© Le Moulin de Malineau 2008 • Webmaster SpyderWeb-Works Last Updated 5th September 2009

“We have just spent 14 days in paradise. Le Moulin de Malineau is THE perfect family holiday setting with so much to do on site and locally. We have been blessed with great weather, excellent company, amazing pool and some exciting fishing! Linda and Neil have made us feel so welcome and always helpful and supportive. The kids (x5) have had a ball - especially in the wonderful pool. We’ll certainly be back”

• The Passmores - Kilmallock, Limerick, Ireland

“Another wonderful week. We’ll be back next year for more hospitality par excellence.

• The Passmores - Kilmallock, Limerick, Ireland

“Our best family holiday ever! Very relaxing, beautiful scenery and the swimming pool was fantastic! We’ve had tears from the kids on departure and have promised to bring them again. Thankyou Linda and Neil”

• The O’Neills and The Dawes

“The first Austro-German visitors, we had a great and hilarious time - especially “After Midnight...” when we enjoyed “The Bright Side of Life..” together with our exceptional hosts Linda and Neil - thankyou for everything”

• Műller & Schwedes - Darmstadt, Munich & Saltzburg

“Very enjoyable stay. Comfortable and well eqipped holiday home. Lovely surroundings. A select base to tour this lovely area. Linda and Neil were lovely hosts and so thoughtful in leaving us some wine and food after our days travel from St. Malo. Would have no hesitation in recommending this to others. Thankyou for all your help and advice.

• The Starling and Rose Families - Brockenhurst & Peacehaven

“The gîtes and welcome superb. Linda and Neil’s hospitality excellent, catering for all age groups (80 to 8). Some very fond memories to take home with us. The pool and table tennis gave hours of pleasure. A lovely way to spend our anniversary and we know everyone enjoyed the break - thanks for your hard work behind the scenes and your helpfulness”

• The Simmons Family en masse - Sheffield, Leeds, London, Harrogate

“Our first gite experience and one that will be tough to beat. Accommodation superb - clean, well equipped and comfortable, while the pool, table tennis, kids play equipment etc made for a very active time for all. Le Moulin de Malineau is in a beautiful setting - we’ve been blown away by the sunflowers, vines and corn fields in this rural area, yet it’s been easy to reach good roads, supermarkets etc whenever needed. We’ve enjoyed Royan and St. George de Didonne, the fabulous zoo at La Palmyre, Cognac and beautiful Bordeaux, not to mention local towns like Jonzac and Montendre.

Neil, Linda and family have been wonderful hosts - thoughtful, considerate, great company and a mine of information. We’re particularly grateful for their tolerance and good humour confronted with our 3 year old twin boys!

We have no hesitation in returning here ourselves and recommending the gite to friends, family and others. Thank you so much for having us.”

• The Flintans - Kent

“Fantastic holiday. Lovely accommodation in Matisse and the cooler downstairs bedroom was a Godsend with the hot nights after 34ºC days. You have a great website and thankfully everything about the gîtes and surroundings lives up to expectations. Fab hosts and great recommendations from Linda and Neil and previous guests. Things that we did and would recommend:

Montendre Night Market - Lovely, lively and great to people watch and feel part of provincial France.

St. Emilion - Simply stunning. We had a wonderful lunch at L’Enveru du Decor - food great and nice shade and garden to escape the heat.

Zoo at La Palmyre - Best we’ve ever been to.”

• The Taylor Family - Ecton, Northants

“Fantastic location to explore the region. Thankyou for a lovely stay and introducing us to the pleasures of Pineau!

• Coombes, Holford, Chalmers & Tailor - Bristol

“A very relaxing 2 weeks. Kids and adults loved the pool. Andy, Mike and Ben fished with last minute success - thank goodness. Great day out canoeing in Aubeterre - 10k run takes 4 hours - excellent fun! If you try Pineau you’ll be hooked. Lovely surroundings, superb hosts....thanks for helping make this a special time for all of us.”

• The Roberts & James Families - Cambridgeshire

“A very relaxing holiday and some fabulous hot sunny weather. Linda, Neil and Kirsty nade us so welcome and we didn’t want to leave! Had a few great days at the beach at St Georges de Didonnes and Cascans - otherwise bobbing around the pool on a lilo! An idyllic spot surrounded by beautiful countryside - a true retreat from the rat-race in the UK; and better weather as well! Many, many thanks.”

• The Harvey Family - Maidenhead, Berkshire

“Really enjoyed our stay. We’ve stayed in a few gîtes in France and this one definately has the best pool set-up - great to have the shade under the gazebo, the reclining chairs and swing seat. The kids (5, 5 and 16 months) loved all the toys, Wendy House, swings and trampoline and of course LOVED the pool and the 5 year olds almost learnt to swim! A big thankyou to Linda and Neil - a very warm welcome and lots of helpful tips and advice.

• The Searby Family - Mill Hill, London

“Thank you for a lovely holiday. The gîte was great, the pool was a huge hit with the kids. The Wendy House, the swings and all the toys really made this a child-friendly holiday - and what’s good for them is good for us. Thank you also for all the tips along the way. We really enjoyed it all.

