Central Sarlat, Dordogne-Superb Vacation Rental House-Pool

Guest: Catherine (Isle of palms,SC USA)
Date of Stay: 06/24/11 Review Submitted: 07/16/11

My Husband ,Myself and my 88 year young mother stayed in this charming French country house for a week and we loved it. First off ,before We arrived, Xanthe (one of the owners) was most helpful in helping with our plans for the area by our email chats. After We arrived, We found a very clean and very comfortable cozy house. It is the type of house that you feel like you can just kick off your shoes and relax.We enjoyed having breakfast and dinner and a glass of wine out on the patio which overlooks the garden and pool. The pool was also very nice to enjoy after a day of walking allover. The house is very close to so many places we wanted to visit. The only problem was that one week was not enough time to see it all. My Mother did have a problem with hurting her leg and the house was just a short walk(not even 5 mins.)from a wonderful Doctors office with a good staff(that spoke some english). Also in close walking distance is a small grocery store. Grocery stores are not a problem . No matter which way you come back into town there is a big Grocery store. FYI for people like me with Celiac disease The Carafour Store sells prepackaged Gluten free breads,cookies,pasta etc that are good and easy to heat up in the oven. We were able to meet Hamish (the other owner)He too was very helpful with what to see in the area and how to fix one of the best meals that you will dream about. "Confit Du Carnard "with potatoes cooked in the duck fat.OH MY GOSSH! Hamish is a very personable guy that you would love to talk to for hours if you could. We hope to one day return to this great house and stay another week. So much to say and do, a must is the market at Sarlat on saturday. It starts just a little bit out from the house to the right and to the right and all the way into the center of Sarlat. There are also some really good restaurants close by one is less than a block and it is one of the best restaurants that we ate at in the 3 weeks that we were traveling and there prices were very reasonable.You will see the name written in the comment book.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

A great location, a comfortable house

Guest: Hannah (Maine, USA)
Date of Stay: 04/22/11 Review Submitted: 06/12/11

We rented this Sarlat house in late April, early May and had a wonderful time. The house was cozy and the owners helpful in every way, even meeting us at the train station to try and help with a time change problem. We were lucky enough to have great weather and my family enjoyed the swimming pool. The house is set back far from the road, very quiet and private. My husband was thrilled that he never had to drive at night - it was an easy walk into town for food and restaurants. We found that Sarlat took on a magical quality in the evenings when it wasn't so filled with tourists. We did experience a tempermental teakettle and there was a trick to lighting the stove but it wasn't a serious problem. Overall the kitchen was a nice size and easy to work in. Because we had such good weather we were able to eat all our meals on the patio, sitting outside late into the evening. The beds were very comfortable and I loved the upstairs room with the light and wonderful views over the yard. Overall I would say this this house met all my expectations and I would easily recommend it to friends.

Owner response:We are so glad that you enjoyed your time in Sarlat and sincerely hope that you can visit again soon. Best wishes for the future, Xanthe & Hamish

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children.

Guest: "Very comfy, clean, well appointed" (-)
Date of Stay: 12/28/10 Review Submitted: 06/09/11

"Very comfy, clean, well appointed" The 4 of us (1 couple + 2 adults) had booked for 4 nights and extended to a 5th one. Fantastic location, walking distance to the "action" (so to speak), yet nicely tucked away at the back of nice garden. Ample space for parking. Didn't get to use the large enough swimming pool (december), but very much enjoyed the very nice fireplace (additional electric heaters for the room were very effective) and even some of the morning sunshine on the terrace. The living/dining room was homely, comfy and spacious enough for us to enjoy several meals that we prepared in the well appointed kitchen. The upstairs and the front bedrooms, both with one comfortable double bed, enjoy great natural lighting and garden views. The third bedroom, with 2 single beds, tucked away behind the kitchen, is ideal for kids/teenagers. The check in and out procedures were very easy (we saw the owner once for 3 minutes on the last day); instructions and information were crystal clear so we never had to call on anyone to help us in anyway. Just a block away from the house is one of the best restaurants in Sarlat, and the region is splendid. All in all, the excellent accommodation was a strong contributor to our brilliant stay there. The owner has submitted this review which was added to the Tripadvisor guest reviews page for this house by the guest on the 10th June 2011.

