Private Château
Pays de la Loire, France
All images © 2021 Notting Hill Nomads
This is the property that showed up in the 4am online search results and changed everything.
With the previous house-sitters having to depart early due to visa issues, and the owners being based in Wales, we jumped at the opportunity to take on the caretaker role of this gorgeous château. Little did we know we’d end up navigating a global pandemic and national lockdown, but what better place to self-isolate.
It was unfortunate not to be able to mix with the locals, however we were content spending our days tending to the grounds and completing DIY jobs within the château, growing our own vegetables, working on wildlife projects, and of course sampling the French wines whenever possible.
Months later, once lockdown lifted and it was safer to venture out, we made the short trip across to the Brittany coast where we explored Saint-Malo, swam at the beach in Dinard, and dined on Mont Saint-Michael.
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Testimonial
“Caroline and Fiona house sat for us at our holiday home in Pays De La Loire, Northern France for a period of 6 months, between March and October 2020.
Our house is in a rural location, and is in a 'half renovated' state with a pretty unruly garden, so the point of them being there was to keep the garden in check and to work on a few jobs inside the house.
We advertised for a ‘can-do’ couple and that’s exactly what they are. We were in the process of arranging their visit when covid hit, and they ended up arriving in France just as the first covid lockdown was put in place. They took it all in their stride despite having to deal with the stress and worry of the pandemic in a new environment, different language and an old house with many challenges to keep them occupied. It gave us enormous peace of mind to know they were there looking after the house at such an unsettling time, when we were unable to visit ourselves.
Caroline and Fiona are a very friendly, easy going and fun couple, and they took to every task with enthusiasm and good spirit, and seemed to really enjoy the rural life. They kept on top of numerous gardening tasks including mowing, pruning, and keeping our ride on mower in check. They are clearly nature and animal lovers, and although we have no animals for them to care for, they kept us updated on all the wildlife that visited the garden, which was a great insight for us. They also completed painting and decorating jobs within the house, removing old wallpaper and immaculately repainted our old metal cellar hatch and flaky old back door.
They kept in touch regularly with phone calls, photos and messages, and were easy to get in touch with and always replied to any phone calls or emails quickly.
They treated our home with care and respect, and improved much of it as a result of their stay. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to others as excellent house sitters.”
- Mr & Mrs Davies, owners of Pays-de-la-Loire château