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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.