It was wonderful ‘at last’ to be able to return to Les Martinets - Kim and Russ’s holiday home. You couldn’t ask for better hosts! Both are so friendly and welcoming and always happy to assist if needed. The house is well laid out for a large family - children and dogs included! The pool is lovely and was truly a blessing in the heat we experienced! Although there are numerous places to visit in surrounding areas (as we have done before) this time round we just wanted a really relaxing time and we were not disappointed. Thank you Kim and Russ - au revoir - we will be back!

Just as lovely, if not more so, as the photos. Rustic charm, comfortable accommodation, super clean pool, and welcoming, attentive owner if there were any queries, but left to own devices if not. A quiet, pretty village with a few shops for basic needs but within easy reach of larger towns/amenities (by car). Spoilt for choice for local vineyards and Dordogne river related activities. We would definitely choose to return here.

We chose Les Martinets because it was located in a town and had a private pool. The house is quite large and very comfortable with all items you'd expect. The pool is excellent, not even overlooked by the closest neighbours. The owners live next door and were very helpful when needed, very happy to suggest places to visit etc. We were slightly disappointed that the local bars/restaurants had either limited opening times or were not dog friendly and one was closed for the duration of our stay. However, Villefranche is a very good location to use as a base to drive to the many attractions close by before returning to spend some time around the pool. The house also has UK TV (Freeview channels) and we were able to park right outside the front door. Overall, we were very happy with our stay at Les Martinets and would consider staying again if we return to the area in future.

Looking for a safe, sunny holiday we found the perfect place. The enclosed garden is a green oasis, surrounded as it is by climbing plants covering the walls, yet filled with sun all day. The pool even has a small diving board and is kept to a great temperature. The house has everything, comfy beds, well equipped kitchen offering two fridge freezers, so useful in hot weather and places to eat both inside and out, along with the barbecue. The internet is good and the television has Sky English channels. The small, quiet village, a bastide actually, offers a grocery store, an artisan bakery, four restaurants, a chemists and in the main season there are evening markets with food. Our hosts told us about the nearby Lac de Gurson which we used every day to walk the dog around. For families, it offers a sandy beach with safe swimming area, lifeguard from 11 am and free Children’s water sports plus there are bikes and archery . The lakeside restaurant offers drinks, snacks and meals and the whole area is kept spotless with rangers moving through picnic areas and surrounding grounds , keeping everything immaculate.

This was simply one of our best finds yet. Beautiful accommodation- amazing pool, but it was the owners who really make it special. It was like having our own travel guides and they know so much about the area we organised our time around their recommendations. Kim even arranged the dogs appointment at the local vets for us (as that was pushing my o level French!) A really lovely home from home and superb hosts. Can’t give it enough stars!

We stayed at Les Martinets as a 'last minute' holiday and it turned out to be an absolute gem. We holiday in France annually and this was our first trip away from the SE corner. We were met by Kim on our arrival and like other reviews, we were not alone in being warmly greeted and made to feel 'at home'. For us it was made even more special to find that Kim and Russell originated from near to our home, so we immediately had plenty to chat (and lol) about. The house itself was a real 'home from home' with plenty of space and packed with artefacts, books, UK TV etc. The pool was fantastic and to have a village house with such was the draw for us. I can't provide any negatives because we didn't experience any. The village is peaceful with enough amenities to see you through and the 'Hotel L'un de sens' made the evening (and some lunchtime) dining very enjoyable. A little late in leaving the review, but the memories are as fresh as ever. You will not regret a stay at this lovely home.

