Staying at Eco-Gites of Lenault
My husband is fascinated by World War II and can often be found watching documentaries or reading books on the subject and he has passed his fascination on to the teen, who is also studying it for his history GCSE.
Hubby has been dropping hints abut visiting Normandy to see some of the famous sites from Operation Overlord for years and last year I surprised him with a holiday booked for February half term to make his wish come true.
I have been speaking to Rosie from Eco-Gites of Lenaultย for over a year and when I realised her property was in Calvados, Normandy I booked to come over and stay.
Eco-Gites of Lenault is an old stone hay barn which has been converted into a Gite using reclaimed, reused and eco-friendly materials and furnishings. The Gite was insulated to a very high level it and I am told it remains cool in hot weather and I can vouch for the fact it is lovely and warm in the winter, with the help of aย wood burner that uses locally sourced wood. In fact it dropped to -6 overnight and we were all lovely and warm, despite the fire going out hours earlier.
We arrived a lot later than planned due to a delayed ferry, but Rosie was here ready to greet us with some homemade cakes and a roaring fire.
Inside the Gite we were not disappointed. There is a large open plan kitchen / living room with a large dining table, comfy sofa’s and a television with English TV and a DVD player – vital when you have children. We are particularly in love with the old reclaimed school desks which have been made into a coffee table.
The kitchen is well equipped with everything you might need during your stay and although the unit is self catering there was a lovely welcome basket filled with essentials, plus Rosie offered to do a small shop for us before we arrived so we had enough food to get us by for a day or two.
On the first floor there are two large double bedrooms, one with two singles beds and the other with a large double, plus a large bathroom.
Finally the second floor is a large mezzanine area with a single bed and playroom area – perfect for the teen, although it is full of toys so it may not have been as quiet as he had hoped.
Of course it is not just a Gite, but a small-holding too with a large outdoor play area for the kids with a climbing frame, swing, basketball net, sandpit, trampoline and barn filled with more toys.
The kids favourite part was meeting the animals and helping Rosie give them their dinner. I would highly recommend you bring wellies and a few changes of clothes though as we were caked in mud by the end of it.
I have to say that the hospitality has been second to none, the setting is beautiful and the price extremely reasonable so we would definitely come back here on holiday.
For rates and availability, please check the website here.
Grant R
“Rosie was here ready to greet us with some homemade cakes and a roaring fire” – what a brilliant welcome!
It sounds wonderful. Our little ones would love the animals too ๐
Rosie @Eco-Gites of Lenault
Oh my goodness me, thank you for such a wonderful blog post and I could not ask for a better recommendation. I am so glad you all like the gite although, for my part, I have to say I am glad the snow came to nothing LOL.
Nayna Kanabar
This place looks really nice and cosy. I hope your hubby enjoyed his present.
It's A Mummy & Baby Life
I love arriving at a holiday home and just exploring every little detail and it’s lovely when a place feels warm and homely. Looks like you had a good time and hope your husband enjoyed it!
Cathy Glynn
My hubbie is a history lover too, the Gite looks lovely and cosy. Hope you had a lovely stay c
Zoe
What a great place! Pics look brilliant and it sounds like you had a great time. Will have to have a look because we might really enjoy this place for our family holiday!
Anosa
What a beautiful place, one thing I hate is being cold so glad to know the place could withstand even coldest of weathers
Ana De- Jesus
Aw that is so sweet of you to surprise him like that I bet he loved it! I am a massive history fan myself although my specialisms are Ancient Egypt, Medieval and Tudor England.
Charlotte
wow! I have always loved the look of Rosie’s place on her blog but it’s so cool you actually got to go and visit! we need to find time to go and see the new play area I think!! what a great review ๐
Michelle Twin Mum
It looks like you had a wonderful time, so homely. Mich x
Jemma
Sounds perfect! Love the look of the play area and the animals for the kids!
Cliona
It looks really lovely and just the sort of place I like to stay. France is one of my favourite places and we have been on many self-catering holidays there. Thanks for the recommendation!
Kizzy
Sounds fantastic, I’ve often wondered what Rosie’s place was like and maybe we’ll venture over one day too. My eldest is doing a battlefield tour in April with the school.
Paula
This looks so lovely! Will def have to save for future holiday ideas
Sarah
Wow what a wonderful looking place. Sounds like you had a great time hun ๐ ..my partners a huge history fanatic so he’d love something like this. Thanks for sharing hun x
Sonya Cisco
Looks like a lovely place to stay – hope you are having an amazing time xx
Jen
It looks like the perfect place explore Normandy. I love that area and I follow Rosie!
Cass@frugalfamily
Oooh my husband would love to go here as he’s fascinated by WW2 as well x
Fritha Strickland
love the little play area and the garden looks amazing! That pig is so cute too, Wilf would love to help feed farm animals, lovely! x
Rachel
I think your welcoming is quite possibly one of the best I have ever read about x
Sonia
It does look lovely and cosy, we love France and stay quite often with the mother in law x
Michelle Murray
aww this sounds absolutely beautiful and my husband is interested in WW2 too so will be checking this out
Charly Dove
Oh it sounds fantastic Kara, so nice to see the inside having seen much of the outside in the past. Seems like you’re having the best time too. Enjoy ๐