Maison Michelin – Manoir De Longeveau

Le Manoir de Longeveau’s fantastic combination of pretty gîte accommodation, beautiful setting, and brilliant facilities, which include a crèche/kids club, golf course, tennis courts, and bar/restaurant, make it a real find for families with young children. Within hours of arriving it’s easy to see why so many guests return year after year – a particularly tempting proposition when enjoying a relaxing drink on the bar’s sunny terrace and soaking up the beautiful scenery!

The 16th century former Cognac estate’s elegant yet relaxed and friendly ambiance is helped along by the fact that guests can do as much or as little as they wish. Little ones can attend the professionally staffed crèche, which runs from during high season, while adults relax by one of the pools, enjoy a round of golf (9-holes), a drink and a meal on the bar’s terrace, a spot of boules or a game of tennis, with or without tuition. There are also acres of open countryside to explore and two excellent play areas for little ones to enjoy. The fact that there’s a 40-ft heated outdoor pool plus a separate paddling pool, is also a bonus for those with small babies who may find unheated pools chilly, even in summer.

The pretty gîtes sleep from two to eight and are nestled in small clusters scattered amongst the 60 acres of beautiful grounds, either close to the Manoir itself or a few minutes walk away at the hamlet of Puygironde, which overlooks Longeveau and the golf course. All have been recently renovated to a high standard, mainly from old farm buildings and each has charming original features including old beams, exposed stonework, and timber or clay tile floors. Properties offer open-plan living areas with well-equipped kitchens and some include dishwashers, washing machines, and flatscreen TV. There is also a separate well-equipped communal laundry room. Each has a private outdoor seating area and BBQ, useful for quiet nights ‘at home’, after busy days and when not making the most of the bar’s terrace for meals and drinks, or communal BBQ nights.

The Terrace Bar and Restaurant is an idyllic spot for a sunny breakfast coffee and pastries ( you can also arrange pastry boxes to takeaway) or a relaxed, light lunch. During summer it is open several evenings a week for a la carte dining and the owners also arrange a Thursday night 'Pizza Night' and weekly BBQ. Plus on Tuesdays, a funky fish and chip street food van arrives at Longeveau spring through to Autumn.

Accommodation Overview:

Maison Micheline occupies the left-hand side of the property, which has been transformed into a comfortable, stylish cottage, graced with lots of charm and modern comforts.

This old stone cottage was rendered in the 1960’s (a very trendy thing to do back then!). Nowadays, a helping of greenery and plants bring a little colour to the grey exterior. On the inside, many of the original stone walls and oak beams remain, adding to the character of the rooms. A large stone fire place dominates the living area downstairs, which is otherwise finished in a clean modern style. The open plan kitchen is fully specced, with microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, big American fridge and all of the utensils you will need to cater your holiday dining.

At the front of the house is a twin room looking overlooking the village green, and a separate bath/shower room. At the back of the house is a small but lovely double bedroom, with an en-suite.

Upstairs, the landing leads to a large twin bedroom (both twin bedrooms can easily be turned into doubles if needed). The spacious master bedroom is also located upstairs, with plenty of wardrobe space, en-suite with double shower, small double doors, flat-screen TV, original oak trusses, and stone walls.

Outside the cottage has a small but private garden. A terrace with BBQ and ample space for dining, plus a small grassed area for soaking up the sun or for the little ones to play. With all of the other facilities at Longeveau, only a stones though away.