Charming Farmhouse Villa, Private Pool, WiFi, 4G, 3.5 Hectares - Beynac, Sarlat

Villa Perigord is a charming limestone farmhouse villa located at the heart of the Dordogne valley in the village of Saint-Vincent-de-Cosse. It is set in 9 acres of beautiful land, in a peaceful and slightly elevated position, with views across the valley. The villa has a gorgeous 10m x 5m swimming pool, 4-bedrooms, a feature fireplace, 2 verandahs, a barbecue, WiFi, 4G and an enclosed garden - perfect for well-behaved dogs (we are very pet friendly). It is located just 2 miles from Beynac, one of the most beautiful villages in France, and 8 miles from the regional capital, and medieval marvel, Sarlat-la-Caneda.

OUTSIDE SPACE

Set in over 9 acres (3.7 hectares) of land, Villa Perigord enjoys sweeping south-facing views across the Dordogne valley. Approximately 1/2 an acre of the land comprises the villa, barn, garden and pool area. The garden is fully enclosed and is laden with Lavender and herbs. There are spectacular verandahs on both the north and south side of the villa. So, if you are looking for the ultimate choice for outdoor living you won't be disappointed. In good weather, you'll rarely be indoors.

To the north side of the villa the "wild" garden, comprising 3.7 acres, rises up the hillside towards the forested hilltops, which are abundant with wildlife. Look out for all the butterflies in spring and summer, owls, deer, hare and birds of prey (including eagles) circling on the thermals. Guests and their pets are free to wander through the wild garden and up the hillside, from where the views across the valley are spectacular. The fairytale Chateau Des Milandes can be seen just 1 mile to the south west, and often in high summer you'll see the magical sight of hot-air balloons drifting majestically along the valley.

Directly in front of the house is a 3.8 acre field, which we own, and to the side of that is a wonderful walnut grove. We own 48 walnut trees (the first 3 rows) and they are managed for us by the farmer that owns the rest of the walnut grove. You are free to wander through the field and to take a look at the walnut trees. It's probably best to keep your dogs on leads here though, as it is closer to the road.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

They say it’s all about the location and we truly believe there isn’t a better location in the Dordogne, at first glance a quiet and secluded spot just 750 metres from the Dordogne river and with extraordinary views across the valley. And yet, within 2 minutes drive there’s an award-winning bakery, a butchers, 2 restaurants, a hotel, a wine shop, a snack bar by the river, 2 kayak stations, and a take-away pizza joint.

Within 5 minutes drive there’s the exquisite village of Beynac, officially one of the most beautiful villages in France, with its imposing Chateau, quaint and cobbled streets, delightful boutique hotels and shops, and a number of Perigourdian restaurants, with one right on the riverside. And within 7 minutes there’s the fabulous and functional town of St Cyprien, with its Carrefour supermarket, bustling shops and restaurants and the legendary, not-to-be-missed, Sunday market. It's quite a big market, and on market day the buzz around the town is something else, with delightful aromas of roasting chickens, slow cooked pork and (more recently) Indonesion and Thai street food filling the air. Needless to say, there's an abundance of fresh produce including fruit and veg, wild mushrooms, fresh meat, cheese, charcuterie and, of course, foie gras.

And that’s not all. Within a 20 minute drive you have some of the most famous and most visited tourist attractions in France. The medieval town of Sarlat, the delightful riverside town of La Roque Gageac, the hilltop bastide of Domme, the amazing box gardens of Marqueyssac, the fortified Chateau de Castelnaud, the fairytale Chateau des Milandes (formerly home to the American icon and actress Josephine Baker) and, of course, dozens and dozens of fabulous restaurants serving some of the most gastronomic dishes to be found in France!

THE VILLA AND ROOM LAYOUT

[For floor plans, please see the last 2 images in the Photos section]

The villa itself has 4 bedrooms: 3 doubles (1 downstairs double bedroom) and 1 twin. One of the doubles is accessed through the twin so these two bedrooms are best suited to 3-4 children or possibly a couple with one or two babies. Of course 4 adults could easily occupy these 2 bedrooms if they know each other well! There are 2 bathrooms (one upstairs with a shower/bath and one downstairs with an enclosed shower and separate bath) and there are 2 separate toilets (one upstairs, one downstairs).

The kitchen/diner is the fulcrum of the cottage, with its huge open fire place and stunning dining table (made from an old barn door!). There’s a modern fridge-freezer and stainless steel electric oven, as well as a gas hob. There are 2 compact dishwashers (because a full-sized dishwasher doesn’t quite fit under the tiled concrete worktop!) but this does mean if you’re feeling ultra lazy you can get away without unloading the dishwasher if you do alternate cycles! You will most likely spend most or all of your meals dining under the huge south-facing verandah, with its stone BBQ and enclosed front garden – and of course spectacular views over the Dordogne valley.

The cosy living room contains 2 sumptuous and bespoke 3-seater sofas and a flat-screen LED TV on the wall – with English TV courtesy of FreeSAT.

We have a decent WiFi connection. It’s not warp speed but its good enough and quite reliable. If you have a 4G smartphone though then you are somewhat spoilt, as we are located just a couple of miles away from a 4G transmitter and can get speeds in excess of 25Mbps.

The villa is actually situated at one end of a huge limestone barn (which was previously used for housing and feeding cattle, and drying both walnuts and tobacco). The middle barns are empty and will one day be converted to additional accommodation, but for now the old timbers still reveal its former life. At the other end of the barn there’s a garage and above that a small gite which is James and Cheryl's occasional bolt-hole. The gite is never occupied when paying guests are staying in the cottage.

A NOTE ABOUT LINEN & CLEANING

Linen and towels are provided and this is chargeable at €20 per person - and there is also an end-of-stay cleaning charge of €120. Our local property management company will make contact once the booking is confirmed to sort out these logistics. They are also able to get some shopping in if you require some essentials to be delivered, ready for your arrival.

A HAVEN FOR WALKERS

Keen walkers will be in seventh heaven at Villa Perigord. A footpath starts literally at the back door, and within a few short paces you have access to over 400km of documented walks, many of which are circular in nature. There are 2 local booklets which provide details of all the different walks, one covering the area around St Cyprien and one covering Sarlat. La Longere is situated where the two maps meet – so guests can enjoy the best of both worlds! Some of the walks take you into the forested hills, thick with wildlife, fauna and flora. From some vantage points there are spectacular views across the valleys and on a clear day you can see for 20+miles. Or you can choose to meander down to the Dordogne Valley itself, where quiet riverside roads and unmade tracks can take you all the way into St Cyprien, or across the river to Allas-Les-Mines (fabulous riverside restaurant) and the Chateau des Milandes.

EATING OUT

Restaurant lovers are spoilt for choice in the Perigord Noir, regarded by many as the gastronomic capital of the world. At the time of writing we counted 29 restaurants within a 5 mile radius with 4 stars or more on Tripadvisor. If 5 miles is too far for you, there’s a great restaurant just 1 mile away (Le Pavillon at the Chateau de Monrecour) and another two within 2 miles. There’s also a really good snack bar down by the river next to the kayak station.

Villa Perigord is our pride and joy and we are absolutely delighted to be able to share it with guests who are in search of peace and tranquillity, good food and wine, maybe a little adventure and culture, and above all some fresh croissants and walnut loaf from our stunning, award-winning local bakery.

Bienvenue a Villa Perigord!

Best Regards

Cheryl & James Wright