is not to say it is noisy, because St Germain is a farly sleepy sort of place. There are local shops and bars nearby, but when you look out of the back garden of the gite you look right out onto open countryside.
The quiet Limousin countryside around is very picturesque, especially around the lakes, but there are pleasant walks direct from the gite anyway.
I'd love to go back and hope to do so soon. I'd have no hesitation in recommending it to all you Brits who want a taste of the real France. You will be made very welcome.
You can find everything you need, right on your doorstep. The village has several small, local shops (selling tasty local produce), a network of country walks, a rail service to Limoges and a swimming lake, complete with sandy beach! Bike hire is also available.
This village cottage is ideally situated to explore Limousin, which is often called ‘the French Lake District'. We can guarantee that it will offer you some of the most unspoiled natural landscapes in France.
There are many other lakes (also providing loads of fishing, sailing and canoeing opportunities!) beaches and outdoor swimming pools in our area. Beautiful Lake Vassiviere, Europe's largest man-made lake, is only 45 minutes away and is also the site of the national contemporary art gallery.
Thirty minutes to the north, is the attractive city of Limoges - famous for its porcelain and old quarter. Other historic towns and villages in our area well worth a visit, include Segur le Château, Pompadour, Uzerche, Tulle.
Fees | No additional mandatory fees |
** DISCOUNTS ON ADVERTISED PRICES FOR SMALLER GROUPS **
- All charges are included - Bedding, towels, heating, electricity, cleaning and wifi.
- Baby equipment - we have 3 travel cots and mattresses, toys, 2 high chairs and toys
- We ask for a 25% deposit to secure the booking.