Beautiful Cottage in Charming Village, Next to Most Castles

• The title says it all.

  The title says it all.

  • Guest Ray
  • Date of stay 10/04/12
  • Review Submitted 11/08/12
  My wife and I stayed in this cottage for 9 days in early October 2012, and we loved it. All the reviews below are very accurate. It's a cozy cottage with everything needed for a comfortable stay. We flew into Charles de Gaulle, took the TGV to Tours, and rented a car to drive to Pontlevoy. French roads are not as wide as American roads, but they are well marked, and if you have a GPS, it is no problem to get about the area. Françoise and Serge are delightful. They were most accommodating, but they were not intrusive. We had several conversations (and a glass of wine!) with Françoise who is fluent in English, Italian, and Russian. Serge speaks a little English but could not be friendlier. As they live there, they were experts in knowing where and where not to go. They even took us to a commune where one could buy vegetables and exquisite handmade items! I would recommend this place to anyone who is not afraid to venture outside of the major tourist areas. The village (it's too small to be called a town) is very picturesque, and, if you are a photographer, has some excellent places to capture. Not many amenities here in Pontlevoy: you must travel to nearby towns for shopping, food, entertainment, etc., but they are only 6-15 km away and easily reachable by car. We took several walks through the village and saw several charming and quaint homes. The house is situated right in the middle of the castles and driving to them is rather easy. We have already started talking about visiting with Serge and Françoise again. They are excellent hosts, and their cottage is a real bargain.

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

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• Comfortable, centrally located, quiet and safe

  Comfortable, centrally located, quiet and safe

  • Guest Pat
  • Date of stay 09/05/12
  • Review Submitted 09/30/12
  My sister, my daughter, and I spent 4 nights at Francoise and Serge's charming cottage.We always looked forward to our return in the evening. The outdoor space is nice and we enjoyed a bottle of wine and a nice conversation with Francoise one evening. If you are in the Loire Valley to see the many chateaus in the area, you have come to the right place. You will need a car though. The house had everything we needed for our stay and Francoise is right next store if you have questions. The photos are are very accurate.There is a small market in town. We ate most of our meals in the nearby town of Montrichard, about 10 minutes away. At Francoise recommendation, we had dinner one evening at Prochopio (hope I got that right). The restaurant is in an old chapel in an alley. The meal was excellent. We visited Amboise, Bloise, Chenenceux, Chambord and Cheverny during our stay. We were blessed with good weather and great hosts. I would recommend this property to anyone.

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

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• Cozy, farm cottage

  Cozy, farm cottage

  • Guest Albert P.
  • Date of stay 07/29/12
  • Review Submitted 09/19/12
  My review will be as objective as possible. The cottage is very cozy. It is located in a farm Village of Pontlevoy, few minutes walk to main street. Don't expect a bustling town; it is rather quiet, without travel amenities, with one to two restaurants, one of which booked fast and we had no luck getting into; the other had only one dish of the night with poor service. You need to get to surrounding towns if you want to eat out at night. The owners were very nice - we have spent a good time talking to Francoise about France, social and political issues, etc., which was great since we wanted to get a "feel" for France these days. Francoise is a fluent English speaker; she will be able to recommend the places to visit and things to do. This was important to us as it was the first time we were visiting this part of France. The Cottage itself was clean. It is not a 5 star hotel, but it will comfortably sleep 4 people. The kitchen was adequate; we made breakfasts there. All utensils, plates, glasses, coffemaker, cattle, and microwave were new and clean, no complaints there. I agree with the other reviewers that the shower could have a curtain installed as the water splashes all over the floor, but besides that everything was in working order. You MUST have a car rented, unless you want to sit around in the front yard, read a book and sip wine all day long. There is nothing to "do" in town. If you are looking for a quiet place to contemplate your life, you have found the right place. We used it exclusively as an inexpensive sleep-over. But if you are looking for the night life, evening dining out, or romantic walks around town, you are about 15 km away from that, in Amboise. The surrounding area has a lot to offer. If you are on a budget, this is the right place to stay. If you are not very picky, you are amicable, and want to experience staying in a farm village, you want to book this cottage. If you want to learn more about the "normal, non-Parisian" living, and have a very pleasant conversation with the native French, please book this place! If you are looking for fanfares, emerse yourself in history and be a part of bustling town, you need to look somewhere else.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing.

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• Quiet place & Nice owners

  Quiet place & Nice owners

  • Guest Alex
  • Date of stay 09/11/11
  • Review Submitted 11/24/11
  My wife, my two kids (19 and 22), and I stayed at this place in September 2011. Although there were 4 adults, all of us had good beds and we all slept well. As other reviewers say, this place is conveniently located. The owners are very nice. At the time of our stay, Françoise was out of town, and Serge was incredibly useful and did everything to make our stay pleasant. My younger son who took French in high school noticeably improved his language talking to Serge.

  Recommended for: Families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers.

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• QUIET, YET CLOSE TO EVERYTHING

  QUIET, YET CLOSE TO EVERYTHING

  • Guest Mina
  • Date of stay 07/10/11
  • Review Submitted 08/12/11
  Our experience at Pontlevoy was one to remember. We were within a short driving distances from all the different castles, medival towns, mushroom farm in the caves down into the earth, where some people live still We even went to see where champagne type of wine was being made, again into the caves where they had miles of space to store 4.5 million bottles. Francoise & Serge were remarkable hosts as well.The cottage had all the amenities we needed & we could cook when we wanted to. The BBQ was there if we needed it as well. Quite often we had our breakfast & dinner outside in the garden.There was enough room for our 2 teenaged children as well. The pullout futon was very comfortable as was the queensized bed. We would definitely stay there again. Also the security deposit was given back promptly the day we left. Thanks again Francoise & Serge.

