There are four gites at Logic de Lussais, we stayed an La Remise, a two bedroomed cottage with one bathroom. The site used to be an old Manor House where the owners now live, with the gites being converted from stables and outbuildings.
The layout of the site is perfect. With access through a beautiful gated entrance, the cottages are centred around a lovely courtyard and fountain with seating areas at the front of each gite. Each cottage has a pretty entrance with vines growing around a pergoda and along the fences, pretty pots planted up with geraniums. Lots of French rustic charm. Cars can be brought into the courtyard for unloading then parked just outside the gate under the trees nearby. Our gite also had a private courtyard with seating at the back - I understand most of the cottages had this. Ours got the sun in the evening at the back and at the front in the morning (albeit shaded by a beautiful tree). There is also a BBQ in the back courtyard. Plenty of outdoor furniture front and back.
The gardens and 2 pools lie beyond the main house to the back not far away, accessed through the barn/games area. The nearest pool is the smallest and about 1.5m in depth throughout. The slightly larger pool beyond has a shallow end and a deep end up to 2.5m. They are kept very clean and there are plenty of options for sitting in either sun or shade. There is a toilet located near the pools in a small outhouse where there are also two washing machines (free to use). There is plenty of open space and shady areas under trees to play or relax.
The games barn has a newly installed pool table (upgraded during our stay!), a football table and a table tennis table (tip: bring your own ping pong balls and bats if you enjoy this, as we found the bats/balls weren't in great condition). Our children (10 &12) loved going off to play pool at every opportunity when we weren't down at the swimming pools. I would be quite happy letting much younger children roam freely in the grounds, it's all enclosed and quite safe. It's such a perfect place for families to relax together, and would also be great for couples or larger family groups. Because there are only 4 cottages and two pools, it's easy to find quiet times at the pool when no one else is there - amazing!
The cottage itself was perfect for our needs and very comfortable. A modern fitted kitchen with dishwasher, m/wave, gas hob and electric oven. It had most of the equipment you need, although I always find myself taking a few backup items just in case. There is no cafetière but there is a coffee machine for filter coffee. There was washing up liquid and sponges, t-towels, but no dishwasher tablets. A welcome bottle of rose was left in the fridge to greet us. There was an iron and ironing board in the cottage and airer for drying clothes.
The lounge was comfortable with TV, although the weather was so good that we spent most of our time outside into the evening. Leaflets about the local area and attractions were provided with vouchers for discounts. French doors font and back. The bedrooms were very comfortable with plenty of wardrobe storage space. Additional hooks on the back of bedroom doors and bathroom door would have been useful. Also there was no socket near the mirror in the main bedroom - something that I find useful when using the hairdryer - but maybe that's just me! Being France though, there are sockets permitted in the bathroom, so there is one next to the mirror in there!
The bathroom was spacious with a shower over the bath. The bath was made of plastic though and didn't feel very strong under foot when standing in there for a shower - perhaps some reinforcement is needed?
There is a good Intermarche supermarket in Chef Boutonne (5mins) and a bigger supermarket in Melle, 20mins away. We didn't find a local boulangerie for croissants/bread in the mornings so found ourselves driving to the supermarket for breakfast most mornings, but maybe we missed something! We ate out at the camp site restaurant (Les Canards) next door which has a fairly English menu (with a French influence) with good choices, very good food cooked with all the local fresh ingredients. It is a pleasant 10min walk along a back lane from the Gites.
We had a wonderful day out to La Rochelle one day (1hr 20mins), it was the height of the season with plenty of atmosphere and geared up for tourists. But it was no problem parking or finding somewhere to eat despite being busy. There's loads to do in La Rochelle and is a must-see if you're in the area. In the summer the Aquarium is open into the evening until 11pm, cheaper tickets are available from 6pm. A perfect way to finish off your visit if you have children who can cope with a later evening. We enjoyed the Ferris wheel, the shops, walking around the harbour markets, watching the street performers and just taking in the atmosphere accompanied by delicious ice-cream!
We also visited the local silver mine in Melle which was very interesting and a great place to cool down if it's really hot - which it was! Our guide was speaking French most of the time but added a few English comments for the few of us that were English speakers. We went to the market in Melle on Friday morning. Coulon in the Marais Poitevin area is worth a visit with restaurants down by the river and a lovely road train ride through the region as well as the boats on the waterways.
The only downside to a holiday here is perhaps the distance you had to travel for most attractions - most places to visit, nice towns and attractions were at least an hour away. But we had intended to spend most of the week relaxing at the site in the peaceful surroundings with just a few trips out, so this met our needs very well, we didn't mind travelling the few times we went out. But if the weather is not so great or you want a holiday with more activity most days, it is a little more remote than is ideal. But it's a fabulous place to stay, so some would say this makes up for it.
I echo what others have said about Eric and Julianne, their friendly and relaxed hosting was wonderful. They were very available but not the least bit intrusive and we enjoyed our conversations with them and getting to know Jack the dog - a gentle giant and a great favourite with the kids by the end of the week.
All in all, I would highly recommend this place for a very relaxing family holiday!
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