E-Mail comments received from our guests:-
"Hi Ann, We loved Les Aunaies! What a beautiful home, I could not wait to get home each evening. It could not have been lovelier. Thank you. " Colleen Benedict, New York |
"Hi Ann I would like to thank you for renting the gite to us, it was really relaxing and we had a wonderful rest. The view we found stunning everyday, whatever the weather. The wild life is great. We will visit Le Pressoir again, it is one of the best gites we have stayed in, in Normandy, the location wonderful. " Elaine & Terry Albury, Kent |
"Ann What a wonderful fortnight we have had Rodger & Ann! |
"The D-Day Beaches and Museums were brilliant, the story of Pegasus bridge was fascinating and amazingly brave, the War cemeteries we visited were incredibly emotional, especially as we did manage to find the grave of a cousin of my mother in law. (picture enclosed). We visited Falaise and William the Conqueror’s castle, Bayeux and (our) Tapestry, a beautiful little place, the Batteries and gun emplacements at Merville and Longues sur mere, they were all superb. Howard Haycocks, Cheshire |
"Dear Ann Watling family |
"We had a wonderful holiday. It is such a beautiful house and setting and we hope to return some time. " David Salam, Hertford |
"Dear Ann Brian & Bev King, Australia |
"Dear Ann Peter Davies, Norfolk |
"Dear Ann Daniel Connolley, Dublin |
"Dear Ann Pauline, Aberdeen |
"Lavinia has obviously beaten me to it, but I did just want to say what a fabulous place Les Aunais is. We had a really lovely holiday. It suited our requirements down to the ground. As we came up the lane and saw the roofs in the distance, we knew it was going to be as expected! Just a perfect place to relax. And the boys had fun, we lots of room to run around and explore the woods. My brother-in-law, from Australia, who is a cattle farmer, loved having the cows around in the fields. We very much liked the area - really rural and as France is remembered - compared with some ruined areas such as those poplular places further south. We loved the market in St Pierre, and watching the football on the big screen the night before!! It worked very well having the two houses for our party. The outside eating area of Le Pressoir was just great in the sun - and there was always a breeze. Many thanks for a great holiday." Jenny Trevor London
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| "Dear Ann, We had a fantastic week at your house. What a beautiful and delightful place. The weather was really good, so we stayed at home most of the time reading a book in the garden, playing a game of badminton, or taking a walk in the woods. When we drove off this morning we said to each other that this is definitely a place we would like to come back to. In the meantime we shall recommend Les Aunaies to friends and family." Marjon Koenekoop, Holland |
| "We had a fantastic time and we will be recommending your lovely holiday home to our friends. Regards, "
David Vale, Kent |
| "Dear Ann, Brian & I had a lovely time staying in Le Pressoir in January. It is a truly beautiful place: the house and the location. The view is marvellous and we also saw a most magnificent full moon rise over the hill at the back. How lucky we were to have a clear sky at that time! The Monday morning market at St Pierre sur Dives is great and the two lunches we had at the Auberge de la Dives were wonderful; the only problem is that I am now suffering withdrawal from fabulous French food! I really, really hope we will be able to return! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful place," Bev and Brian King, Victoria, Australia |
| "Dear Ann Your house was indeed a wonderful one. I had loads of work deadlines and took my laptop but was seduced by the tranquility of your reading landing and spent most of my time sitting reading in peace. In consequence I now feel very refreshed. We had a lovely time and would love to return. Before we left I emailed the website to my sister who thinks it looks lovely for a grown up break away from London with friends so you may hear from her too!" Dr. Cathy Stannard, Bristol |
| "Ann Dear Ann, Just a quick note to thank you for letting us stay in the most magical (and photogenic!) place we have ever visited. The Pressoir was perfect for us, beautiful but cosy. best wishes" Sarah Wood, London |
| "Dear Ann, we had a fantastic time, thank you very much for such a wonderful 4 weeks. You have a special place and we enjoyed it thoroughly.
