Located in the West of France, tucked away in the idyllic French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine lies a perfect French escape – Le Petit Bijou, Saint Fraigne.
We were fortunate enough to spend a sunny week in May in this tiny hamlet in the Charente region of France. Not one of the most well-known areas for tourists means it’s a fantastic place to spend a week living like the locals and leaving us wishing we could stay for longer.
Travel
We chose to travel by the Euro-tunnel and drive the 450 miles from Calais to Saint Fraigne. This way of travelling suits us as we can pack whatever we need without worrying about the dreaded baggage allowance, no need to stress about car hire on arrival & plus we save a fortune on flights! The drive itself from Calais took us approximately 8 hours. We got an early morning train so arrived in France before first light resulting in almost empty roads.
The motorways in France are worlds apart from those in the UK, they seem to run more smoothly (the French don’t seem to ‘hog’ the middle lane like us English!) they are generally well maintained and my personal favourite part was the ‘Panneaux d’animation touristique’. Brown tourist signs with a difference. Each area you drive through is highlighted by a tourist sign with an illustration representing that area. It really helps with the monotony of the long drive, I loved seeing what was coming up next!
Le Petit Bijou
We arrived at the Gite after stopping in nearby Villefagnan for some supplies (Croissants & Baguettes from the Boulangerie mainly). We received a warm welcome from the owners Jason & Alison and after a quick tour of the Gite & it’s grounds we were ready to enjoy our week in the heart of rural France.
After our long journey in the hot sun, the first stop was of the course the swimming pool. Gite guests have sole use of the pool until 5pm, at which time B&B guests are welcome to use it also. Luckily for us, the B&B was empty for the duration of our stay so we were fortunate enough to have the pool to ourselves all day, every day. The outside area is perfect for spending long days in the sun. It has everything you could want from outdoor toys, a trampoline and outdoor play area, the games room, the pool and even a toilet so you don’t have to worry about the children running back indoors with wet feet! There is also the added bonus of a hot tub – what more could you ask for. Sipping on French wine, surrounded by just the sound of the chirping crickets in the night sky.
Home from Home
Le Petit Bijou feels more like a home than a holiday rental. It has everything you could possibly need for you stay, including a few items for ’emergencies’ that you can borrow and replace before you leave (suncream, insect repellent etc). There are three bedrooms upstairs, and they were all light and airy with lots of space. Looking out of the French windows every morning while listening to the sound of the church bells (before the rest of the family were up demanding croissants) was one of my favourite times of the day. I wasn’t the only one; the boys would enjoy watching the locals walking by every morning, often shouting “Bonjour!” as they went past.
The living room was equipped with enough books & DVDs to keep everyone entertained when the rain arrived one afternoon, and it was cosy enough to not miss the comfort of the sofa at home too!
The Garden & Games Room
One of the things that attracted us to Le Petit Bijou when we looked for a holiday home was the addition of the games room. With a large family and children of varying ages it’s becoming increasingly difficult to please everyone and so we hoped it would help bridge the gap between teenagers and younger ones. Thankfully it seemed to work!
The boys also loved spending time in the garden with Jason & Alison (the owners), working on the vegetable patch, feeding and collecting eggs from the chickens and giving the dogs plenty of cuddles!
St Fraigne
The site is situated in the small yet perfect French village of Saint Fraigne. There is a boulangerie that opens most days so we would wander down every morning to buy our pain au chocolate and warm croissants for breakfast. There is also ‘Le Cave’ – a place where locals gather to have a drink and play boules on the pétanque court. Le Cave sells a little of everything you may need (a small version of a village store) and the locals were all very friendly and accommodating.
The charente region is beautiful without a doubt. Driving through the countryside in May, we were surrounded by the most amazing poppy fields, some lined with Lavender too which just smelt incredible. If you are lucky enough to visit in late July / early August (we’ve also been back at this time of year) the countryside is filled with the tremendous site of Sunflowers filling the fields – a photographers dream!
We would not hesitate to stay at Le Petit Bijou again. It is the perfect French Escape. A blissful week spent soaking up the French culture and all that beautiful France has to offer… including these beautiful sunsets!
