How They Do Rest Stops in France

On the highway between Bordeaux and Biarritz, we found ourselves starving, and in need of a bathroom break, so we pulled off at a slick looking rest stop. It had so much going for it, we could have spent hours there...what with the ping-pong, playground...the amazing food options. We did not partake in the help-yourself wine option, but we appreciated that the French are not afraid to have that as an option at a rest stop.

 

A Plan B I Want to Copy

We found this shop, Mam Jeanne, in Biarritz, and absolutely love it. It's owned by a former journalist who decided to get out of that world, and wanted to open his own store/restaurant. Every day he is open for lunch and dinner--a prix fixe. It's tiny, and filled with so many things you want to take home...and the most delicious home cooked meals. If you find yourself in that area, you have to stop in.

Renting a House in the Dordogne

Last summer we rented a house in the tiny town of Urval in a sleepy part of the Dordogne. (I say sleepy because there are plenty of villages in the summertime that get super overcrowded...and this area doesn't see this impact.) The house is called Le Pressoir--it's a four bedroom home that is a part of a large estate called Chateau de la Bourlie.

We were seven in total--four adults and 3 kids--and the house felt huge. So much outdoor space to run around...and no cars close by to worry about. If you wanted to rent with even more friends, there is another house that could fit another family at least, that is right next to the pool. Besides the setting being beautiful, one of the things we appreciated the most was the lovely decor of the house. Cyril, the owner, has impeccable taste, and his idea was to keep the house exactly how he would want to live in it--not to Ikea it out for fear that renters would break his own personal stuff. It just makes it so much nicer.

Cyril invited us to a welcome drink with his family and friends on our first night...it's about a 10 minute walk to the Chateau de la Bourlie (which you can rent out as well--it is most often rented for weddings though, because it's huge, with a price to match.)

 

(Above is the new artist loft space that Cyril recently started renting...it's fantastic, and has twin beds that can be set up in the living space area, on the other side of the wall behind the bed.)

 Above and below, around the tiny town of Urval...a 10 minute walk from Le Pressoir. It has an amazing bistro called Bistrot Urval, that we ate at whenever we didn't feel like cooking dinner...super homespun, inexpensive, and delicious. We thought they made the most delicious cassoulet we ever tasted.

The Chateau de Commarque, not to be confused with the Chateau de la Bourlie that is owned by the Commarque family. Same family, different castle. This is an amazing site to bring the family to--whereas most fantastic historical sites were overwhelmed with tourists--think 1 hour plus lines to get into prehistoric caves--this was actually not crowded.

There are fantastic markets everyday--we based our days around heading out to the market after a lazy breakfast, picking up food for dinner... having lunch in town...Lucy Williams, the English house manager for the Chateau, has amazing recommendations, and is a mom, so she knows how to direct a family...

(Possibly the prettiest cheese platter I've ever seen...)