View towards the west from the garden
From a first friendly reception by our first contact over the internet to your gracious and warm hospitality on our arrival, Mike and Cynthea your gîte is very special and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The location is beautiful, the gîte clean, spacious and filled with special touches – five stars! We could not have picked a better place as our base to explore the Loire Valley. And as an added bonus, the weather was perfect for our whole stay. We will return home with happy memories of our stay and a recommendation for our friends. Once again, our thanks for the wonderful stay in your gîte. Cathy, Phil, Therize and Gina; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, September 2011
View towards the west from the garden
Thank you so much once again for a fantastic holiday. Last year we only stayed for one week but this year we booked for two weeks. Still did not have enough time to visit and explore all the beautiful places in this area, so have booked for 2012 already. Mike and Cynthea – you are perfect hosts and have a wealth of local knowledge and information. Your welcome and hospitality are hard to surpass. The gîte is lovely as are the views and immediate surroundings. A perfect holiday – but gone too quickly. See you in 2012. Pam and Dave; South Wales, September 2011
Thank you Mike and Cynthea for a wonderful relaxing week. We loved the gîte and its surroundings and our only complaint is that the week flew by too quickly! Thank you for your recommendations regarding Chinon and restaurants in Loches – when we sip on the Chinon and Vouvray that we are taking home with us, we will definitely remember our lovely holiday here. All the best. Heather and Juan Pablo; London, September 2011
We have had two wonderful weeks here at “La Grange des Hirondelles”. We came last year for one week and have definitely felt the benefit of stopping two weeks. Having spent many years coming to the Loire we crossed off the remaining châteaux on our list and also travelled further afield to Paris and Bordeaux by TGV. Both trips were successful and we would definitely recommend Bordeaux. Thank you Mike and Cynthea for your help and advice, which have certainly contributed to such an enjoyable holiday. We are sure we will return again at some point in the future. Marian, Carew, Emily and James; Doncaster, August 2011
Another fabulous holiday at "La Grange des Hirondelles”. The weather wasn’t as good this year as last, but we’ve still made the most of it with the kids using the pool quite a bit. Still think this accommodation would be very hard to beat, as would Mike and Cynthea’s welcome. Have visited Blois, Villandry, Montrésor, Loches, Tours and the Pagode de Chanteloup – a little bizarre but the children loved all the games they could play in the gardens. All the very best and we aren’t ruling out another visit in the future if you can put up with us a 3rd time! Dave, Linda, Matthew (9), Thomas (7) and Sarah (7); Belfast, July 2011
Thank you, Cynthea and Mike, for sharing your lovely space with us – so many delights! The dinner our first night was delicious, and most welcome after our drive here. The Grange des Hirondelles is so comfortable and well appointed – we might have just spent our entire time relaxing here – but - so much to see and do nearby. We ventured out to Chinon, Loches, Tours, Montresor – and also explored some of the more out-of-the-way little villages around nearby. We’ve had fine food and wine, including several meals here with local goods from the grand market in Descartes on Sunday. The whole experience has been most enjoyable, and we appreciated our thoughtful host and hostess – we will return! Richard and Wanda; Hawaii U.S.A., April 2011
Field of Sunflowers next to the gite.
What a delightful spot to enjoy this lovely part of rural France! We have enjoyed the extremely relaxing surroundings and found the “Grange des Hirondelles” a very comfortable base from which to travel out to the local villages and a little further afield, to visit the chateaux. We didn’t quite see everything on our “must see” list – so a return visit could well be required! Of those we did see, Villandry for its absolutely stunning gardens was probably the high point – but thanks also to Mike and Cynthea for their valuable advice on other fine gardens to take in – La Chattoniere and Valmer were both delightful, smaller in scale, more intimate, and extremely charming. We hope that we have made the most of some of the region’s produce – namely the wines and the goats’ cheese, and have rustled up some tasty meals here at the gîte. We ate at La Gerbe d’Or in Loches, and although the atmosphere was maybe a little formal and quiet the food was good, with a menu biased more towards fish than meat. We shared a glorious “melt-in-the-mouth” chocolate pudding, which lived up to its name! My wife has suggested that I add a specific footnote: as an interior designer I generally spend at least half-an-hour re-arranging the furniture when I stay somewhere! Which I haven’t done at “Grange des Hirondelles”. Good work Cynthea! Thanks for a much needed, restful break. Well – home tomorrow – we’re well and truly “chateaued”. Richard and Mel; Birmingham, September 2010
Perfect gîte, perfect weather, perfect holiday. As a regular visitor to France for holidays, and as a "fussy so and so", I can honestly say this is one of the best gîtes we have stayed in. Spacious, clean, and very well equipped. The pool was also great, especially when it got hot. The surrounding area has so much to offer it's difficult to pick a favourite, but our (long!) trip to Cheverny was worth it, especially if you like Tin - Tin. The market at Ste Maure is also worth it. Thank you Mike and Cynthea for a very enjoyable week. Marian, Carew, Emily, and James Satchwell; S Yorks, August 2010
Have enjoyed a fabulous 2 weeks here. The gîte is beautiful and the hosts have the balance right - there when we needed them but otherwise unobtrusive. The kids have made the most of the pool and garden and we have enjoyed Cynthea's wonderful cooking. A great location for exploring the region, and we hope to be back . Not sure we'll get such perfect weather again though! Merci beaucoup - tout était impeccable. The Vincent family; Belfast, July 2010
View to the north from the gite
Thank you so much for the stay in your gite - it really is fantastic. It was wonderful to arrive somewhere that lived up to expectations, and we really appreciate all you did to make us feel "at home". Cynthea, this includes your delicious cooking, which allowed us to "dine out" whilst "staying in " and babysitting. The gite is in such a beautiful setting and there is so much to do in the area. We particularly enjoyed Descartes, Chinon, Loches, Azay-le-Rideau, and the "Boucles Bournan". This is a great place to stay for two weeks and it is a shame to be going home! We'll look back at our stay with fond memories! Harriet, Geoff and Phoebe; September 2009
A beautiful light, bright gite with lots of space and very well equipped. Perfectly situated to visit everything in the area. Apart from the obvious chateaux we really enjoyed Montrésor - very pretty town with a great café and a lovely walk by the river, and the zoo at Beauval - not just for kids - we two 60 year olds had a great day there. Chinon is a lovely town to walk around with lots of good restaurants. Had a great meal at Auberge du Pont Neuf in Cussay - fabulous food and very friendly service. But, of course Cynthea's three course meals are a match for any restaurants in the region. Oh, and Loches market on a Saturday is huge and almost as large on Wednesday - park down by the river. The visit to the Chateau and Donjon is very good value. Had a wonderful time. Linda and Ron; Australia, September 2009