VICHY - VERY HAPPY COMFORTABLE home in mountain village 25kmsVICHY

Hello Anne Marie The Auvergne is now one of our favourite places in France. It is very scenic, very peaceful. The people are extremely friendly. The food was first class and cheeses were excellent and the Auvergne wine was very good also. Your home is of a very high standard and we were very pleased with the accommodation. Facilities and equipment and everything we needed was there. The market and the boulangerie were very good and for shopping we used the Champion in La Monnerie. Weather was very hot at the start but we got a couple of overcast days which were nearly welcome. Thank you for booking La Vielle Auberge. We went there Sunday which was exceptionally warm and we had a very good meal. We went to Vichy on two days and had an enjoyable day in Place du Dome. We ate in Table d’Antoine which was probably our best meal. There was a fish dish which we had which was called filet de maigre which seems to translate a lean fish. The best restaurant near the apartment by a long way was Auberge du Palais in Celles sur Durolle. We ate there two nights. This was recommended by an English couple in your notes and she was right when she said the description of the meals do not do justice to the dishes. The chef was very helpful in explaining the dishes. We also ate in Chez la Mere Depalle which was good but not as good as the Auberge du Palais. We had a couple of pizzas from the Pizzaoille which were very nice and the staff there were very friendly. There were some very pleasant walks at the Lac and also the Valle des Rouets. Also the view from Calvaire was excellent. We also visited Charroux which was very pleasant but quiet on the day we visited. The paper mill in Ambert was also enjoyable. For our first two nights we stayed near Sauxillanges in Auberge des Liards. We would strongly recommend this for someone looking for a stopover in the Southern Auvergne. Very good accommodation and the food is organic and very tasty. One suggestion that we might make would be to have a gite journal in St Remy for everybody to complete. Finally, thank you very much for all your assistance and all the details you sent us which were very helpful. We will certainly be recommending the apartment and the Auvergne as a place to visit. We hope to enjoy some indian summer in cannes during our next holiday this year. Regards, David & Máire

Dear Anne Marie Our holiday in St Remy was great. We liked the house a lot - it was comfortable and we were at ease both inside and out. The location was convenient - we used the local shops, especially the boulangerie and market. We were luck to be there for Quattorze juillet and enjoyed the village event and fireworks. We did quite a bit of gentle walking around the village and lake -just right. We spent a lot of time sitting in the garden reading as the weather for the most part very good- only a couple of spectacular storms and the odd shower. We were fascinated by Thiers - valley des Usines - and ate there a few times (La belle Excuse 6 Rue du Bourg Tel 0473806108)- very friendly, interesting and good value) The visit to Puy de Dome was very successful and we enjoyed a day in Vichy. All our excursions were unstressful because the destinations were easy to get to. We decided not to go further afield. So, a delightful 'sejour' in a very pretty and comfortable place. Best wishes Sandra B

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 Dear Anne Marie, had a wonderful holiday thank you or should i say 'merci beaucoup' The weather was fantastic - every day in the 30's. Had a couple of days at the lake just chilling out. Took the girls horse riding (which was easy to find thanks to your directions) - a very pleasent afternoon in the forest. Went to Lyon for the day, did the vernacular and took in the sights at the cathedral - would recommend 'old Lyon' to anyone.Small quaint shops and restaurants plus the puppet museum. Theirs was amazing, especially the medieaval part. The girls would like to recommend the 'Pat-a-Pain' for pizzas: excellent 'fast' food. We were astounded by Carrefour, talk about everything under one roof and the supermarket puts english ones to shame - what variety! Never made the 'Vielle Auberge' and sorry, did not realise till i read the stuff at the house you had actually booked it. We did make it the village one day and enjoyed that too. Must tell you while driving to Les Noes we found the barrages de la Tache and du Rouchain - what a find! please recommend it to others. We walked all round and up and over the dam - breath taking views .A game of crazy golf at St Remy' s lake, finished off another lovely day. Never got to Clermont though the girls spent all day at Vulcania : a must for children {and adults too} ) As for the village, well what a wonderful little spot to live, loved the bakery! what amazing cakes. Ate at 'Le Pizzaole' a couple of nights, great food! and at the Panoramique at the lake.A few meals 'at home' with food bought at Carrefour and cooked by me! (must be the french air!). Thursday market was great, bought some nice fresh food and the girls bought lots at the stalls. Finally the house, fabulous place for both living and as a base. Please pass on my thanks to Nadege (got back after the drive to Lyon and i was so tired ,she had watered the flowers for me - bless her) and the girls would like to thank her husband for getting their broadband working - facebook and msn!! My only regret is that i did too much driving (1800 miles all told) and the wrong type of car for those roads, a big 2 litre diesel estate;wrong wrong wrong - oh for a motorbike! Even so thanks again for a fabulous weeks holiday Au revoir Alan

