Entire home·Private host

Quiet, Characterful Cottage in Countryside

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your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for Quiet, Characterful Cottage in Countryside

Property grounds
Exterior
Interior
Interior
Interior

Reviews

9.6 out of 10

Exceptional

Entire home

2 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 4

Popular amenities

  • Parking available
    Parking available
  • Washer
    Washer
  • Kitchen
    Kitchen
  • Fireplace
    Fireplace
  • Dryer
    Dryer
  • Outdoor space
    Outdoor space

Explore the area

Map
Rioux, Charente Maritime
  • Saujon Thermal Baths
    21 min drive
  • Royan Beach
    27 min drive
  • Saint-Georges-de-Didonne Beach
    29 min drive
  • Royan (RYN-Medis)
    33 min drive

Room options

Similar properties

About this property

Entire place

You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.

Quiet, Characterful Cottage in Countryside

If you’re looking for a holiday away from it all, this is the perfect place! Our cottage “Pandora’s” is situated at the end of a short Allée, edged with flowers, hollyhocks, roses, and lavender, etc. There’s a sun soaked patio, countryside walks, and chickens providing fresh eggs for your breakfast. With thick stone walls, the property is cool in summer, cozy in winter. The cottage has a large lounge, separate dining room, and a well stocked kitchen. Upstairs are two double bedrooms, plus a mezzanine with single bed, and a newly fitted bathroom. We live in a converted barn opposite with our three cats and two parrots, so are on hand if you have any queries. Our African Grey Parrot likes to sit outside in her cage in the summer and talk to our guests! Our chickens are very friendly, a great hit with children-one even lays green eggs! We are in the process of making a special enclosed chicken garden for them, filled with chicken friendly plants. The terrace is a real sun trap and has a gas BBQ, or we have a more traditional BBQ if you prefer. There is also a cool area under the trees, just across the road, with a swing seat, and bistro table and chairs to relax with a book, or a glass of wine. We have two comfortable sun loungers for use either here or on the patio. If you’re feeling energetic, there are bikes for your use, to cycle to a nearby village for croissants etc and to explore the beautiful countryside. The coast is just a short drive away with sandy beaches, and rocky coves, or visit the picturesque villages of Talmont, or Meschers. The larger towns of Royan with it’s colourful marina and weekly market, and historic Saintes are an easy drive away. Please do feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the property, location etc
  • The cottage offers a kitchen, a washing machine, and a fireplace
  • 10.5 mi (16.9 km) from Saint-Eutrope Church and 10.7 mi (17.2 km) from Saintes Amphitheatre

Property manager

Mel & Roy Dickson

Languages

English, French

Property amenities

Internet

  • WiFi available

Parking and transport

  • On-site parking

Kitchen

  • Fridge
  • Stovetop
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • Dishwasher
  • Cookware/dishes/utensils
  • Toaster
  • Electric kettle
  • Paper towels

Dining

  • Dining table

Bedrooms

  • 2 bedrooms
  • Bed sheets provided

Bathrooms

  • 1 bathroom
  • Bath or shower
  • Toilet paper
  • Soap
  • Hairdryer
  • Towels provided

Living spaces

  • Fireplace
  • Living room
  • Dining room
  • Wood stove

Entertainment

  • TV
  • Music library
  • Books

Outdoor areas

  • Patio
  • Outdoor furniture

Laundry

  • Washing machine and dryer

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Suitability/Accessibility

  • Smoke-free property

Services and conveniences

  • Iron/ironing board

Location highlights

  • In a rural location

Things to do

  • Cycling on site

Safety features

  • Carbon monoxide detector installed (host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property)
  • Smoke detector installed (host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property)

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 4:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 25

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Note from host: PLEASE NOTE-upstairs windows aren’t child safe!

Important information

You need to know

This property is managed by a private host (a party not acting within their trade, business or profession). EU consumer law, including the right of withdrawal, will not apply to your booking. The cancellation policy set by the private host will cover your booking.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation
You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions. You will also receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account which will enable you to manage your booking.

We should mention

  • Onsite cash transactions can't exceed GBP 1000, due to national regulations. For more details, please contact the property using information in the booking confirmation.

Quiet, Characterful Cottage in Countryside Reviews

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 16 out of 20 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 4 out of 20 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 20 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 20 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 20 reviews" "

10/10

Cleanliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

david l.

Liked: Cleanliness
June/July 2024.
The cottage is exactly as described on the website. It was nice to meet the very friendly owners, the outside space is limited, but we knew this would be the case on booking. We choose this cottage for its location, and were not disappointed.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Paul B.

Liked: Cleanliness
Magic place
What a terrific place - on many levels. We loved the area, Mel and Roy were great. Highly recommended - the reviews are bang on. Looking forward to the model traction engine displays and developments with Mel's hair styling next year....Paul & Elaine
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

alison c.

Liked: Cleanliness
Delightful stay
Excellent property and very helpful but discreet hosts. Quiet , tranquil environment with lovely small villages nearby and beautiful beaches.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Victoria D.

