Alistair Sawday's Special places to Stay

http://www.sawdays.co.uk/

In rolling farmland on the Gers border - a wildlife haven an hour from the mountains - this is the most relaxed house you could wish for: 18th-century bones, 20th-century flesh. Dominique's decorative talent runs to cleverly-used bright colours, her own fantasy patchwork and great flair at auction sales. Nick cooks with French, Thai, Latin American flourishes and is a great entertainer. They have three teenage children, are a well-travelled, thoughtful couple, involved in the local music festival, concerned with the countryside - evenings on the terrace can be stimulating. Great walks, super food, easy living.

Also Karen Brown's excellent guide:

http://www.karenbrown.com:

If you really want to "get away from it all," nothing could beat staying in this lovely 18th-century manor house set on 6 hectares with its own river in the farmland of the Baïse Valley in the shadow of the Pyrenees. The nearest town is Trie sur Baïse, which boasts a famous rugby team and the largest pig market in France. Nick and Dominique are an Anglo-French couple, with Nick being from England and his beautiful wife originating from Normandy, and their home, with its handsome façade of old timbers and stone, reminded me of the Suisse-Normande style one sees in her homeland. Guests are self-contained in one wing of the inn. Although meals are served outdoors in fine weather, the dining room, enclosed by a wall of dramatic old river stone, is a fun place to gather, with a piano which one can hopefully tempt Nick to play. Just off the dining room is a small lounge whose shelves overflow with books. Of the bedrooms, named for the color of their décor, the Red room is the largest, with a handsome antique bed and a wallpaper theme of cards and jokers. The Blue room is lovely, with an old brass bed and a small, low window framing views of the garden. My favorite, the Green room, is the smallest and coziest, with a view from the bed through corner windows, which look out over the pasture.

brochure complète en français

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visitez la maison (dessin cliquable)