Hi - We are a Canadian family from Vancouver who stayed in this property in May 2009. We had a wonderful time. The property itself was clean, well-maintained,and had everything we needed and more. The lady who looks after the property and her family are a delight and our children made fast friends in no time. The towns people are helpful and friendly, and the local shops and Sunday market are a great for buying fresh produce from the area. There is a plan de l'eau (reservoir) nearby with lots of fun summer activities - swimming and boating do not start until summer holidays begin, but even so it is a great place for a picnic on a sunny day. There is lots to see and do in the area and its surrounds - walking , hiking, bicycling, sightseeing, shopping (the area is well known for its cutlery), eating - it's all there but its probably best to have a car at your disposal if you want to venture further afield. The property has loads of information about places to visit and things to do for those who are newcomers to the area, like we were. I woud definitely recommend this property - we are planning to return!

maison très lumineuse, spacieuse et confortable mais dont les espaces de rangement dans la cuisine nécessiteraient un bon inventaire avec notamment l'élimination de tous les produits périmés. Les abords extérieurs auraient également besoin d'un bon lifting (peinture, terrasse, fleurs). Accueil très cordial par Nadège

Positif : à proximité des commerces, logement clair et spacieux dont les 2 chambres disposent de leur propre salle de bain & wc, vaisselle et meubles "de famille", emplacement au calme, place pour se garer, pas d'escaliers autres que les 3 marches du perron. A globalement bien répondu à notre besoin, surtout pour la personne très âgée qui nous accompagnait. Négatif : - rapport qualité/prix assez moyen (pas de lave-vaisselle, pas de vaisselle adaptée au micro-onde, pas de grille pain, aucun placard vide pour ranger nos victuailles que nous avons dû laisser sur le plan de travail, pas de possibilité de mettre du chauffage alors que la maison était à moins de 17° en raison d'une météo détestable au début de notre séjour et que nous étions accompagnés d'une personne très âgée, pas de livret d'accueil permettant de compenser le fait que la personne habituelle pour fournir les renseignements était elle-même en vacances si bien que par exemple le code d'accès Wifi a été trouvé par hasard sur un bout de papier au bout de 2 jours, pas vraiment de vue ce qui se comprend puisqu'il s'agit d'une maison dans le centre du village, espace pour manger dehors guère attrayant) - le prix n'est pas "tout inclus" : ne pas oublier de rajouter le forfait ménage assez cher qui est imposé et celui de l'accès wifi ; ils nous ont paru très surestimés dans la mesure où nous étions fort soigneux (3 adultes "seniors"), propres, peu présents sur la maison et que nous avons assez peu utilisé l'internet pendant la semaine.

Our family had a very nice stay for eight days in the house, village and region. The nearby facilities, like bakery and grocery store, made the stay very agreeable. The area and region has a lot to offer. The apartement is spacious, at the first floor and with all the equipment needed. We would be happy to come back. There were some initial contact problems, which is reflected in the rating, but as soon as we had contact, it all worked out in the very best way.

Nous avons beaucoup apprécié notre séjour. La maison est très agréable, nous avons profité tous les jours de la terrasse extérieure, la cuisine bien équipée et une bonne literie. Maison bien située dans le village, à 2 pas de la boulangerie (très bonnes tartes), de la supérette, du marché du dimanche, et de la pizzeria que nous recommandons! Plan d'eau et piscine ont été très appréciés des enfants. Nous avons également suivi les circuits violets, randonnées de 4 à 7 km parfaitement adaptées avec des enfants. Très bons contacts avec la propriétaire et avec Nadège sur place!

Plaisant, calme et très propre.

Bel appartement dans une jolie maison, bien équipée, avec deux salles de bains (une rareté) et un petit espace à l'extérieur avec table et chaises, dans un joli village avec pas mal de magasins (boulangerie-patisserie, boucherie, bureau de tabac, supermarché, pharmacie et restos (le Pizzaiole, par ex) tout près de la sortie de l'autoroute, donc très pratique pour rejoindre Vichy, Clermont, Le parc de Vulcania, le Puys de Dome….et Thiers qui est à peu de Km et où nous conseillons de visiter le Musée de la Coutellerie. Un gros merci a Nadège (et à sa famille) très gentille et toujours disponible! Je conseille cette propriété.