Family Friendly Gite in the South of France: Le Vieux Monastère
On our first visit to France with the kids, we were keen to find a family friendly gite in a beautiful setting with a swimming pool, shared play area and outdoor dining facilities – and this is exactly what we got at Le Vieux Monastère – plus more!
Located close to the Roman town of Saintes and medieval St Jean d’Angely in the South of France, Le Vieux Monastère (the Old Monastery) is owned by a lovely couple called Graham and Christine Dove. They have been welcoming guests since 2003 and families seem to return there every year. Many of the families staying there when we visited had been to the gite many many times.
There are seven holiday cottages in total with different numbers of rooms and layouts. There’s a stunning heated swimming pool as well as sun terrace and games room and each of the gites face onto the central lawn.
The accommodation was really well equipped and clean. Graham and Christine were on hand to answer any questions we had and were so helpful when I wasn’t well and needed medical attention (that’s a story for another time). I was so grateful for their help and Graham even drove to the hospital ahead of us and translated for us there.
Several themed evenings are hosted by Graham and Christine while there and the welcome dinner was superb. This is a great opportunity to meet other families and for the kids to all get to know each other. The children congregated around the lawn area and it all felt very safe and secure – which is exactly what you want on a family holiday!
Le Vieux Monastère is around an hour or so from the coast so if you are a beach lover, you’ll need to be prepared to be in the car quite a bit. However there are lots of family days out to do which I will write about in another post, or you might just want to relax around the swimming pool and make the most of this hidden haven. The choice is yours!
Find out more about Le Vieux Monastère HERE.
