Detached house with swimming pool and mature Ardèche garden

Had a great time,lots of cooking utensils and equipment,great patio and seating area. Pool was nice and warm, only negative could have done with a few trees being trimmed as they keep sun off the pool area in the early evening and in the early morning which is a nice time to sunbathe.

This secluded, mostly very peaceful, property is very well equipped by the usual standards of holiday rentals. Rarely do you find a home which comes with such a range of (operational) kitchen appliances and utensils, and there is also a modern barbecue which did such a quick job of cooking fresh meat beautifully. This was all a genuine pleasure for me as an enthusiastic chef who cooks from scratch twice a day. The villa is very well situated to get the best of all that is available in the Ardeche region - horse-riding, kayaking, bike hire, zipwire fun - just outside of sleepy Vagnas, close enough to the hub of Vallon Pont d'Arc to be there within ten minutes of driving, but far enough away to have a real sense of escaping from the thronging hoards of tourists in the main town. The villa is set back from a D road which has quite a lot of traffic in the summer, passing, as it does, through the heart of the region. So you can hear the cars from the garden, but overall, I found this a peaceful house and the small noise did not disturb me, despite my sensitivity to it in general. I would recommend it to people looking for a calm location, despite the road's proximity. Our only issue was the pool, which, like so many holiday rentals, is unheated. None of us could easily get into the water as we all (two adults, two teenage boys) found it too cold. This is a shame as having a pool is so important to me and I happily pay the extra for it, expecting to use it regularly to cool down after hectic days of sport with my sons. In the end, I managed to get in by jumping - too quickly submerged to be able to change my mind - but after a quick swim to one end and back, I was straight out again! The owners say it should be warmer in high summer - we were there at the end of the season. I also think that in my family, we are all genetically pathetic when it comes to cold water. But this was overall a disappointment. The owners are lovely people and were very helpful when needed, but discreet when not. We took our two dogs, who had a fine time and enjoyed copious walks in the forest nearby. The only issue might be that while the terrace and the pool are individually fenced and gated, the perimeter of the property is not. My dogs stayed close to the house while outside of the gated areas but others might not, so bear this in mind - it might also affect young children if unsupervised. But this was a fine holiday in a fine location.