France Périgord Noir Holiday Rentals

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See and Do

Here are some famous sites and places of interest and a selection of Restaurants, and a glimpse of some of the wonderful flowers and plants in the area.

We will add to the list over time.

Local Attractions

Restaurants

Périgord Markets

Golf

Wildflowers and Orchids of the Forêt de la Bessède and Périgord

Météo Urval

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Guest Reviews

Domaine de Pessel

Guest Reviews

Joanna Wolak

VRBO
5/5
The perfect holiday spot
This holiday home set in a beautiful, peaceful hilly location, surrounded by woodland provided the ideal spot for exploring the Dordogne valley, with its many historic and prehistoric sites. We felt at home from the moment we arrived, with a bottle of wine, and walnuts from the garden as a lovely welcome. Owners Christine and Alan were very friendly and knowledgeable about the local area, always quick to answer any queries, and happy to make recommendations, and were genuinely interested in helping to ensure our stay was as good as it could be, but without being intrusive. The property's rooms were spacious and comfortable, with extensive grounds for the children to play in. The warm evenings with views of the starry night sky were unforgettable. All in all, we had a wonderful 2-week holiday at Pessel, and would thoroughly recommend this holiday cottage.

Elisabeth Balmigere 21/8/2021

VRBO
Le calme et le charme absolu.
Très jolie maison ancienne pleine de charme,bien équipée.
Situation idéale pour visiter le Périgord.

Sarah Hodge Petit Pessel June 2019

HomeAway
Charming gite in peaceful countryside

The owners, Alan and Christine, were very welcoming on arrival setting the tone for our stay. The property was spotlessly clean, and thoughtful details included such as wine, milk, butter, bread and orange juice, tea and coffee, and olive oil, garlic and herbs for cooking. Pessel is very peaceful and is surrounded by beautiful woodland, so perfect for relaxing and enjoying nature. We didn’t need to venture far from the gite to see pine martins, deer, hoopoe, black kites, fire crests, short toed eagles and too many species of butterfly to list.
Alan and Christine were very helpful and charming and I wouldn’t hestitate to recommend Pessel to any nature lovers wanting to get away from it all.

Daphne van Sluijters Grand Pessel July/August 2019

HomeAway
Mooi authentieke cottage op een fine locatie

Wij hebben een heerlijke vakantie gehad in Grand Pessel. De ontvangst door Alan en Christine is heel hartelijk. Het zijn zeer fijne gastheer en gastvrouw. Ze zijn goed bereikbaar tijdens het verblijf. Het huisje ziet er prachtig uit en is compleet ingericht. De muren zijn heel dik waardoor de temperatuur binnen lekker koel blijft. Er was bij aankomst zelfs een "welkomstpakket" aanwezig met eerste benodigdheden (melk, brood, eieren, wijn, ...). De heel moderne inloop-douche is heerlijk en de bedden slapen prima. Slaapkamers zijn boven en bereikbaar met een trap met houten treden. Trap is prima te doen als je goed ter been bent (beter niet op sokken lopen) maar kan lastig zijn voor jongere kinderen die nog niet zo vast op de benen staan. De ligging van Domaine de Pessel is heerlijk rustig en er is veel ruimte om de cottage. De herten lopen soms zelfs in de tuin. Het zwembad is lekker groot en onze jongens hebben er veel plezier van gehad. In de directe omgeving zijn heel veel leuke dorpjes. Wij hebben eigenlijk nooit langer dan 45 minuten gereden om iets te bezichtigen. Dit werd vooral door de jongens (13 en 15) erg gewaardeerd. Op ong. 15 minuten rijden zijn 2 mooie abdijen die onder Unesco Werelderfgoed vallen. Deze zijn zeker de moeite waard. De dorpjes zijn alle gezellig met leuke terrasjes en restaurantjes. Veel dorpjes stammen uit de middeleeuwen met leuke kastelen en mooie uitzichten op de Dordogne. Kanoën op de rivier kan heel dichtbij en het aquarium in Le Bugue is zeker met kinderen een leuke attractie. Wij waren in Pessel vlak voordat de Perseiden zwerm het dichtst bij de aarde was. Omdat het gebied weinig lichtvervuiling heeft hebben wij regelmatig genoten van de ligbedden in de tuin om in de avond/nacht naar (vallende) sterren te kijken.

