Commenced in August 2005 and made reference to many a time in our Visitor's Book - usually with the implication of .... "Will it ever be finished?!" - We are happy to announce that the Pool-House, or as the French call it 'L'abri de Piscine', was finally finished this summer of 2008, and we're sure you'll agree it was well worth the tremendous time and effort! As it is so much more than a 'shelter by the pool', we've decided that "Summer House" best describes its attributes.
During the summer months this impressive building, with its warm stone columns, vaulted timber roof structure and polished marble floor, is the most wonderful additional outside accommodation to the Grande-maison - the idea being to create a perfect place for true al fresco living on those long, warm, continental days (still to be enjoyed well into October this year), and for it to be as comfortable and convenient as the house itself.
With this in mind, first of all it has a bathroom for the convenience of the swimming pool, where the kids can nip to the loo easily, and guests can get changed before and after their swim, or alternatively take a relaxing steam in the Hansgrohe steam shower enclosure installed in here.
Once you are refreshed in mind and body, perhaps the next thing you'd like is some refreshment of a different kind! - The bar area is a great place to sit around and relax with a glass of cold beer or a chilled rosé wine, and from there, if the children are still in the pool or on the trampoline under the shade of the trees nearby, you can sit and watch them from a safe distance, whilst looking out over the acres of perfectly tranquil countryside. At other times of the day the summer house is a lovely place to sit and read, or perhaps have your morning coffee, or simply to close your eyes for a few moments and tune into the birdsong all around you.
As well as taking turns to be barman, the guys will also love the challenge of the outdoor cooking facilities in the summer house! We have the traditional wood-burning bread-oven and to compliment this, a hand-crafted BBQ chimney made from local stone. There's nothing you can't cook in these impressive beasts - once you've got the fires going successfully! One of the most fun times to be experienced is a Pizza evening ........... Light a fire in the bread oven in good time to get the temperature up to 300°C+. In the meantime the pizza dough can be prepared in the bread-making machine back in the house and the rich tomato sauce can be cooked (don't forget to throw in lots of herbs from the herb garden!) Everyone can join in preparing the different ingredients for the pizza toppings and then - even more fun - everyone, kids included, gets to make the pizzas! The real skill as you will discover, is getting them into and out of the bread oven in one piece!!
Whether it's a fun pizza evening, an informal BBQ, or a traditional dinner several courses long - perhaps featuring slow-roasted pork cooked all day long in the warm bread-oven - the dining area in the shade of the summer house accommodates up to 20 people comfortably and everything you need, utensils, crockery, cutlery and glassware is stored here conveniently to hand. As the evening draws on, the subtle lighting around the summer house automatically illuminates the swimming pool, the warm stone walls of the manor house, the tall elegant Cyprus trees and the feathery palms creating a wonderful ambiance and atmosphere - before you know it, it will be the early hours of the morning ........... and then of course, there are the stars to gaze at! We promise you'll have some of the most memorable times of your holiday spent here simply enjoying what French holidays are made for - eating good food, drinking good wine, sitting around the table chatting and sharing these magical moments with your family and friends.