  Recommended for: Families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers, people with disabilities, adventure seekers, romantic getaway.

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• Perfectly located

  Perfectly located

  • Guest American living in Germany
  • Date of stay 06/18/11
  • Review Submitted 07/04/11
  For a vacation aiming to visit the various castles in the Loire and Cher valleys, you couldn't do much better than staying in Pontlevoy. You are really in the middle of everything and can reach the most important castles in various directions from Pontlevoy, with nothing being too far. We even reached most of our destinations by bicycle, which turned out to be a wonderful way to see the area. There is a developing bicycle system in the area which will eventually be very helpful, but we had no problems finding small rural roads to get us to our destinations. The house itself is adequately appointed and nicely decorated. Although attached to the main house, you really have the sense of complete privacy thanks to the caring approach of Francoise and Serge. They are there if needed, but otherwise you are not even aware that they are there. We took one day to make a trip into Paris which with the TGV was quite comfortable from Tours. Books ahead and get the best prices, though.

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

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• Quiet & central to many chateaus

  Quiet & central to many chateaus

  • Guest K & C
  • Date of stay 05/18/11
  • Review Submitted 06/07/11
  This is a very quiet spot with an excellent bed for perfect sleeping at night. Centrally located for visiting the many chateaus in the Loire Region. Francoise provided excellent recommendations for a huge village market, patisserie close by and a chateau with a garden exhibition at Chaumont. She also speaks excellent English and of course, French. The owners were very accomodating for our request for a "scent free" gite due to allergies. Our only issue was the "shower" which needs a bracket to hold the shower head and a shower rod & curtain to prevent water from being sprayed all over. This would make the current shower much easier to use. If you prefer baths, the tub is deep and perfect for bathing.

  Recommended for: Families with young children, age 55+, people with disabilities, sightseeing, romantic getaway.

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• Great Place to Stay

  Great Place to Stay

  • Guest kay
  • Date of stay 07/31/09
  • Review Submitted 09/09/10
  I stayed with my 2 children summer 2009. It was close to the castles, and we could walk to get groceries. It was well equipped and very clean. The garden was lovely to enjoy a bottle of wine and have the children play. I would stay there again!

  Recommended for: Families with young children, age 55+, sightseeing, romantic getaway.

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• Great location for touring castles!

  Great location for touring castles!

  • Guest Jo
  • Date of stay 08/13/10
  • Review Submitted 08/29/10
  We were two friends touring the castles and this cottage was ideal! It's an easy drive to Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise, Blois, Cheverny, Chaumont sur Loire. So, ideal location BUT definitely need a rental car. We flew into Paris, took the TGV to St Pierre des Corps (just shy of 2 hours from CDG), picked up our Avis rental, stopped for groceries at the Carrefour, then the 40min drive to Pontlevoy. Suggest stopping for groceries before you leave St Pierre des Corps, just easier, as the cottage does not have any staple groceries (condiments, coffee, tea etc.), The cottage is exactly as the photos represent. The futon in the living room is very comfortable. The kitchen is petite, but everything is in great condition. It's a very peaceful place to stay, very cozy. Pontlevoy is lovely and worth wandering around (must visit the 1,000 year old abbey). The food at L'Auberge de l'ecole, "downtown" Pontlevoy, was heavenly and very reasonable. The only thing I would have loved for the cottage to have...a shower curtain. Market day is Sunday in Amboise, a definite must-do. We rented bikes in Amboise and biked to Chenonceau. It's significantly uphill, but incredible views and experience! Francoise and Serge were wonderful hosts, very hospitable and friendly; available if we needed them, but respected our privacy. I would definitely recommend this property.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing, romantic getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Great French Vacation away from hustle and bustle

  Great French Vacation away from hustle and bustle

  • Guest Chambliss and Owen
  • Date of stay 06/26/10
  • Review Submitted 08/17/10
  My wife and I stayed here for one week during the summer (2010). We are in our late 20s and from North Carolina. We quite enjoyed the location and the accommodations. Serge and Francois were both incredibly helpful in making us comfortable and helping us find places to visit around the region. This is a great place to be the launching point for many day-long excursions without having to deal with the noise and busyness of a larger town or city. We were able to get local ingredients from the market to cook at home, as well as to enjoy several fantastic restaurants nearby. Pontlevoy does not offer much other than a quaint setting, but its central location is sure to please you. I am not sure we could make any recommendations to have improved our stay, nor do we have really anything to discourage you from trying this place out! If you are planning to go from the US and want to contact us, ask the owners to connect us...we'd love to give you some tips, ideas and dinner recommendations.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, sightseeing, romantic getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

Nov 03, 2007 - Jun 21, 2008 ... €395 or US$559 / week
Jun 21, 2008 - Sep 06, 2008 ... €495 or US$700 / week
Sep 06, 2008 - Dec 31, 2008 ... €395 or US$559 / week
Bookings should include a $300 refundable damage deposit.
NO TAXES  -  LINEN PROVIDED FREE.
Heating at extra cost in winter months & cold spells.

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.

Sorry this information is not available. Please contact the owner/manager for more information.