Beautiful authentic cottage in a fine location
We had a wonderful holiday in Grand Pessel. The welcome by Alan and Christine is very warm. They are very nice hosts. They are easily accessible during the stay.

The cottage looks beautiful and is fully furnished. The walls are very thick, which keeps the temperature nice and cool inside. There was even a “welcome pack” on arrival with basic necessities (milk, bread, eggs, wine, …). The very modern walk-in shower is wonderful and the beds sleep well. Bedrooms are upstairs and reached by a staircase with wooden steps. Stairs are fine if you have good mobility (better not walk in socks) but can be difficult for younger children who are not yet so firm on their feet.

The location of Domaine de Pessel is wonderfully quiet and there is plenty of space around the cottage. The deer sometimes even walk in the garden.

There are many nice villages in the immediate vicinity. We have never actually driven more than 45 minutes to see anything. This was especially appreciated by the boys (13 and 15). At about 15 minutes drive are 2 beautiful abbeys that fall under Unesco World Heritage. These are definitely worth it. The villages are all cozy with nice terraces and restaurants. Many villages date from the Middle Ages with nice castles and beautiful views of the Dordogne.

Canoeing on the river is very close by and the aquarium in Le Bugue is a fun attraction, especially with children. We were in Pessel just before the Perseids swarm was closest to Earth. Because the area has little light pollution, we regularly enjoyed the sunbeds in the garden to watch (shooting) stars in the evening / night.

Helen Wells Grand Pessel July 2019

HomeAway
Tranquility ...
A lovely property, lovely area and lovely hosts.

Laurent Meille August 2018

HomeAway
Très bien
Le chalet est de rénovation récente et remarquablement équipé, tout en gardant le cachet d’une ancienne maison périgourdine.
Le site est très plaisant, en pleine nature, avec des chevreuils jusque devant la maison.
Last but not least, les propriétaires anglais sont très sympathiques, et Mr Miller fait tout à fait honneur a l’humour britannique !!!
Je recommande vivement +++ Laurent Meille

RUSSELL MAPP Petit Pessel Sat, Aug 04 – Sat, Aug 18, 2018

Owners Direct
A very nice, quiet retreat.

The property is in a fairly remote location relative to the nearest village of Urval, but if you’re looking for peace and quiet you definitely get that. There are other buildings around, the owners house and one other rental property but they are distant enough not to intrude on your privacy. The property was clean and tidy and well presented upon our arrival and was reasonably well equipped. However some of the items listed by home away, such as wi-if, tv, dvd, radio are actually only available upon direct request to the owners. This was not a major issue to us as we decided to do without them, with the exception of the wi-fi, but we think it should be more clearly explained on the home away website. One other point to mention is that the oven is actually only a worktop oven about the size of a small microwave. The owners were very friendly and helpful and very understanding when we got delayed on the day of our arrival. Our fault for travelling on the first Saturday of August. They were quite knowledgable about the local area and suggested several places to visit and also the best times to visit. We enjoy walking and there were numerous waymarked walks in the area for which maps and guides were available from the local tourist information offices. Overall we had a very pleasant and relaxing stay.

Ali Robertson Sat, Jul 21 – Sat, Jul 28, 2018

HomeAway
Pleasant Stay

Beautiful and tranquil location. Cottage was idyllic and very well equipped. The owners had thought of everything to make it a pleasant stay. The patio area was lovely as were the surroundings. Cottage was exceptionally clean and very comfortable.
There is so such to do in the region and Urval is a great base for exploring the Dordogne.

ELISABETH ROBERT Petit Pessel July 2018

Owners Direct
Un endroit charmant

Nous avons passé un excellent séjour de 15 jours dans cette maison typique. Sa situation au calme est en même temps idéal pour découvrir le Perigord noir. La maison a plein de charme, elle est bien équipée. Le rez de chaussée a aussi l'avantage de rester frais :cela a été très appréciable. L'extérieur est un cadre enchanteur. Mr Johnson et Mme Miller ont été des hôtes très accueillants. Nous conseillons vraiment ce gîte pour ceux qui recherchent le calme, la nature tout en étant bien situé dans cette belle région.

Stephane Rouil August 2016 Grand Pessel

Owners Direct
Un pied à terre reposant au coeur du Périgord Noir
Séjour agréable dans une vaste propriété au milieu des bois. La position permet de visiter le Périgord Noir. Les premiers commerces sont à 10 min en voiture. Tres bon accueil et propriétaires sympathiques.
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5
Excellent