Janie's Place, Angouleme, France

Janie's Place is the perfect retreat for a romantic break or holiday. It's truly sublime in summer with sweet scented honeysuckle and red roses cascading down the old stone facade and purple grape vines trailing around the pretty courtyard and rear wall.

The walled orchard garden is a joy with fig cherry, peach, nectarine and almond trees providing super fresh fruit for you to tuck into at breakfast and dinner. A great setting to relax with a glass of wine or two and play a quiet game of boules...

A four course candelit dinner with wine for 24 euros a head is served in our dining room and we happily cater for vegetarians.The Guardian newspaper praised Janie's Place as one of the best French guest houses providing vegetarian dinners.

We have secure covered parking and accomodation for eight guests and are within easy reach of Ryanair budget flights into both Poitiers (40 minutes) Angouleme (25 minutes) airports. Limoges Airport is 80 mins and Bordeaux two hours.

Also from Ruffec a pretty market town just down the road you can whizz off to Paris via a high speed direct train( 2 hours) leaving at 9am and arriving in time for lunch.

A host of markets, fares sight-seeing tours and vintage car rallies in pretty old villages are just a few samples of the myriad of things to get out and enjoy.

Gorgeous flower shows often feature in the grounds of ancient chateaux, and attractive craft centres in old abbeys or town halls feature a huge variety of stunning work by artisans.

Le Chateau de Verteuil, just a seven-minute drive, is magnificent. Overlooking it is a beautifully restored working watermill on the banks of the Charente. Enjoy lunch,dinner or just a coffee and patisserie either in it's courtyard garden or slumped in a deckchair beside the river.

Sports enthusiasts will be in seventh heaven! There's fly-fishing, canoeing and swimming in the Charente.We have super cycling and walking routes through the stunning countryside. And there are plenty of equstrean centres to hire a horse if you want to ride.

Keen on flying ? Hire a microlight nearby. Also on hand are plenty of centres for 0hot air ballooning.

Close by are numerous attractive spots to enjoy swimming, picnics and barbeques. The Rejallante 5 mins by car is an idyllic river spot with a watermill, restaurant/bar, small islands. Super for families. Swim or paddle, canoe or enjoy watersports.

Easily enjoy fantastic days out at the seaside.An attractive 2 hour drive meandering through vineyards woods fields and medieval hamlets take you to beaches at La Rochelle, Rochefort, Royan the famed pyla sand dunes at Arcachon being only 2.5hrs.

A similar length drive means you can enjoy the charm of old fishing ports on the Isle de Re and Isle d'Oleron.