“How did you end up here?”
Visitors often ask us how we found Les Arbres and how long we’ve been living here.
We had planned to come and live in France for a long time, but didn’t want to be idle. Buying gites seemed to be an ideal option. In our minds we envisaged an old manor house, somewhere near the sea. Whilst on holiday on the Il-de-Re in 2007, we spotted an advert for some gites for sale in the Dordogne. As it was a rainy day we decided to go and take a look.
We knew straight away that we had found our ideal spot. The three properties were already renovated and being managed as gites. The garden was fully fenced and the lovely pool was surrounded by trees, yet situated to catch the warm sun all day. It was ideal for us, since we had an income straight away from the gites, yet we have been able to make lots of gradual improvements, such as better quality bathrooms and kitchens, woodburners, quality linens and better furnishings. We took ownership of Les Arbres in 2008, but stayed in London working for a couple of years to pay for the renovation of the old barn opposite, which has now become our home.
This is our tenth summer welcoming families to Les Arbres. We know that we’ve got the right formula and love to see people relaxing with each other. Over the years we’ve made many friends who return year after year. We love the peace and quiet, the pure air and the relaxed way of life. We still dream of living in an old manor house by the sea one day, but love our way of life here and welcoming families to Les Arbres.