We stayed for two glorious weeks in July and had THE most wonderful time. Kim met us on arrival (after giving us detailed written directions) and showed us round this beautiful house. The house is in a great location and we were able to park right outside the front door. We were a family of 4 so only used 3 of the 5 bedrooms. Every room is uniquely decorated. If you like stark Ikea minimalism, this is its opposite in all the best ways! Its style is individual and delightful and it’s kitted out with everything you need. We wanted to totally relax and unwind on this holiday and Les Martinets was perfect for this. The pool is magnificent! It’s deep enough to jump/dive in at one end from the diving board and then gently slopes up to the shallow end where you can sit on a step or on the edge and dip your feet in. Once we’d sampled the pool we knew we weren’t going to rush around in the car as we felt we had found the perfect spot to relax. Kim maintains the pool to ensure it’s clean and the temperature was never too cold or too warm. The poolside area has plenty of seating, loungers and parasols provided so you can make the most of the sunshine, and it’s very private. There’s a large table in the shade where we ate, read and painted until the pool beckoned us again. There were some inflatables for the pool and a BBQ - all were well utilised during our stay! We like to cook rather than eat out and the kitchen was very well appointed with all the utensils we needed, including a nifty mini-oven that was excellent for smaller items like pizza. There’s also a large oven and cooker for more complex meals and space galore to prepare them. We were impressed by the utility room that had a second fridge-freezer, washing machine, old-fashioned drying-rack, sink and ironing board and was also a beautiful little room in its own right that led out to an enclosed garden area. There’s a decent-sized table in the kitchen and a large table in the dining room (plus a small table in a small conservatory-type space and the one outside in the shade) It was often difficult to decide where to eat as we were spoiled for choice! My daughter loved her 4-poster bed with ensuite toilet and shower, and the beautiful doors and shutters that opened out onto a first floor balcony. The balcony runs along the length of the 1st floor overlooking the pool and the Dordogne countryside can be glimpsed beyond the ivy-covered wall that encloses the rear of the pool area (providing the all-important privacy!) This balcony can also be accessed from the landing area and there is a bench you can sit on and watch the swifts and other birds swooping around as the sun sets. A fair few evenings were spent up here by the adults, sipping wine whilst the kids swam in the pool. There are steps down to the outside pool area directly from the balcony too. The pool and the surrounding area can be lit at night so we had a few late-night swims too! Villefranche de Lonchat is a lovely untouristy town and we were lucky enough to be there for the annual Fete (and the World Cup final!)The town square was festooned with bunting and the parades came right past our door. There’s also a Friday night market during July and August that is basically an outdoor party for the town with long tables, loads of food and drink to buy and feast on, alongside other families and townsfolk - it was all very sociable and laid back! We strolled into town in the morning to buy bread and basics. We only ventured out a few times to the nearby Hypermarket and to the Saturday market at St Foy de la Grande (a must-do) and St Emillion, (which is beautiful). If you want to venture further afield then this is a perfect base, made all the better by knowing you’ve got a gorgeous pool and cool house to come back to. Both Kim and Russell made us very welcome and were kind and generous hosts. We knew they were nearby if we needed them and were available but also very respectful of our privacy. They were keen to stress that we should make ourselves at home at Les Martinets and we did! So much so that it was hard to wrench ourselves away. Our whole family loved our two weeks here. If you want to relax, enjoy the sunshine, have plenty of space to unwind and swim in peace, whilst still being within walking distance of a boulangerie or small cafe, then Les Martinets is perfect. Our thanks to Kim and Russell (and Charlie!) for a truly unforgettable holiday.

We had such a fantastic time staying at this Villa. Kim and Russell were amazing hosts and so helpful with everything, nothing was too much trouble at all. The villa was so beautiful. It had plenty of space for all of us to spread out and we all loved how individual all of the rooms, particularly the bedrooms were. There were so many things in the place to use, everything had been so well thought out with so many utensils in the kitchen. One example was, we needed a cork screw and went searching for one, only to discover approximately 4 different types on offer. Our children loved the swimming pool and spent hours in there. It was particularly good as they could practise their diving skills off the diving board. The pool is also nice and shallow around the steps at the other end which is also good for any folk who aren’t as strong with their swimming. The villa is set in a lovely quaint village with a few shops for essentials and a couple of restaurants. The village is also conveniently placed for various trips out to e.g. the local lake (which has its own beach) and we absolutely loved St Emillion. We would definitely return for another visit to this lovely house and village one day.

Les Martinets is a lovely, spacious country house in a small village. The house is beautiful and has absolutely everything you might need or want in it. Kim's eye for antiques and furnishing was evident and created a real 'home from home' feel and the beds were very comfortable. We were 2 couples and had plenty of space to socialise together or to spread out if we wanted some space. The garden is great and having a pool in a house in a village is a bonus. Kim and Russ (who live nearby) were excellent hosts, giving advice where to go and always ready to help but never intrusive. The village itself has an excellent quality restaurant (L'un des Sens) in the local hotel which I would highly recommend and which is literally within a 2 minutes walk. Bordeaux and Bergerac make great day trips and there are plenty of lovely villages and local markets to leisurely visit. We had a great stay here and I would highly recommend the house and location for small groups of friends or families. Thanks, Kim and Russ for a very special stay and making us so welcome.

The house is amazing, full of antiques, pictures, photos, and lovely furnishings, which make it very homely, while delightfully quirky. The rooms are very spacious and the beds generous sizes and very comfortable. The kitchen is very well equipped and the barbecue was great. There are little quiet corners to sit out as well as plenty of chairs, tables and loungers around the pool and al fresco dining area. As a previous reviewer has mentioned, the photos really don't begin to to tell the story! The wifi is excellent, and there are music systems both downstairs and in the master bedroom, along with plenty of well stocked bookcases. Endless hot water and three decent showers. Parking space right in front of the house on the street (but not always easy to negotiate if you have a large car.) Kim, Russ and Charlie (woof!) were lovely, welcoming hosts, always on hand if we needed anything, and popping in occasionally to clean the pool, but otherwise leaving us very much to our own devices, which was perfect. The village of Villefranche de Lonchat is very quiet, but well situated in wine country and a good base for day trips to, for example, St Emilion, Bergerac, Périguex, Ste Foy and Castillion, plus numerous wine producing châtaux. We recommend Les Cordeliers at Ste Emilion, and Montbazillac. We were keen to head out to the west of the Dordogne so we took the train to Sarlat from Ste Foy which was much easier than driving. So there's lots to see and do, but you have to go and find it! Les Martinets is very much a period village house, so you should expect the odd creepy crawly, etc, and be sensible about storing food away from the temptation of those pesky little ants, but this really is a very minor detail! I'm not sure how suitable it would be as a holiday house for toddlers/very young non-swimmers; the pool is accessible from pretty much every door - and there are lots of them. There are also fairly steep steps to the upper external balcony which runs along the back of the house.