Recommended for:

Lovely comfortable house in a great location

Guest: Discerning Traveller (NZ)
Date of Stay: 05/06/11 Review Submitted: 05/31/11

I just wanted to say thank you so much for enabling us to spend a wonderful week in Sarlat. I especially appreciated all the help that you gave me to organise our trip and we found that this house suited our needs perfectly with everything that our mixed age range required. To be able to stay in a lovely old house in the centre of such a beautiful town as Sarlat was a real treat. We couldn’t fault the house or the information provided by Xanthe in anyway and the restaurant recommendations were spot on. I will be passing on the details of this place to our friends and family.

Owner response:Thank you !!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car.

Disappointing

Guest: Kate (Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA)
Date of Stay: 04/10/11 Review Submitted: 04/26/11

Our family (5) spent two weeks here (April 10th -22nd). We were not as warmly welcomed as previous posters who mentioned food, wine and fires laid for their arrival, none of which was done for us. The owner greeted us on arrival and hastily left after thirty seconds, leaving us to figure things out. Master Bedroom: This room is reached by a narrow spiral staircase. Copious cobwebs over the bed and elsewhere. Hanging space for clothes consists of two short rods the depth of a shelf, ie about nine inches, hanging bizarrely over an actual shelf. We reported that the radiator was not functioning and were told that it was because of a broken switch which the owner would “look into”. The radiator never did work all two weeks of our stay. The second window is painted shut, making it impossible to fully open or close the exterior shutters. A light bulb was out. Master Bath: The shower stall is improperly installed halfway over a vent. The overhead shower head does not function properly. The shower itself was not very clean. The towels were rough as sandpaper. The owners knew that we were arriving on a Sunday evening when stores were closed yet they supplied only a third of a roll of bathroom tissue in the master bathroom. Bedroom #2 –the double bedroom: No hanging space at all in this room, only an armoire with shelves. The whole house was infested with ants, including our suitcases, and many mounds of ant dust were to be found along the edges of the floors. Kitchen: Another light bulb out here. Copious cobwebs. The refrigerator was full of condensation. My husband had to remove a blockage from the washing machine before we could use it. A prior occupant had neglected to unwrap two anti-limescale tablets, and they were jamming the receptacle. The plug for the electric kettle seems unsafe. – occasional blue flashes. The stove lighter doesn’t work. Twin Bedroom: This room is adjacent to the kitchen. It has a shower and washbasin but no toilet. The nearest toilet is on the opposite side of the kitchen. Living Room: We found the furniture lumpy and uncomfortable. Terrace: The terrace is pleasant enough but it’s a stretch to describe it as superb. Every time the owner came over in our absence, he would leave the gates open, although his instructions are that they should be kept closed. Sarlat is a wonderful town and this property is well located but we found the house cold in spite of good weather, and were disappointed in the lukewarm reception of the owners.