• The Barbour-Smith Family - Chiswick, London

“Nous avons passé une très bonne semaine. Le cadre est superbe et les activities nombreuses. Souheil a adoré le ping-pong.”

• Les Familles Francois - Bruxelles

“We have had a wonderful, relaxing week here. The gîte is immaculate, quite the best we have been to. We really appreciated all your thoughtful touches, such as the duvets for the girls and the baby bath for Freya. We have visited Blaye, Bourg, St Emilion and feel we have only scratched the surface. We loved the Night Market at Montendre and thought Jonzac was well worth another visit. Thankyou to Kirsty for making Bethany and Isi so welcome. They have loved being here.”

• The Cunliffe Family - Beaconsfield, Bucks

“Neil and Linda thanks for a lovely stay and letting us share your wonderful rural French home. The facilities were great and we really appreciated the loan of the childrens toys. The recommendation for the trip to the zoo also made our stay.”

• Ford & Burnett Families - Milton Keynes & Buckingham

“Lovely holiday, lovely gîte! Very homely and Neil and Linda were very welcoming. The internet access was great, the surroundings beautiful and the lake was a plus point for the boys. They caught a couple of fish. We went to the aquarium in La Rochelle. Even with satnav we got a bit lost but the aquarium was wonderful. Blaye was nice. Pretty castle. If you like shopping go to Bordeaux! Many designer shops that the girls will adore. The cats! Danielle fell in love with them and they seem to like the occasional cuddle! Lots of interesting wildlife too. Overall an amazing and very relaxing holiday!”

• The Cooks and Pattersons

“Great excursions (St. Emilion, Cognac, Medoc, Jonzac, Saintes, Archiac - the usual suspects plus the usual experiences I.e. Fabulous food, wine, views). Loved the market at St Andre de Cubzac on Saturday. Fantastic food, atmosphere, people, especially the organic stall of Denis - neighbour of Linda and Neil. Spectacular hospitality all round on this our first rural French experience. Accommodation great. Hosts wonderful.”

• McPherson, Peade, Freudenstein & Davies - Quimbah, Gerringong (NSW), Rosewhite (Victoria), Australia

“A lovely holiday. Pool and gardens wonderful (and safe for the children - ours 3 and 5), had a great time. When we managed to prise them away from here there is plenty to do in the surrounding beautiful countryside”

• Basnett Family - Devizes, Wiltshire

Beautiful, well equipped gites. Linda and Neil excellent hosts - special thanks to Linda for organising horse riding lesson for Lily (I think this is going to be a new and expensive hobby for her!) Kids also had a great time at the Base de Loisirs in Jonzac - brilliant value and good fun. All in all a great holiday - very relaxing but loads to do if you want to.

• The Dawkes - Whitchurch, Shropshire

Enjoyed the beautiful French countryside and relaxed way of life. Nearly wore the swimming pool out. Samantha enjoyed her day horse riding. The facilities were excellent and we had some great BBQs. Thanks for your helpful advice and warm welcome”

• The Freeman Family - Bakewell, Derbyshire

“Over all too quickly. Had a lovely time, enjoyed the pool and making a ‘cricket pitch’ to keep the kids happy. Both Linda and Neil extremely helpful. The gite is a credit to you both.”

• The Robinsons - Mid-Glamorgan

“This is the best finished gîte we have seen and stayed in by some distance! (And believe me, we have seen loads, as our visit was not so much a holiday but more focused on house-hunting. Neil and Linda are kind and welcoming hosts and went out of their way to ensure that we had that we needed. In particular, the Wi-Fi internet access was an absolute boon and made the stay so much more relaxing, as we were able to send and receive e-mails at will, surf the internet in our search for suitable properties, and liaise with potential vendors to make appointments etc. No hesitation in recommending the gîte to friends, family and colleagues. Will definitely keep in touch going forward.”

• Colin Brennan and Carol White - Mere, Wiltshire

“Another great  stay. Even managed to get some trips in this time. (Remy Martin in Cognac and St. Emilion). It is difficult to leave the gite and surroundings sometimes!”

• Graham & Lesley - March, Cambridgeshire

“What a holiday - our 1st in France! Only glowing comments all around. Linda and Neil - and our fellow guests - made us very welcome and were a fountain of local information. All good! Our week started with the fantastic re-enactment in the village, the beach at St. Georges, a chateau wine tasting, the swimming centre in Jonzac and a day in Bordeaux. We also managed a few good meals. The gite was perfect for us, and has set a standard. Thank you so much!”

• Usana, Bryan, Angela & Jeff - Chandlers Ford, Hampshire

“A big thank you to Linda and Neil and to Kirsten for sharing her toys with Ellie! Thank you for the wine, the pineau, strawberries and nuts. The grounds are very nice, and we were very grateful for the swimming pool which was lovely while the weather was hot. The gite we found very spacious and comfortable and we felt very relaxed. We would also like to say thank you for all the information and places of interest. The zoo at Royan was excellent for Ellie and we enjoyed the re-enactment of the French Revolution. Thanks also for the birthday party invite and the Drama Workshop Day and for making our stay most enjoyable.”

