Le Chat Courant
Villandry,
Indre-et-Loire
Bed & Breakfast
+33 (0)2 47 50 06 94
Visit owner's website
€85 - €195
per night
Learn about local lore, taste the wines, bliss out in the garden and enjoy the company of Éric and Cathy, warm, humorous and talented hosts
3 rooms
Rooms sleep 2 – 5
Children welcome
Pets welcome
Babies welcome
Your enquiry details
2 Guests 22 Nov 24 - 22 Nov 24
Direct with the owner
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€85 - €195 per night
The Experience
A handsome 18th-century family house on the river Cher just opposite Villandry and with its own lovely garden (whose birdsong drowns out occasional train noise). Bedrooms are pretty and homely with books and TVs: the double in the converted cottage opens to the swimming pool, and the suite in the main house has fine antique furniture.
Éric – who is also a keen photographer – has created garden enchantment here with old species of apple trees, a walled vegetable garden, a wisteria-clad pergola, a formal boxed flower garden, and a semi-wild garden beyond, all surrounded by woodland and pasture where the family’s horses peacefully graze. No evening meals are offered but if you don’t want to budge you can have delicious charcuterie and cheese at a table in the garden, along with a glass of wine.
Breakfast on fresh bread and pastries with homemade jam and fruit salad, float in the pretty pool surrounded by greenery, visit châteaux.
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We think you'll love
- Wandering the pretty garden, swimming in the pool
- The very relaxed, informal atmosphere – make yourselves at home
- Exploring Villandry and many gorgeous châteaux
You should know
- There are at least two cats, one dog and several hens running free in the garden, so you can't bring your own dog
- The pool is not fenced but has a security cover
Essentials
- Swimming pool
- EV charger
- Hot tub
- Garden
- Open fire / woodburner
- Breakfast included
- Breakfast available
- Meals available
- Vegetarian meals
- Oven
- Parking on premises
- Free parking nearby
- Accessible by public transport
- WiFi
- Television
- Spa
- Central heating
- Limited mobility
- Wheelchair access
- Mobile reception
- Hob
- Bar
- Barbecue
- Licensed premises
- Paid parking nearby
- Air conditioning
- Relaxation areas
- Washing machine
- Tennis court
- Microwave oven
- No smoking
- Credit cards
- Working farm
- Owner has pets
- Dishwasher
- Pets welcome
Family friendly
- Baby monitor
- Books and toys
- Children welcome
- Babies welcome
- Stair gates
- High chair
- Fire guard
- Cot available
Nearby
- Pub/bar within 3 miles
- Restaurant within 3 miles
- Shop within 3 miles
Activities
- Bikes available
- Food courses
- Kayaking
- Other courses
- Sailing
- Surfing
- Wild swimming
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Accommodation
Pricing
- Nightly price
- from €85
- 1 Family room for 5
- From €120
- 1 Double
- From €85
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Information
Booking information
- Check in
- 5pm-9pm
- Other details
- Minimum stay: 2 nights in high season (June to early September).
- Closed
- Rarely.
- No smoking
- Smoking not permitted anywhere in the property.
- Owner has pets
- Animals living on the property
- Meals
- Restaurant 5 minutes by car.
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Reviews
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Garden lovers will enjoy the simple rooms and lovely garden of this family-run B&B on the banks of the river Cher, a short drive from the world-famous gardens of Villandry. The French owners are very friendly and welcoming and love to care for their guests.
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We had a really wonderful stay at Le Chat Courant. Eric and Kathy were so welcoming and we had many enjoyable conversations at the side of the pool and around the breakfast table (Eric - thank you for helping me to improve my French conversation!) Breakfast was superb with delicious jams made from the fruits of the orchard. The gardens were beautifully designed with many echoes of Villandry (on the opposite side of the river). Very much enjoyed meeting the cats, Tea Tea and Maddie, and also the characterful chickens. We will definitely return to Le Chat Courant and can highly recommend.
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A warm welcome by Eric and Kathy at this lovely country home - beautiful gardens for a wander - stretch out in a lounge chair by the pool and listen to the birds sing - beds are comfortable and thoughtful touches in all the rooms - wonderful breakfast by the kitchen fireplace with home made jams and cafe au lait. Eric was very helpful with making dinner suggestions and reservations. We were a group of 5 adults and were well accommodated in the family suite and the pool house while touring a few chateaus. Even the chickens are friendly!
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After a couple of weeks of Airbnb’ing, it was a delight to be back in the welcoming embrace of Sawday hosts, especially these ones. Eric and his fiancée were beyond charming, the house, garden and setting were as beautiful as promised, the pool was available at all hours. We’ve never been made to feel so much at home - a glass of wine in the garden turned into a whole afternoon of lively conversation with our hosts and fellow guests; breakfast on our final morning (extra-early so we could get to Calais on time) included a new jar of Nutella bought especially for our youngest. Pure delight.
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We stayed with Eric in July and it was a delight to be welcomed into his home. The gardens and pool and beautiful and Eric is such a hospitable host. The homemade jams are lovely and the children enjoyed watching Eric's collection of lovebirds.
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Beautiful B&B, full of charm, rustic, good price, secure parking, dog friendly, very comfortable, delicious breakfast. Eric, our host was extremely kind. He booked us a table for dinner at a nearby restaurant, l'Etape Gourande, amazing place too. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again, it was so charming.
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We have stayed overnight at Le Chat Courant for the past four years and each time we have had a wonderful welcome from Eric who has taken every care of us. The accommodation is very comfortable and very suited to our needs as it is on the ground floor and we take our Labrador with us each time. His breakfasts are delicious with fresh bakery and an imaginative array of his homemade jams. His garden is superb with beautiful planting, landscaping and a very refreshing swimming pool. We look forward to our stay each time we travel down to Spain.
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A very relaxed start to our holiday. Eric made us feel part of his family - nothing was too much trouble and we enjoyed learning about the history of his attractive home as well as sampling wine from his extensive cellar!
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Location
The neighbourhood
Squeezed between the rivers Loire and Cher, opposite Villandry, this is a châteaux and garden-lovers paradise. The nearby town of Savennières has riverside shops and restaurants and retains a village feel. The city of Tours will be a fascinating day trip – explore the old town with its antique shops, theatre and restaurants, and also the wonderful art galleries including the Musée des Beaux Arts.
Local points of interest from Éric Gaudouin
- A typical Tours house, made of freestone dating from the start of the XIX Century.
- On the edge of the Cher, across from the Château de Villandry
- Where the Cher and the Loire meet.
- Area classified as a global Unesco treasure.
- Entrance to the Parc Naturel Régional Loire Anjou Touraine
- Incredible garden, according to Guest and Garden.
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We thoroughly enjoyed staying with Eric and Cathy, they were wonderful hosts, guiding us to restaurants and shopping (we had left electrical gadgets at home !).They gave us excellent breakfasts, including lovely warm pancakes, and were very patient with our (limited) French language skills. We loved sitting in their beautiful garden and relaxing. This was just a short visit but we would have liked to stay longer - perhaps another time !