Loire Valley Elegant Merchant’s House, Rille

La Vallee is a charming French holiday home set in a national park conservation area in the serene village of Rille in the Loire Valley. A traditional merchant’s home – with a lake and forest less than a mile away (with restaurant, bike and kayak hire) – is ideally located a short drive from the beautiful chateau town of Saumur, the idyllic medieval fortress town of Chinon, and the cosmopolitan cities of Tours and Angers. The chateau at Gizeux and vineyards at Bourgueil are just minutes drive away among other attractions too numerous to list.

This lovely French home features on the first floor a large eat-in kitchen, half bath, double salon with fireplace (FreeSat TV with American programs in English, DVD), and formal dining room. The second floor features the 4 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms [one ensuite], and shower room. Here you’ll enjoy the large master bedroom with its own sitting room offering, additionally, a pull-out trundle bed for two (perfect for young children), and en suite bathroom. The three remaining bedrooms offer comfortable, private space for two persons each.

The fully enclosed garden that surrounds the house features lovely magnolia trees. The very large rear garden offers a spacious lawn for games, activities, and bar-b-queing and swing set for the kids! There is a patio next to the house with table and chairs to take in the fresh air. It is a very quiet and private space to enjoy!

Off the patio is a large garage where you can store your bikes and other gear. At the back of the garage you can find laundry utilities as well as games for the outdoors.

Surrounded by forests and fields, the house is just 3 minutes drive (20 minutes walk) from the recreational lake at Rille. The beautiful lake is divided between leisure activities and quieter pursuits such as fishing and bird watching – there are nature ‘hides’ at the lake. There is a restaurant/bar and small shop and bicycle, kayak, and pedalo hires are available. There are cycling routes throughout this beautifully, picturesque region. Also, there are miniature trains that wind through the forest around the lake which the kids will enjoy – even the grown up kids! The other lake at Homme also offers recreational opportunities and is just 5 minutes drive.

There is a supermarket about five minutes drive in Savigne-sur-Lathan which is open 7 days a week offering an extensive selection of delicious French food products. Savigne also offers a pharmacy and medical services, a boulangerie (that’s the bakery shop – daily fresh French breads and pastries you dream about), a bank, bar tabac, and restaurant – with several other restaurants in local villages close by. Enjoy a much recommended meal at nearby Homme – ‘Le Bouftard’ – featuring excellent, traditional French cuisine or ‘Blanche Hermine’, a charming eatery in Langeais right in the shadow of its famous chateau, offering delicious dinner and dessert crepes. But you will find an array of eating possibilities in towns all around this comfortable home and if you need a quick fix of French bread, right around the corner is – as only the French could conceive – a French bread vending machine, replenished daily! Mon dieu!

About 20 minutes drive is the beautiful medieval town of Chinon with its winding streets, fortress-castle (where Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine called home and where Joan of Arc visited the Dauphine), and restaurants and bars surrounding the ancient square for memorable al fresco dining.

5 minutes drive from the house is the quixotic Chateau at Gizeux, still owned by the family and featuring beautifully painted wooden panel walls and frescos. 35 minutes drive is the popular chateau town of Saumur with its huge fortress and Roman remains. Located on the river Loire, this larger market town features no end of restaurants and shopping amenities. The Troglodyte Caves (cliffside homes carved into the ancient limestone) which are still occupied are all around this area including the troglodyte farm of Rochmenier (a must to see!). And if you fancy some wine tasting, the famous wine growing region of St Nicholas de Borgeuil is twenty minutes drive. You could also consider trips to Futuroscope, the zoo at La Fleche, and the large cosmopolitan cities of Tours and Angers. Really, there are more chateaux than you can shake a stick at; after all it is the Loire Valley – the playground of French royalty!

Each day can be an adventure as you visit the various chateaux and sites of the Loire valley. Visit the exquisite gardens of the Chateau Villandry, or the chateau Usse where Malificent put a beauty to sleep. And down the road, you’ll find Azay-le-Rideau, a chateau of grace and charm surrounded by a lovely lake. One can take a day trip to Amboise and its chateau and chapel (the final resting place of Leonardo da Vinci). Chenonceau is a must see chateau built on arches over the river Cher and is only a few miles from Amboise. Chambord is a day trip from Rille.