Le Beau Pierre

Imagine a glass of Côtes du Marmandais in your hand on the terrace. The children are playing ping-pong, the sun is sinking behind the oak trees and someone has lit the barbecue. Nobody is looking at the time. That is exactly why Le Beau Pierre exists.

This is our own family home, and we made it into the place we always hoped to find when we travelled: space, calm, beauty and that rare feeling of finally being able to settle in. We've tried to think of everything so you don't have to.

Exposed stone, generous rooms and soft natural light set the tone, with books on the shelves, art on the walls and games in the cupboards. Four bedrooms sleep up to ten: a primary suite with its own bathroom, a bright double, a flexible room with two singles or a 180 cm king, and a bunk room with four beds that your children will still be talking about years from now. There are three full bathrooms and a separate WC, fluffy towels, a hairdryer in every adult room and our solemn promise that you will never run out of toilet paper.

We cook here for real, so the kitchen has everything you need: a gas hob, sharp knives, good pans, olive oil, spices and a pantry of pasta, rice and lentils to help yourself to. Cook a feast for ten, or make buttered pasta at 11pm after a long day in the pool. Both are perfect.

Outside, four hectares of private meadows, century-old trees and forest are yours to wander. The pool comes with loungers, towels and a summer kitchen beside it, so lunch never has to mean leaving the sun. Breakfast on the sunny terrace, linger over aperitifs on the shady one, and grill dinner on the charcoal barbecue with the smell of the countryside all around. Little ones are well looked after too, with a cot and high chairs on request, a toy cupboard, pool toys, a swing, pétanque, puzzles and board games for the evenings.

When you arrive, Christine, our local concierge, will welcome you and show you around, and a basket with a bottle of our wine and treats from local makers will be waiting (the corkscrew and tote bag are yours to keep). If you would like a private chef, a vineyard tour, a massage at the house or groceries delivered before you arrive, just ask.

Le Beau Pierre sits in the hills of the Marmandais in Lot-et-Garonne, among vineyards and orchards and well away from the tourist crowds, yet Marmande's shops, market and restaurants are only ten minutes away. Bordeaux-Mérignac airport is an hour's drive and Toulouse two. Spend your days tasting at family wine estates, browsing the markets in Marmande, Duras and Tonneins, or taking day trips to Saint-Émilion, the Dordogne, Bordeaux or the Atlantic beaches.

Fibre Wi-Fi, a washer and dryer and parking for three cars are all included. Check-in is from 4pm and check-out by 11am. The house is non-smoking, pets and parties aren't allowed, and children should be supervised around the pool.

Slow down. Explore. Eat well. Sleep soundly. Let children be children. We can't wait to welcome you to Le Beau Pierre.