Being a family of 6, hotel stays can be really awkward as they just don’t make family rooms that are big enough for our family so we have to pay extra to have two rooms which really adds to the cost of a holiday, so we tend to look for holiday cottages or large caravans that can comfortably sleep us all.
I am always nervous of staying in new places and have to admit that I prefer to stay somewhere where there is some sort of friendly connection, so Eco-Gites of Lenault stood out for me as I had been chatting to Rosie on twitter for quite some time.
I booked the Gite back in May last year as a surprise birthday present for Hubby who wanted to see all the historic WW2 sites and was really surprised by how reasonable the price was, even in high season. The booking process was clear and simple, with a deposit to hold the week and then payment 6 weeks before our arrival date. You also need to factor in a damages deposit of £150 which is payable on your arrival and returned after inspection when you leave.
Rosie also offers those little extra’s such as doing a small shop for essentials on your arrival and cooking your first meal on your arrival for a small extra cost. We were also welcomed with a large gift basket of goodies and some homemade cakes, much to the kids delight.
The French don’t do postcodes like us British, so the best our satnav could do was take us to the village of Lenault, but thankfully the directions to the Gite were easy to follow and we found it, in the dark at 10pm at night, with no problem at all. Rosie was waiting for us with a fire going and wine chilling in the fridge (we really needed it) and the meal we had ordered postponed until the following day, as we were late due to ferry delays.
The first night went passed in a bit of a blur but the kids all slept well and we all felt better by the morning but we decided to stay at the Gite on our first day as 15 hours of travelling had taken it out of us but it gave us the chance to take in our surroundings.
The gite has it’s own terraced garden with table and chairs, sun umbrella and BBQ, although it was the wrong time of year to use this. The kids however loved the large play area, play barn and trampoline that are a few metres away from the front door and Rosie introduced us to all the farm animals.
The kids favourite part of staying at Eco-Gites Lenault was not just the huge amount of toys that they could play with both inside and outside the gite, but they also had access to the animals. Every morning they got the chance to help Rosie on the feed run, mixing up the pigs feed, collecting eggs and even giving the pigs their sugar beet treats and in the evening they got to put the animals to bed.
We were really lucky with the weather and it was mostly sunny whilst we were there, with the added treat of a snow day, where we stayed at the Gite and spent the day playing in the snow.
The Gite benefits from excellent insulation and although we had radiators we could switch on in the bedrooms we didn’t need them as the log burner warmed the whole Gite for us. I so wish we had one at home.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BB3CIjcyGrf/?taken-by=chelseamamma
I cannot recommend Eco-Gites Lenault highly enough. The hospitality was fantastic, the Gite was cosy, comfortable and more than big enough for us all and the location was perfect for exploring Normandy and everything it has to offer.
A week wasn’t long enough to see everything we wanted to see so we hope to return next year, only this time in the spring.
I’d love to stay there, it looks wonderful. My girls loved our farm holiday a few years ago and keep asking if we can go on another one 🙂
Aw wow, this looks amazing and you clearly had a fab time!
I’m the same, I like to have a friendly connection with the place I’m staying or have spoken to the person who owns the establishment when I’ve booked and found them to be kind and accommodating. I can’t believe how much is included – gift baskets, homemade cakes, a first meal, that’s amazing!
X
Oh you’ve stayed at Rosie’s gite? I’m envious! I’m also hoping to be able to book there one day. I love her #animal tales linky 😉 x
She did indeed – and got me on camera!!
This looks so adorable! You’re right, it’s always good to have a relationship with the place you’re staying, especially when kids are involved.
oh this looks amazing and is something we have on our wishlist to do this year! The kids would thoroughly enjoy it and it looks like you had a fab time!
We love France and always stay in a gite, the perfect home from home and this looks absolutely amazing. With plenty of toys and a farm what more could you want with young children. You can explore or relax back at the gite, a perfect combo, looks like you had so much fun.
This really looks like a brilliant place to stay, especially for families. Love that it has so much for the kids to do, including farm animals! I know it would be a hit with mine.
