Villa Shambhala
We arrived on
Saturday 14 May having picked up our hire car at Bordeaux airport, a very nice
Citroen C4 with plenty of room.
We were met at
the villa by our meet and greet host, Eric Bourse who showed us around over a
wonderful glass of wine. Eric is an international, contemporary painter and
there are many of his beautiful paintings throughout the property; a bonus and
a delight.
First impressions
of the villa were amazing. How lucky we were to be able to enjoy the luxury of
this spectacular property. Here is a picture of the main living room which is beautiful.
We had the pick
of four bedrooms but chose the ground floor one to keep it simple and to have
the kitchen handy for that first cup of morning tea.
The room was
lovely and cool and had a spacious ensuite. Every facility was provided. And can I mention the bed which was massive –
being two singles connected together- and the most comfortable bed I have ever
known. It had a top class, memory foam
type mattress to die for. I am spoilt
forever. I have never slept so well on a holiday.
There are river
views to the front of the villa, looking out over the wide and tranquil
Dordogne. The little ‘sundowner’ terrace
provided would allow for long, sunset evenings sipping wine and drinking in the
gorgeous countryside ambience.
The sun terrace
at the front of the villa was laid out for serious sun lovers. A huge terracotta urn was babbling its
fountain in the middle and the area had ample room for as much sun bathing as
you could want for any number of people.
To my delight we
found a family of great tits were nesting in one of the smaller ornamental urns
just outside the terrace doors.
The courtyard
side of the property had a large table and chairs for al fresco dining and my
favourite place – the salle dété, which is a garden room with comfortable
seating, a barbeque, heaters, American style fridge (complete with TV), and
another huge dining table. All this presented like a picture of a suite in an
expensive homes magazine. Here is the place to unwind, relax, entertain, gather
and use to its full potential on long, summer evenings.
Settling in was
easy. Our first night was a dream and we
planned our week based on the recommendations made by Eric.
The Sunday market at Issigeac is an absolute must for any visitor to this area. A lovely Bastide town heaving with foodstalls and coffee stops of every type. We indulged ourselves to the max taking photos, tasting and tinkering amongst all the tittle tattle of this little real life snapshot of rural France. A ‘must return’ note to self was made.
Lunch that day
was the plat du jour at a sweet little restaurant just on the edge of the
market area. Do not underestimate the
PDJ – the steak and frites filled a whole dinner plate and was only one of
three courses. For tea we sat in the
salle d’été to eat the fresh bread and fruit we had purchased that day.
Monday saw us heading to LeClerc supermarket located nearby in Pineuilh, to stock up on groceries. Most of the time was spent oggling all the wonderful produce that is available – including the live lobster and crabs kept in a tank.
A little drive
took us to the town of Gensac. Like many
of these small places it was deserted. The
shutters were closed and the last person had turned off the music and shut the
door. I love to explore such
places. They intrigue me and I hope this
type of enigmatic settlement never changes.
It is the real France for me and the one that I love the most.
On Tuesday we headed for Sarlat which was a decent couple of hours drive. This did not concern us, as the scenery is so stunning. Again we had the plat du jour for lunch in the main square and re-acquainted ourselves with the delights of this medieval town of unspoilt beauty. The stonework and the buildings were a beautiful buttery colour in the afternoon light.
Wednesday was the turn to see Bergerac and another market. We sat by the river and ate tarte noix bought from a divine patisserie. The area is a great walnut producer and I made sure I had some to take home.
Thursday we went to Eymet and I believe it is called Breymet because of all the British people living there. We found a salon de thé Anglais and enjoyed listening to the chatter amongst the ex pats. This made for some entertaining ear wigging.
Friday was ear marked for St Émilion. We had been warned it was touristy and full of wine shops. If you like your France with a fancy dress on, this is it. For me, I like a bit of shabby, mystique and original French so I will stick to the ghost towns that tickle my funny bone so much. Here I am enjoying the sun in St Emilion and overlooking the wonderful rooftops of this picturesque village. Seeing this again I think it was rather gorgeous after all.
Saturday was
going home day so we tidied up and drank in for the final time, the early
morning sun on the terrace, before heading off. It seems we had just missed Kit
who had been out walking the dogs. A
shame because I wanted to thank her personally for the pleasure and privilege
of staying in her romantic villa.
However, I can
thank Oliver’s Travels for this wonderful holiday which has been very special
from start to finish.
