Villa in France with Kids

Can anyone recommend an area and villa to spend a week in France with 3 kids aged 10,7,5 in May 2009

Thanks

Carole

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Wow, that%26#39;s a loaded question: France is full of beautiful areas. Never stayed in a villa myself and not even certain you will find many - that%26#39;s more Spanish / Portuguese. In France a private home rental is usually referred to as a gite (pronouced jeet).

I think you would all like the Dordogne area, the main town is Sarlat. That%26#39;s about as far away from the coast as you can get but in May, it%26#39;s not likely to be beach weather anyway. Have a look on the forums for Dordogne Valley, Rocamadour and Sarlat-la-Caneda. Scenery is beautiful and there%26#39;s a wealth of history in the area.

There%26#39;s a company called Chez Nous which deals directly with the property owners. Have a look at http://www.cheznous.com/

Have fun.

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I think it%26#39;s fairly safe to say that cottage, villa, self-catering property, farmhouse, and gite all mean approximately the same thing -- and cheznous is a great place to find a vacation rental.

The Dordogne is great, but you need to know that it%26#39;s 6 hours driving time from CDG airport, if you don%26#39;t dawdle much for fluid exchange and lunch -- and that%26#39;s on restricted-access toll roads, so that%26#39;s driving at a consistent highway speed.

Give us an idea of what your kids like to do, and we might have a better chance of helping you.

(caveat -- if you don%26#39;t have a place rented yet for May, you could find yourself settling for a 3rd or 4th choice, as the first ones might already be booked.)

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The entire coast is amazing. Then there are the more central areas and the alpine areas and, well, the options are numerous. It is kind of like saying, I%26#39;m taking the kids to Australia for the week, what should we visit?

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Hope that you will also consider Western Provence.

AlpillesGal

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%26quot;Gite%26quot; covers both self-contained villas and rural bed and breakfast. see http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/rural_gites(Villa comes from the Romans and is used by the French to mean a holiday home--except in Paris where a villa is a private street with single family homes, a rarity in Paris)

As for an area...you better look at a guidebook of France as each region has its own appeal. Brittany and Normandy are easily accessible from Paris. Auvergne and Alsace have their own charms..so does the Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees but with only one week you can%26#39;t afford to waste time traveling around. I would recommend something near Paris..

Better still you should wait until they are 4 years older and can really appreciate being in a foreign country. I know that my siblings and I only remember traveling far and wide after we turned 10-11.

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We%26#39;ve been renting gites all over France since ours was 3 -- and the memories are definitely there from about 5 and up.

Might not always remember the name of it, but they can describe it well enough that it%26#39;s clear they remember what they%26#39;ve done and seen.

It%26#39;s all immaterial, though -- if it is a terrific family vacation, then it%26#39;s been a success! The oldest two will definitely remember it...the youngest will have a great time...and Mom and Dad will have albums and videos of memories of a terrific time with their young family.

When they%26#39;re grown, they%26#39;ll have the strength of the family bond...and that%26#39;s important, too.

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(and France WAS a foreign country until recently.)

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Can I add another idea for accommodation? There are campsites all over France, some of which rent out chalets, mobile homes, lodges, cottages and roulottes as well as ready-erected tents. It%26#39;s a popular option for us north Europeans wanting a family holiday in the sun. The advantage of these bigger sites as a place to stay with young children is that there is generally plenty of space with good facilities like play areas and swimming pools, as well as other children to play with. And for the whole family there are often restaurants and an on-site shop with a depot de pain (send the children off for the breakfast croissants!) so it%26#39;s quite a relaxing holiday.

Most campsites do direct rentals and they are also used by various UK/Dutch/Scandinavian companies like Eurocamp, Keycamp, Canvas holidays. It%26#39;s worth a quick look to see whether they appeal.

As for a region to visit, Normandy or Brittany would both be good if you want to stay close to Paris. Otherwise, it%26#39;s likely to be warmer further south - we%26#39;ve had a good holiday in the Dordogne with children about the age of yours.

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We (2 Canadian families) are staying in St. Remy du Provence this July. We are staying at a villa that friends of ours had visited a couple years ago. They raved about the wonderful location, the beautiful accomodations and the wonderful hospitality of William ( the owner). We are very excited about our upcoming stay after spending a week in Paris. I wish I could give you more insight...but I trust my friend%26#39;s advice....and she knows that I am a very discerning traveller. The website is www.provenceparadise.com. Hope this helps. ( P.S. William has been a real asset in our trip planning.)

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I disagree with 3conils, no reason to stay anywhere near Paris.

When our kids were little we liked Provence. We%26#39;d take a house with a pool and alternate between hanging around the grounds or exploring the neighboring villages.

Now we%26#39;re more into Hossegor, with it choice between lake or sea and the cycle-friendly atmosphere. Exploring the neighboring Basque country is a treat and the food. Wow.

There is the Ile de Ré that I%26#39;ve always dreamed of, Belle Ile en Mer, which we LOVED, the Alps, which I adored in my teens.

As for waiting until your kids are older, NONSENSE! Mine have been traveling int%26#39;l since they were babies (that%26#39;s what happens when you are born with two passports) and it has made for some very relaxed, travel-friendly kids. The education from those earlier years is not lost on them.

They may not remember their earliest trips, but I DO!!! I know its crazy, self-absorbed and completely unPC, but my trips are for me. They can create their own memories when they are older.