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...)

Dreamy Norwegian Cabin

I've had this property printed out for three years now, and somebody out there has to rent it! It's so amazing. Sleeps four and is less than $100 a night. 

A Site to Bookmark

I just pulled out the "Europe Rentals" folder, and am starting in on finding a rental for this summer, as we're going away with our dear friends and their kids. How I forgot about Via Travel Design is beyond me--they are an amazing resource. When I was at Cookie, I actually interviewed one of the owners, James, as I thought they would be good experts for us to tap. He and his wife have been traveling to Italy for over 30 years, and hand-pick the properties they represent. They know the owners personally, and actually inspect the properties regularly. Check it out.

Demystifying Car Rentals

One of my favorite travel experts out there is Joe Brancatelli . Last week he did a piece for Portfolio.com on rental cars, and how to get the best deal. Even though I've travelled a ton, somehow I'm always confused at the rental car counter--I get insurance amnesia--am I supposed to get it? Which one am I supposed to not take?  Well, this piece not only answers that and breaks down many other mysteries, but also shares some booking sites that can apparently save you tons of money. Check it out!

I'm Dreaming of: Alonissos, Greece

Every May I think "this is the year we're going to go to Greece"...and it never happens. I haven't been there since I was in my early twenties, and I'm dying to go back. But I'm very concerned that I find the perfect place to bring Matt (who has never been, and would rather go to Italy than anywhere, so Greece is a hard sell) and Clara...I want a beach front property, near a sandy beach, within walking distance to a town. The island should also not have an airport (which brings in the riff-raff), and it should also not take 3 ferries to get to. I know, I'm being a little impossible. Well, as I search, I'll post what seems like it just might fit the bill.  Here's one:

Seabrook Day Trip

One morning we took a trip towards Aberdeen, and meandered through some little towns like Hoquiam (great seafood place to pick up oysters and fish called Lytle Seafoods) and Ocean Shores. Copalis Beach had some cute antique stores, a guy selling tie-dye shirts out of a bus, and a pretty nutty guy that was selling driftwood, antiques, and junk, with very angry hippy signage out front. Ocean Shores has a bumper car/arcade place, with an ice cream stand, and I'd say you have to be pretty desperate for civilization to make the effort to go there--because it isn't pretty, and there's so much that is so pretty around. Really, the best thing to do is to park it at Seabrook, and then do day trips into Olympic National Park.