SOUTH OF FRANCE | La Vigneron

By Charlotte Burgoyne,The house of Christian and Imogen, nestled in Neffies a picturesque little French village built on the side of an extinct volcano, is a real gem. Last year, this Australian couple quit their jobs to dedicate their life to travels and their three daughters. Their adventure begun with the renovation of a 1820s winemaker's house into a dreamy family vacation home."The ground floor still has 3 massive ‘foudre’ or large (3m high) barrels for wine storage. It was last used to make wine 2o years ago and I sometimes dream of doing one last vintage" explains Christian who is the best to describe his rental."The main floor is very large, with 4 bedrooms, one bathroom a spacious kitchen and the most incredible original tiles you have every seen! We renovated the house with our kids in mind, who range from 2 - 5, although I think the house would cater well for families with kids right up to teenagers.We particularly love the infants room which is attached to the master and has a secret door connecting for those middle of the night checks. We also have a good selection of wooden toys and books in both English and French to keep the kids entertained. We don’t tend to encourage our kids to watch TV, so this is tucked away in a concealed cabinet in the living room… shhh! This also contains all the fiddly things like wifi routers and phones that can otherwise turn into attractive play things for kids.There are two plastic kid baths so we were able to bathe all the children simultaneously. They just sit at the bottom of the shower, which has a hand wand very good for washing hair.The kitchen is fully functioning and contains everything you might need to cook up family dinners - as we all know, the dream of eating out every night with kids can quickly turn into a nightmare. Although if you do want to go out one night, we recommend the main restaurant in Neffies L’escampette on a terrace overlooking the vineyards below. They cater well to children and at the food is sublime.[supsystic-gallery id=141]We have a full enclosed garden on the ground floor that has an adorable little playhouse - you can see some photos on the airbnb listing. I also have some more cute shots of this if you need.As far as kid friendly places in the area we highly recommend the mountain streams for swimming at Gorge de Heric and Gorge du Columbier. The water is not too deep and does not run very fast, but it is the most crystal clear stream I have experienced and the mountain views are breathtaking. There is also a ridiculously picturesque medieval mill close by which has a small stream running next to it, great a a focal point for walks.We also have two bicycles, one with a kid trailer that holds two children up to 6 years of age. We loved cycling around the vineyards stopping to pick grapes and poppies, meandering to the next little town - either Caux or Fontes and buying croissants or pain au chocolate. One of our favourite things with he kids was a trip to Pezenas for the markets where we could meander through the long market for food, clothing and or course, more croissants… before stopping at one of the excellent ice creameries.We also loved shopping at Emmaus, which also had the most awesome selection of toys that would keep the kids entertained while we hunted for bargains."Little Voyageurs loves:❤️ The kid-friendly amenities❤️ The bicycles & kids trailer to bike around the wines or to the nearby villages❤️ The boho chic decor

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