What a lovely looking place. Great to have so much to play with inside and out and mine would love all the animals!
Looks lies such a Feb place tk stay. I love that they include little extras like making a Neal for u and doing a little shop for u.
Looks like such a Feb place to stay. I love that they include little extras like making a meal for u and doing a little shop for u.
This place looks great! We have a family of 5 and technically, could get a cot in a hotel room; however, we would prefer to be comfortable on vacation. We always go for a home or B&B as well.
Our gite sleeps 5 + a cot and there is room for a second cot if needed. We’ve done the whole cot and kids in a hotel room and it is never as relaxing. Rosie
Goodness me, thank you so much for such a lovely write up!
I must add though, that whilst the animals, welcome basket and fire when needed are always there I am unable to guarantee snow!! The meal is, I hope, very reasonably priced and you always get a warm welcome 🙂
Oh wow, this place looks amazing. We are a family of five and have similar struggles to you with paying a fortune for extra accommodation. All that snow looks amazing, what a lovely added extra to your holiday! x
What a lovely place to stay at, It looks cosy and has lots of character.
that looks like the perfect place to stay on a nice cosy break away 🙂 my kind of place for sure
Sounds amazing, I think the farm bit is the best, kids these days don’t get to help with animals in the home, as our parents used to and they do miss on the educational side that comes with looking after another living being.xx
it sounds like you had a whale of a time! I definitely want to visit after reading Rosie’s blog!! cool to see blogging connections
I have the same problem with having 6 kids it costs a fortune as I have to book and pay for 2 family rooms
This looks incredible – I have never been on holiday to France – I would love to take the children here. Your photos are gorgeous. Kaz x
T looks amazing! I’m desperate to see more of France, having only been to Paris before, and Normandy is on my list! So glad you had a great time xx
This place looks great. We are a family of 6 and struggle to find places so thanks for the recommendation
What a lovely place for you all to say. I can see why your little ones loved the play area. It’s always great to have some outside space when you’re holidaying.
Sounds as though you had a fabulous time. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to find reasonably priced holidays as a family of 6, I used to struggle with 4!
Looks like you had a brilliant holiday, I bet the kids had so much fun helping with the animals! x
It looks lovely! I rarely go on holiday but when I do I only have a small budget. Looks like you had a lovely time!
It was cheaper to stay here with ferry travel than to hire a cottage in the UK!
I’ve been telling my husband for some time now that Rosie’s place looks fabulous! We must get some passports sorted!
This looks great!!! I would really loves to stay there. We are only a family of 4 but I agree that it is expensive to travel abroad nowadays. It looks like there is a lot to do and you definitely had so much fun. I will make a note of this place for the future. 🙂 xx
Sounds like the Gite was a match made in heaven and glad the children were able to play with the animals and have so much fun
I have always found the no postcodes thing really odd, though the directions ive always had when visiting a friend have been so easy to follow. Glad you had such a great time x
This looks amazing and I love that theres so much to do nearby for the kids x
It looks amazing and it really is in a great place. I will make sure that we look in to it the next time we are thinking of France
Oh yes I remember you mentioning it in a previous post if I am correct? I love that you got to know the person before you traveled there. It is important to build up a relationship!
It’s those little personal touches that can make a place stand out. It always says to me how much the owner loves their property, and their customers. You seem to have had such a wonderful time here.
Oh that looks lovely! With two small kids the thought of hotels gives me The Fear these days 😉
Looks lovely. We’re a big family too so I know the problem you mention! I think I’ll check this out! Fun to have some snow! x
Beautiful I would love to go there
It sounds like you all had a lovely time. Personal touches like having a small shop of essentials waiting for you on arrival can really help to make a difference too. There looks like there is so much to do as well.
Aw the Gite looks lovely, we too know the difficulty of travelling as a family of 6. We have only been abroad once but have said that we would like to France as Hubby spent many happy childhood Summers there. Looks like you had a great time 🙂