I stayed in this wonderful gite for a week during January of 2012. The owners Bill and Estelle were the personification of hospitality, inviting me to enjoy the rural surroundings--including the nearby 13th-C chateau--and introducing me to all of their dogs and horses. They often offered me a glass of wine at the end of the day and always made sure I had everything I needed before I retired. I have rarely stayed in any rental where I was so warmly welcomed. The gite was comfortable and well equipped, the company was incomparable, and the surroundings were beautiful.

http://www.gite.com/france/l-auditoire

Our family rented this wonderful house in the village of Turenne for two weeks in September 2005. Turenne is a fairy-tale village, located in the departement of the Correze, about 30 minutes from Brive-la-Gaillarde and just adjacent to the Dordogne. The village has about 750 residents. It's so unique that some tourists do visit, but it's a very quiet and scenic place. This is a great location to explore the Dordogne and the Lot. We really enjoyed our two week stay here.

The house is located near the top of the village, just beneath the ruins of the old castle. It used to be part of an old courthouse building and the back wall is part of the castle fortifications. The house is hundreds of years old and has been beautifully restored by the present owners, a British couple who live in a nearby village. Our family has rented about 30 properties in Europe, and this was one of the most unique places we have stayed.

The house is spacious, extending over three main levels, with steps going up or down into every room. The ground floor includes a spacious kitchen/dining area with modern appliances and a large living room. The second floor has an enormous master bedroom with a fireplace and an ensuite bathroom, a good-sized second bedroom, and another bathroom with a wonderful shower. Twisty stairs lead up to the third level, a large and sunny attic room with twin beds and an area for children's games. The house has a pleasant outdoor courtyard for relaxing and outdoor dining, nicely landscaped with flowers and herbs.

We highly recommend this house and the owner Penny was great to deal with. The owners also own another house listed on www.gite.com, La Maison de Pan de Bois in the nearby village of Carrenac. http://www.gite.com/france/maison-pan-bois It looks fabulous too.

I really like the www.gite.com website. This is a rent-by-owner website, but I understand that the website is very selective in which properties are included. They do an excellent job of presenting properties on their site, with lots of photographs and information about the surrounding area. The house we rented looked wonderful on the website and was even better in person.