Owner response:With 120 rental weeks over the last year in our 3 homes we have only received this complaint. We have provided holiday accommodation in France for 11 years & have been listed in guides including Rick Steves, Lonely Planet & Tripadvisor. We take great care to ensure that our houses are of a high standard & understand how disappointing it can be when guest’s expectations are not met. We try to correct any problems as quickly as possible if we are contacted during the stay, but in this case we were not. We have taken on board the issues raised, however we do dispute there authenticity. We can only meet our guests on arrival if we know a time, this lady did not return her booking form or ring/email to let me know. After several visits to the house to check, Hamish was relieved to see that the group had indeed finally arrived safely & when they had no further questions for him, he left so as not to intrude on a Sunday evening. As the reservation was from Friday, the house was thoroughly cleaned that morning. When we left there were no ants, cobwebs, dust or broken lightbulbs. The 'ant dust' is stone dust & normal in old houses with stone interior walls. If a guest wishes we can offer a cleaning & also a shopping service if arrival is going to be late, but neither of these were requested. ‘Self catering’ means that the guest provides the things that they will use. However, we do leave toilet paper in each of the 3 wc’s, kitchen basics, detergents & light bulbs. We left an information pack with clear house instructions, including recommendations for restaurants,our contact details, maps & guides. This isn’t a difficult house; there are no quirky gadgets or fickle plumbing & nothing to ‘figure out’. Space here is limited so I cannot reply as wished, but suffice to say the windows are not painted shut, the shutters open & close easily, there is sufficient hanging space for clothes, there are no electrical problems, there are extractors fans in the shower rooms, the towels are tumble dried soft, the furniture is comfortable, fixing the radiator after they broke the switch the first week didn’t seem to be urgent due to the 85 degree heat, likewise lighting the fire wasn't necessary I thought. With our cleaning system everything is checked twice, eliminating any missed areas & nothing is left to chance. The photos & house details are correct with no surprises upon arrival. Thank you for reading this reply & please do read the reviews for our other houses 88227 & 88228

Recommended for:

Rainy outside, cosy inside!

Guest: Family with small children (Illinois)
Date of Stay: 11/07/10 Review Submitted: 01/10/11

Although it rained almost every day of our stay, we had a fabulous time sightseeing during the day and then warming up with the fireplace in the evenings. All that has been said about this rental is true - great location for exploring Sarlat, private, great amenities and cosy. A small grocery store that had everything we needed for simple meals was a couple blocks away. We did use all the appliances including the washing machine and dishwasher and found them to work well. Although we didn't really need it, the only item that may benefit the kitchen would be adding a microwave. Lastly and most importantly to us, we wanted to add that we traveled with a one year old and four year old and found this rental to be perfect for our family. The child-friendly details of the house were very much appreciated - children's books, wooden train set (hours of entertainment for both kids!), games, crib, baby chair, and BBC children's programming. All these allowed tired parents to relax a bit at the end of our busy days of sightseeing! The house was also secure for the one year old who likes to climb and we were able to close off areas of the house to contain him as needed. We would definitely stay here again!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Guest: John and Judy (-)
Date of Stay: 10/15/10 Review Submitted: 10/19/10

Thanks very much for your excellent communication in helping us get the show on the road.

Recommended for:

Saunter the Medieval City of Sarlat

Guest: slsseattle (Seattle Washington)
Date of Stay: 03/12/10 Review Submitted: 03/28/10

I stayed at Sarlat la Canada for 4 nights in March 2010. The house exceeded our expectations in every way. Charmingly decorated, close enough to the middle of town to easily walk to shops. The property is well back a private lane behind a blue gate, so very private. While it was much to cold to use the pool, the porch was wonderful for afternoon reading in the sun. Hamish, the owner, arrived on our first day to make sure we had all we needed and to lay a wonderful fire for us. The three bedrooms are separate enough to be private. The Master suite consumes the entire second floor. Thank you for a wonderful stay in Sarlat!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Lovely spot for visiting Dordogne valley

Guest: MA and JA (Colorado)
Date of Stay: 03/16/10 Review Submitted: 03/27/10

Terrific location for exploring on foot in a beautiful town with lots of good restaurants and a great market on Saturdays. Good spot for day trips of the Dordogne area by car. House was delightful--too cold to use the pool or outdoor areas while we were there but that would have been an added plus.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Davies family1 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Date of Stay: 07/29/09 Review Submitted: 07/29/09

Thanks Xanthe and Hamish for a lovely stay in your house. Great location for visiting the markets in Sarlat and all the other places in the area. The kids loved the nearby treeclimbing centres. A perfect holiday.

Recommended for: