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David, Biddenden (UK)
Another fantastic holiday at La Banne, Belves. It really is our favourite place to stay. Perfect hosts (Neil and David) were so helpful and can recommend the best places to eat. Perfect location for a quiet relaxing holiday. Your own pool and lovely surroundings. We took our two sons and their partners and all had a brilliant time. The gite and room below are all well equipped and spotlessly clean. There’s plenty to do and see in this part of the Dordogne. You’ll have a lovely time with lots of happy memories.
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Emmy and Gerard, Meteren (NL)
A Delightful Retreat: Neil and David's Idyllic Holiday Home
We recently had the pleasure of staying at Neil and David's charming holiday home, and it was an absolute dream! From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm smiles and genuine hospitality by our hosts, Neil and David.
It was evident that Neil and David had put in a lot of effort to create a welcoming space., with even fresh flowers!
The holiday home was exceptionally well-equipped. The kitchen boasted all the modern appliances one could desire, making meal preparations a breeze. Additionally, the veranda, overlooking a stunning landscape, was the ideal spot to enjoy a leisurely meal or sip a refreshing drink as the sun dipped below the horizon.
The highlight of our stay was undoubtedly the beautiful swimming pool.
There were so many games (sports) to play with that we organized our own Dordogne games afternoon.
In conclusion, we wholeheartedly recommend Neil and David's holiday home to anyone seeking a comfortable and delightful retreat.
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Mel, Tonbridge (UK)
August 2023
La Banne is a lovely place to stay and we would thoroughly recommend it. The accommodation was spotlessly clean and very well equipped. The kitchen and living area was perfect with everything you need to cook for yourselves and relax in. The outdoor areas were also fantastic with a great pool, well thought out seating, also lots of games-archery, table tennis and croquet kept us entertained. Neil and David were perfect hosts offering perfect balance of hospitality and privacy. The local village is lovely for a meal and a mooch-lots of day trips nearby.
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Frank et Muriel, Paris (FR)
July 2023
Nous avons passé une excellente semaine à La Banne. Neil et David nous ont chaleureusement accueillis ! Nous avons beaucoup apprécié les jolis bouquets de fleurs et le panier gourmand...notamment les succulentes fraises de Dordogne ! Le gîte est décoré avec goût et offre toutes les commodités ! Neil et David nous ont donné des conseils judicieux pour découvrir la région. Au programme: visites des villages du Périgord noir, Barbecue et détente au bord de la belle piscine.
En résumé , un séjour de rêve !
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Virginia, Melbourne (Aus)
May 2023
My husband and I and two friends spent two wonderful weeks at La Banne.
We received the warmest of welcomes from Neil and David on our arrival. Everything was immaculate and spotlessly clean. I think the nicest touch were the beautiful vases of fresh flowers in the Gite which were just superb. The accommodation was superb, modern, with all the conveniences you could ask for with an abundance of crockery, cutlery, dishes, saucepans etc enabling me to make and cook meals whilst we were there. The bedrooms and bathrooms were again, modern and very well appointed, with lovely linens and towels. There was also wine in the ‘wine rack’ on an honour system, which was very handy if you were after something to drink and had not had the chance to buy anything.
The outdoor summer kitchen and BBQ were great as was the pool. The gite is located in the nicest of settings and the grounds are amazing, such beautiful gardens and flower beds everywhere, picture postcard. You can tell that Neil and David love their property and take the best care of it.
The nearby town of Belves was gorgeous, with many options to dine, and a weekly market which was great.
Nothing was too much trouble for Neil and David who also recommended places of interest which were not on our list.
Cannot speak highly enough about La Banne, Neil and David and the Dordogne which is breathtaking.
We would all love to return one day.
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James, Ulverston (UK)
September 2022
On arrival, we were greeted with a hamper of fruit, beer, wine, jam, teabags, milk, fresh juice - everything we needed to settle in nicely. With so many places to see and time spent at the gîte, a week didn’t feel enough. The place is beautiful. The whole region is stunning. We kayaked down the Dordogne from Castelnaud and at the gîte there was a lovely saltwater swimming pool with umbrellas for ample shade. The outside kitchen was perfect for an evening barbecue, with the inside kitchen being roomy and having good quality kitchenware. The rooms were lovely and the bathrooms with quality toiletries were gorgeous. David and Neil were terrific hosts. We can’t thank them enough and will be back again as soon as possible!
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Sally and Johnny, Stockport (UK)
July 2022
I’m writing this review begrudgingly truth be told because, selfishly, I want this absolute gem of a place to always have availability as it’s quite frankly superb. From the moment we arrived we felt immediately at home. The gite was just beautiful and utterly spotless clean - the pictures don’t do it justice. We were welcomed with a hamper of bread / wine / snacks etc. In fact everything had been thought of throughout, with real added touches of luxury.
The salt water pool outside was just glorious and the kids had a great time making full use of the inflatables provided whilst we prepared lunch in the outside kitchen area - bliss!
The gardens are beautifully maintained. I spent many an hour reading / sleeping in the huge hammock which hung between two lush trees. The field beyond the gardens had a little herd of very polite cows who kept themselves to themselves but it was really lovely just to have them there in the distance.
The owners, Neil and David, are simply fabulous. From the day we booked and throughout our stay they could not have been more generous (buying the most beautiful chocolate cake as a surprise for our son’s birthday) and so helpful and hospitable (what they don’t know about the area isn’t worth knowing).
It’s fair to say that we are very private so did not expect to make friends and actually want to hang out with these two beauties but that is indeed what happened but at our choosing I might add. If you want total privacy, you’ll get it.
I could go on and on but, instead, I suggest you find out for yourselves - whether it’s for a long stay or long weekend, you won’t be disappointed!
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Monique, Amsterdam (NL)
August 2021
Wij hebben een geweldige tijd gehad in dit mooie en grote huis in de Dordogne. Is echt een super huis met alles erop en eraan, modern ingericht, ruime slaapkamers met eigen badkamer, schoon, heel veel tuinruimte, mooi en ruim zwembad (schitterend uitzicht) met volledig ingerichte buitenkeuken in een geweldige omgeving. De hosts Neil en David waren enorm vriendelijk en zeer behulpzaam. Niets was hun teveel. Kortom een echte aanrader!
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Mieke, Amsterdam (NL)
July 2021
Very friendly, hospitable and helpful owners. It is a very calm and quiet place. Everything is very neat and very well maintained. Very comfortable and clean house, fully equipped. Especially the kitchen is amazing. Beautiful and huge garden, suitable for playing all outdoor games. Great private pool with a view over the surroundings. In the garden is a separate place to sit and eat, also fully equipped. A boulangerie and a cute epicerie at walking distance.
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Noelle et Cyril, Paris (FR)
July 2021
Séjour trés agréable en ce mois de Juillet 2021 dans le gîte du Domaine de la Banne, nous recommandons ce lieu magnifique où se dégage une harmonie, une sérénité, une atmosphère de tranquilité tant par son environnement, que par la gentillesse de ses propriétaires. Le gîte est très bien équipé, propre, fonctionnel, décoré avec goût, il permet d'accèder aux richesses et au patrimoine du Périgord Noir (marchés gourmands, chateaux, grottes, villages classés, produits locaux, restaurants,..). De nombreuses activités sont réalisables à proximité du Domaine (randonnées, golf, canoé-kayak, équitation, VTT,…). Vous serez subjugué par le charme du Domaine, sa piscine et sa terrasse extérieure, l'immense jardin fleuri. Merci pour ce délicieux moment.
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Chérine et Stéphane, Paris (FR)
July 2021
We spent a little bit more than two weeks in Neil & David's lovely guests house. We spent (literally) perfect holidays: the house was super clean and everyone had his own private space, the different equipment available is all new and very practical (you will find everything you need), the pool is just amazing with the coolest view on a classical Perigord valley, and last but not least Neil & David were really sweet, welcoming and helping us for anything that we would have need.
The region is great with a lot of great places to discover and to eat local (and delicious!) food. You will find the sweetest old french villages to visit as well as a lot of sport activities.
In a nutshell, we couldn't recommend enough this place: you will spend great and restful holidays in a very lovely place!
Huge thanks again to Neil & David for making this vacation as perfect as they were :) We will be back !
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Virginie, Paris (FR)
May 2021
Nous avons passé un séjour chez Neil et David au top! Neil et David savent accueillir, merci pour le verre d’accueil au bord de la piscine! Délicates attentions comme le panier de bienvenue et les fleurs fraîches dans la maison. Le parc la maison et les installations sont magnifiques, la literie est top. La maison est super bien équipée. Nous reviendrons avec grand plaisir j’espère. Un grand merci à vous 2 pour ce séjour et toutes vos attentions du quotidien.
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Rachel, Den Haag (NL)
July 2020
After a long car journey we were welcomed by Neil and David with drinks under a beautiful old tree in the charming garden of La Banne. Chairs were set up in a circle and we got acquainted while carefully maintaining social distancing.
Our fear of travelling in the first week of the post-confinement era was quickly dissipated when we were shown our accommodation. Neil and David keep everything spotless and make following the covid-protocol sound easy.
This was our first time in the Dordogne region and we had put together a rather packed schedule for ourselves - from visiting cities with names that take you straight back to the Middle Ages like Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, Sarlat-la-Canéda, Monpazier, Beynac and La Roque-Gageac to kayaking down the Dordogne river, hot air ballooning and hiking. We quickly found ourselves having to fight the urge to just stay in and enjoy the garden and the pool. On a few occasions we indulged ourselves and lost pre-ordered tickets just for the pleasure of 'doing absolutely nothing' at La Banne.
Time goes by slowly and peacefully at La Banne and yet when it was time to leave (after 7 full days) we felt it had all gone by too quickly and could not resolve ourselves to leave the magic behind. We would have certainly stayed longer just to continue to enjoy a cup on tea on the balcony which overlooks the garden and the pool and from which, if we rose early, we could sometimes see a wandering deer and a few rabbits. La Banne means birds chirping, starry nights that simply don’t exist in cities, siestas in the shade of a tree, drinks by the pool, meals with fresh local produce, time to dream and re-connect, amazingly caring hosts and much more. And if after a day of ‘dolce far niente’ we fancied a nice meal out, there were plenty of simple and more upscale restaurants within a 5 to 30-minute driving range.
We found La Banne to be the perfect type of accommodation for a family of 4 with two young adults. My husband and I stayed in the very comfortable and independent en-suite room on the ground floor. Each of our sons had their own en-suite bedroom in the top-floor apartment and could also enjoy the spacious and extremely well-equipped kitchen/living/dining room area. The balcony of the top floor apartment is wonderful. From top to bottom, left and right, everything was sparkling clean and very well-organized with an eye for detail! Bravo!!!
Thank you Neil and David for a fantastic week which was definitely too brief! We hope to return again next year!
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