• Iain, Judy & Ellie

“Lovely relaxing holiday. Beautiful countryside. Accommodation excellent. Pool great. Excellent hosts. Thanks “

• Steff Family

“As any visitor will rapidly discover the gite is very spacious, comfortable and well equipped - a great mixture of the old and the new. Linda and Neil are excellent hosts - welcoming, extremely helpful and friendly; nothing is too much trouble; they are doing a great job. We enjoyed visits to St. Emilion and Cognac, cycling (very good bikes provided here) and tennis in Leoville (key in Baker’s shop). Kayaking down the Dronne from Aubeterre-sur-Dronne is great fun and excellent value. The best  restaurant we found in the area is Le Coq D’Or on the corner of the main square in Jonzac - excellent food and particularly good value at lunchtime”

• Carolyn, Nicholas, Gabriella and Sussanah

“Had a marvellous time. It worked very well with two families using both gites. Wish we could have stayed longer”

• Liz & Family - Banbury, Oxon.elwyn GC, Herts.

“What a fantastic stay we’ve had! A real home from home (but in so many ways better). The whole family have enjoyed our stay, the facilities (what a pool!!), the grounds, and especially the host family. We’ve been made to feel so welcome and have enjoyed our time here - so much so that the children didn’t even want the usual days out. Thank you so much for helping it to be a memorable holiday.”  

• John, Lisa, Owen & Sophie - Surrey

“Very enjoyable stay. Particularly recommend a visit to St. Emilion and La Palmyre Zoo - a chance to hand feed giraffe, zebra and elephant!”

• Patrick, Julia, Finn, Erin & Malachy

“Our second visit, and we feel it’s like our second home. We’ve enjoyed all the many entertainments on site and your excellent hosts are on hand to offer suggestions if you feel the need to venture out”

• Jean, John, Jemima & Jamie - Guernsey

“Lovely, relaxing holiday - excellent gite. Warm and friendly welcome from the hosts. Dave enjoyed the carp fishing. Pool fantastic. Tuesday night market at Montendre well worth a visit, as well as Blaye, St. Emilion and Cognac. We’ll recommend the gite to friends and family. Thanks very much.”

• Michelle, Dave, Anna & Jenny - Cockermouth, Cumbria

“We have had a lovely holiday. So relaxing. Didn’t  get out much but the kids didn’t want to! We will definitely be back. Couldn’t wish to meet a nicer family”

• Sollis Family - Stevenage, Herts.

“Silence punctuated by birdsong, this place is as beautiful as the orioles. So much to see and do; St. Emilion, Cote Sauvages, La Palmyre, Cognac, Meschers, Rochefort, Angouleme......the list is endless but to be able to relax and chill out at the end of the day is the key. Here you can!!”

• Evans Family - Isle of Wight

“Excellent, very well done. A great time had by all. Thanks to our hosts. Royan - well worth a visit”.

• Simon, Julie & Pippa

“Lovely surroundings, lovely accommodation, lovely hosts! Had a great time. Will recommend to all”.

• Sue & Jeff - Perth, Australia

““We have had a wonderful relax here. The pool is excellent, the gite is incredibly comfortable, the fishing and other activities are superb too. Thanks to Linda, Neil, Cally and Kirsten for being great hosts - we’ll be back.....if you’ll have us!!”.

• Jon, Carmen, Serena & Harvey - Guernsey

“What a lovely introduction to France - very comfortable in the gites, especially the beds! We particularly liked visiting Blaye and the beaches at Meschers and St. Georges de Didonne near Royan. Thanks for the warm welcome and the grape juice!”.

• The Storers - Dunham-on-Trent, Notts

“We had a lovely time. The gite is in an idyllic situation. The weather could not have been better. Le Cheval Gris at Mirambeau was a super place to eat. We’ll certainly recommend to our friends”.

• The Dixons - Dunham-on-Trent, Notts.

“Wonderful gite - the most comfortable and well equipped one we’ve stayed in. The distilleries at Cognac are well worth a visit. Thanks for being so welcoming and friendly.”

• The Gaskells - Paderborn, Germany.

“Thanks for a very restful, comfortable and enjoyable stay. Fantastic!”

• The Bulls - Shiplake, Oxon.

“Wonderful holiday with excellent hosts. Many thanks.”

• Jean, John, Jemima and Jamie - Guernsey

“Thanks for everything. All the above and great company. All the best to you.”

• Alan, Rosy, Hana & Laurence - Beckenham, Kent.

“We had a most enjoyable fortnight. Very nice hosts.”

• The McCleans - Kent

“Wonderful holiday, lovely house - thank you very much - we’ve enjoyed every minute.”

• Saul, Liz, Naomi & Paul - Loughborough.

“Thank you for a lovely holiday in a wonderful place. We have all loved it especially our boys. Thanks.”

• Raymond, Andrea, Matthew & Samuel - Malton, Yorkshire.

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