Searching for a gite in the Dordogne

Kathi, We stayed in a wonderful gite in the Dordogne Valley several years ago. The name of the place is Le Chevrefeuille and here is their website http://lechevrefeuille.com. They were highly recommended by Trip Advisor and every review I read was wonderful. They do have rooms in the main house but we stayed in a self contained house that had its own entrance. There was a kitchen and the backyard patio opened up to a huge play area. The best part is that Ian & Sara (the owners) are from England (so no problem if you don't speak French) and he is a chef. They serve dinner several times a week and it is fantastic. He even offers cooking lessons that looked like they were a lot of fun. Please go to their website and you can read all about this fantastic gite.

The Slow Travel website has a number of reviews for gites in the Dordogne area. I have followed recommendations from the site a number of times and have always been pleased.

Thank you for this helpful recommendation! We'll check it out soon. It may sound funny looking for a gite a year out, but I've found that one's lodging is an important part of a happy and memorable travel experience.

Hi Kathi
I second the recommendation for Le Chevrefeuille. We stayed there for eight nights in a gite in 2011 and it was one of our best stays in France. Ian and Sara are wonderful hosts. Ian is a chef and his meals are fantastic. My wife has celiac disease and he worked the menu around her. The gite was comfortable, with a nice patio, a bbq, and they had just recently installed a pool when we were there. It is located in a small village out in the country. You are a short drive from most major sights. If you choose this site, you will not be disappointed. We purchased fresh food from the local markets and cooked for all but two nights. A wonderful stay!

I don't know the gite mentioned but when I've rented gites/houses in the past (13 visits over 10 years) I booked most of them through the French national site, http://www.gites-de-france.com All gite (and chambres d'hotes-B&B) owners have to meet certain standards and the amenidities are reflected by the number of ear of corn (wheat, atcually) attached to the listing. One ear is very basic, bring your own sheets, etc. two, three and four increasing amenities. Each listing will have info on what is provided (and not) and photos as well. They are known as 'gites ruraux' so most of them are not in cities and you can find places with privacy and charm (I've rented houses that were first built in the 17th century...). The owners provide a wealth of local information but not all of them speak English, so read the listings carefully. The G-d-F are usually less expensive that the 'vacation lets' which have British owners but they also offer a more personal entree to the location. Most G-d-F are handled by a department office which makes the booking, etc. so easy. I have, at times, rented outside the F-d-F system and sometimes it has gone well (my first, second and last were from a Canadian woman and the house was everything, everything I wanted and more) but at other times I have had bookings cancelled less than a month from my arrival (sorry, family members coming!) or the contact person failed to arrive and I spent a day chasing her down with the help of the neighbors. Here's the link for the Dordogne site: http://www.gites-de-france-dordogne.com/ Check out: SAINT-CYPRIEN - N° : 279
but I like some of the ones in the Perigord Vert area...