We spent a wonderful week at la Cour aux Bourgeois, thanks to our friendly hosts, Sarah and Laurent, and their treasure of a gite. When we first read the description on the website, we thought it sounded too good to be true-a child-friendly, charming gîte in the middle of the French countryside with babysitting services, sensible pricing, near many historic places of interest, and with a playbarn so full of toys it could easily be mistaken for a Toys R Us. Then, we arrived and had the pleasure of discovering firsthand just why this gite is so popular. It was love at first sight for all of us. The property is exactly how you would imagine a rambling stone French farmhouse to be. Set in a few acres of grounds, including an orchard, it was originally a part of the domain of the nearby abbey. Inside, it's a well-furnished, attractive and comfortable mix of old and new, French and English. I was drawn to the lovely décor, the pretty curtains and quilts throughout and the beautiful stone floors and tiles. As the mother of a crawling baby, I was so relieved to find that the gite is spotlessly clean - our daughter gave the floors an extensive road-test - and as child-proof as any house can be. Most importantly, it's equipped with everything you might possibly need while away from home with small children. There is no need to clog your car up with pushchairs, sterilisers, baby monitors or any of the other usual baggage of a family holiday abroad as it's all provided for you. Thoughtfully, the gite has also been stocked with a selection of DVD's, movies and books for when the parents get to relax and unwind - and yes, you can actually do that here.. The joy of this gite is that it is able to cope with babies and active toddlers alike - which in turn means that parents get to enjoy far more of a holiday than at other cottage destinations. It's also well located for sightseeing across Normandy - whether you want to visit the uncrowded beaches, some medieval castles, fashionable Deauville, WWII sites or perhaps bring your children face-to-face with their history lessons at Bayeux. On a more practical note, the gite is less than ten minutes walk away from the local boulangerie and a five minute drive takes you to a large supermarket on the northern edge of Falaise. Caen is only 20 minutes away on an excellent road, offering all the amenities and great shopping of a major French city. We left the gite after one week having only visited half the places on our "wish-list" and regretting that we hadn't booked for a fortnight. We'll be going back and would strongly recommend that you also consider staying here - so long as it isn't for the same two weeks as we'll be booking next year! Emily Rixinger 2004

Our experience at La Cour aux Bourgeois was as memorable as others who have reviewed it. We had to wait until October until the property was available but even so we had a deliciously sunny week and the roads and ferries were quiet which was an added bonus. Sarah and Laurant made us feel extremely welcome and our children are still talking about them, weeks after returning home. Their attitude and approach to life makes for a happy, relaxing and unique holiday experience.

Nicola Cox 16/10/2004