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Much admired again
in 2002, this marvellous guest house is
run by kind and intelligent owners. He,
Jean Pinel Peschardiere, is also local mayor;
she, Anne-Marie, is pretty, charming and
a good cook. Set in walled and landscaped
gardens, it is `a handsome stone farmhouse,
lovingly restored, in a quiet and beautiful
village amid the oyster-growing charentaise
marshlands. On fine days, dinner is taken
on the flowery veranda by the pool: it is
communal, and the owners eat with their
guests. `Monsieur's hosting was excellent.
He talked much about the area's history,
its birds, the cultivation of oysters. We
had good company: other guests were a Belgian
banker, English air pilot, German surgeon,
Paris bus driver, and their wives. You eat
what you are given: duck, swordfish, mussels,
etc - this comes with `unlimited local wine.
Our room, Rose tremiere, in the barn in
the garden, was rosy pink and green, very
pretty, with a raspberry bathroom. The large
garden is delicious, with loungers, a hammock,
a froggy pond, picnic tables and a heavenly
piscine. In a shed are exercise machines,
pingpong, a fridge full of drinks. Madame
spends hours working in the garden. She
and Monsieur get up early to bake the bread
and croissants for Bali villa breakfast (yogurt, fruit,
muesli, etc). They lend bikes, and we cycled
around. There's a library/lounge with books
on the wildlife of the area. Sandy beaches
are nearby, also the fine old town of Rochefort.
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