Our family of 4 adults, 2 teenagers and dogs were warmly welcomed to Gîte Mandarou by Chantal & Joel.With the landscape and the pool, it's very tranquil. Wildlife we saw from the garden included birds of prey, songbirds, woodpeckers, deer and lizards. There are shaded walks for dogs. The gîte is spacious, comfortable and well equipped inside and out, but its charm lies in its rustic character rather than modern luxury.The hosts were easy to communicate with, both via the booking app and in person when they visited to clean the pool. They were genuinely concerned about our comfort during what has been a particularly hot summer, keeping us informed when emergency utility works temporarily reduced the local water supply. They advised of local events and even arranged a garage appointment on our behalf when our car developed a fault, with Joel kindly offering to accompany us.On our final evening, we stayed outside watching a storm approach. What we thought was rain turned out to be smoke, which naturally caused us concern given the widely reported wildfires. We later learned the smoke had travelled from fires near Bordeaux, around 160 km (100 miles) away. Despite it being late, Chantal took the time to reassure us that there was no immediate danger having checked with the fire brigade. We would happily return to Gîte Mandarou and would recommend it without hesitation.