Liked: Cleanliness
Pandora's Cottage
A lovely cottage in the countryside with charming and knowledgeable hosts. Tranquil, immaculate, with well-equipped kitchen and comfortable beds. Deeply rural but close to nearby markets, bakeries and boucheries. A tour of the surrounding 12th-century churches is a must.
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Colette L., Glasgow Scotland

Liked: Cleanliness
A beautiful authentic French cottage
This cottage is superb! Mel and Roy are wonderful hosts. Everything and more you need is at hand they have thought of everything. The cottage is immaculate and the outside space is a suntrap. We arrived as strangers and left as friends. We recommend Pandora Cottage its a must if you are in the area. We really didn't want to leave and hope to return again. Colette and Steve
Stayed 10 nights in Sep 2022

8/10 Good

Wilma H., Rockanje, Nederland

Liked: Cleanliness
Short stay in a lovely cottage
The welcome of the owners of the cottage is heartwarming. They go the extra length to make your stay as comfortable as possible. The cottage has got everything you need, even appletrees for your fruit, chickens for your eggs and a vegetable garden for your tomatoes and herbs. A wonderful place in the heart of the Charente Maritime.
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2024

8/10 Good

Diana H.

Liked: Cleanliness
Auszeit
Wir haben ein paar schöne Tage verlebt. Die Gastgeber waren sehr höflich, zuvorkommend und haben uns sehr gut aufgenommen sowie bei Fragen und Unternehmungen unterstützt.
Stayed 13 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Thorsten P.

Liked: Cleanliness
Sommerferien mit der Familie
Die Unterkunft war genauso, wie es die Bilder versprachen. Mit Liebe zum Detail eingerichtetes Haus, in wunderschöner Lage. Mit Gastgebern, die sich dezent im Hintergrund hielten und doch da waren, als es aufgrund einer Autopanne nötig war. Absolut empfehlenswert. Wir planen schon ein nächstes Mal. Vielen Dank.
Stayed 13 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Olivia N.

Liked: Cleanliness
Séjour pour Noël
Gîte très convivial et chaleureux ,joliment décoré et assez spacieux. Mélanie et Roy sont des hôtes super gentils, ils ont eu plein de délicates attentions à notre arrivée. Ils sont là si besoin. Je recommande le lieu.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Super semaine
Mon fils et moi même avons passé une très bonne semaine. Le gîte est au calme et très bien équipé. Les propriétaires ont des tas de délicates attentions à notre égard dès notre arrivée. Ils sont très gentils et accueillants. Et pour les activités, elles sont riches et nombreuses pas très très loin. C'était très bien.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sébastien R.

Liked: Cleanliness
Une superbe semaine !!!
Le logement est très mignon et surtout il fait frais ! Il y a tous ce qu'il faut a l'intérieur comme a l'extérieur. C'est confortable et très pratique. La maison a 20 30 minute des plages, de Saintes et Royan. Il y a énormément de chose a faire. C'est très calme, Mel et Roy sont des gens incroyablement gentils, chaleureux, discret et vraiment très sympathique, c'était un réel plaisir de les rencontrer et de pouvoir discuter avec eux. Nous étions avec notre fille de 5 ans, elle était aux anges de pouvoir voir les poules et autres animaux. C'était difficile de partir car, on était vraiment bien !
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Céline B.

Liked: Cleanliness
Beau cottage !
Très beau cottage , bien équipé et très propre. Mel et Roy sont très sympathiques , serviables et toujours soucieux du bien-être des hôtes.
Stayed 14 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Valerie C.

Liked: Cleanliness
Charmant cottage à la campagne
Très bon accueil, maison charmante et propre à l'arrivée. Nous avons passé un très bon séjour. Seul petit bémol: la télévision ne fonctionnait pas correctement. Mais nous n'avons signalé le problème qu'à notre départ Fenêtres à l'étage potentiellement dangereuses pour de jeunes enfants. A sécuriser si possible.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Véronique V.

Liked: Cleanliness
Home sweet home !
Excellent quiet stay, we are at home among the birds and Mélanie's beautiful garden. Mel and Ray are adorable with lots of intentions that make life sweet. I extended my stay twice!!!
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

bernadette et jean-pierre M.

Liked: Cleanliness
très bien,
cottage de charme, environnement calme et au cœur de la campagne
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

MICKAEL V.

Liked: Cleanliness
Excellent
Un grand merci à Mel et Roy pour leur disponibilité, leur gentillesse, leurs nombreuses attentions en tant qu'hôtes Je recommande vivement cette location ou tout est fait pour le confort des vacanciers : lits faits, linge de toilette à l'arrivée... Maison très fonctionnelle
Stayed 11 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Céline J.

Liked: Cleanliness
Gîte coquet
Nos hôtes étaient aussi discrets qu'agréables. Ils se sont montrés très prévenants et attentionnés. Le gîte pour un réel dépaysement.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Michael A.

Liked: Cleanliness
Simply wonderful….
Absolutely lovely Cottage, full of charm, beautifully clean and tidy with all mod cons and a well equipped kitchen. Wimbledon was on during my stay and UK tv was set up within minutes of asking if it was available for which another huge thank you!! On which note, Mel and Roy were wonderful hosts, very polite, kind and friendly. No hesitation at all in recommending them and their lovely Cottage to other interested guests. See you both again soon I hope.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

francois l.

Liked: Cleanliness
Un endroit vraiment très agreable
Nous avons séjourné dans ce cottage très agréable équipé très propre et calme à 30mn des plages. Mel et Roy se sont mis en quatre pour rendre ce séjour encore plus appréciable. Tout est à disposition et mérite réellement de s attarder dans cet endroit de la Charente maritime peu connu et ressourçant. Merci encore à Mel et Roy pour votre accueil.
Stayed 4 nights in May 2022