Best Regards." Max & Nicola Freling, Antigua |
| "Ann, I don't know where to start. Lorraine and I had the most marvellous week. The property exceeded all our expectations. Despite the pictures we had seen, we were still stunned by the beautiful property and the surroundings. Our week consisted of late mornings, then lunch out somewhere with a return to the house early evening to enjoy the surroundings. We will undoubtedly return. One of the highlights was watching deer graze in the fields, Hawks and buzzards hunting and rabbits frolicking about. You must love owning the property. Your caretakers are lovely people who kindly showed us around the big house before we left. Ann, many thanks for allowing us the priveledge of using your property, we will be speaking to you again about another visit. Best regards," Pete Johnson Essex |
| " Dear Mrs & Mr Watts, In the first week of August we were guests at your Normandy estate ; Les Aunaies. This was a reunion after 22 years for my husband's Dutch family ( we have met in the meantime, but not all together ). We were 10 adults and 5 children who arrived from Devon, Holland and Norway and felt lucky to have found this unique resort of yours on the internet, and finding it vacant the actual week we had the oportunity to meet. We all had great expectations after having studied the photos on your web site, but on the Saturday of arrival ( July 31st ) we were speechless. Both houses were far above our wildest dreams ! And the setting ! And the view ! And the lovely interior ! The drive up the the estate was like entering a fairy tale. We could never have imagined something as complete and totally unique as this place. You are indeed very lucky to be the owners of something this special. Everything was in perfect order, the showers were great, the kitchens had everything we needed for our 'Italian family dinners' and the beds slept wonderfully. We were surprised that you had trusted us and other tenants leaving so many of your personal (?) belongings in the houses. The garden was well kept, butterflies were bustling in the flower beds, not a sound from the outside world. The afternoons under the pergola with a GT and a book made us feel the luckiest people in the world. The children loved to play outside, to watch the cows ( which wisely kept their distance ) outside the fence but also appreciated the games, CDs and videos inside some of the evenings. We all went for walks in the forest behind Les Aunaies and discovered other hidden treasures. We were at the Monday market and frequently visited the outdoor pool in St Pierre. On Thursday we had dinner at the local restaurant; Le Grace de Dieu (?) and were entertained by the chef and his dog Hugo. We had great weather all week and absolutely no complaints ! Thank you so much for letting us stay in your Normandy Dream, it has given us unforgettable memories to live on for a long time. Hopefully we'll be able to go back one day. Yours, " Bente Moholt & Henk van Reeuwijk, |
| "Dear Ann and Rodger, We've had a wonderful holiday in Normandy and staying in Le Pressoir played a large part in making it so. It was a pleasure to return to after a day exploring the countryside, towns and villages in the area - an evening meal al fresco, then the opportunity to play boules, a bit of footie or French cricket before chilling out on the patio to watch the sunset over Caen. And the house itself is absolutely beautiful - we loved its character - especially the farmhouse kitchen; in fact we're missing it already! We'll definitely recommend Le Pressoir to friends and family and hopefully will return in the not too distant future. Thank you so much for providing such high standard accommodation. Best wishes," Anna, Garry, Lauren and Dan, Yorkshire |
| "Ann We had another most enjoyable time down at the Farmhouse, many thanks. This time we visited the Monday morning market at St Pierre sur Dives, we were transported back to our childhood, just as any English county market used to be, including the livestock. Spent quite a sum on good food. With delicacies such as Rabbit back stuffed with minced pork and fresh green herbs, Duck breasts that were the size of a dinner plates, they lasted for 2 meals eaten with the local coarse sausage, lovely tender Veal cutlets, scrummy. Apricots, grapes, raspberries, and strawberries, eaten with Noir chocolate mousse, fresh vegetables wonderful. Almost everything was fresh locally grown produce, melt in your mouth stuff. At the end my back pack was full. The result of this was that we mainly dined "in", Jan loved the super kitchen at The Pressoir, and I did not have to drive. (good inexpensive wine, hic-hic) We did sleep well. However, we tried the Auberge de la Dives in St Pierre also the Auberge da la Levrette at Saint Julien-Faucon on your recommendation both were spot on. Rodger & Ann we are very grateful. Best Regards" Colin & Jan Blatch, Norfolk |
| "Dear Ann,
We had a wonderful time at Les Aunaies. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their stay, it is a truly beautiful place and the words 'fabulous views' do not begin to describe what it's like sitting and looking out over the Normandy countryside. We were helped in our enjoyment by the weather which was lovely, and the D Day celebrations which were very poignant, (especially after the funeral, our uncle had been in the landings). We were also very taken with St Pierre sur Dives, all in all a truly memorable holiday. (It even crossed our minds to look for a little barn, a 'half way house' between Liverpool and the Charente...but judging from the estate agents windows, most people have been there before us!) The restoration of the properties has been beautifully done and the barn was perfectly equipped, and very comfortable for the five of us. It was wonderful to escape the noise and activity at the coast to the calm of the hillside. So thanks again! " Veronica Glascott, Liverpool |
| "Hi Ann
I wanted to write to you to let you know that we had an absolutely wonderful time. Your home is so beautiful and we were blessed with lovely sunny days and some BIG snow to boot. Very romantic. In fact we would like to book if again for next year – same time! Plus I was thinking about asking you if there was any availability for us to take a long weekend in April (maybe Easter weekend) also." Richard Lee, London |
| "Ann, We had a wonderful week. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful property with us. Everyone said how nice it was and we were all impressed with the facilities. Fortunately, the weather was kind for all our two and a half weeks in France this year. Because we had the kids with us, we didn't go and try any of the restaurants you recommended. We all felt so relaxed and happy at the house that to be honest, we didn't move very far at all! We did have a lovely day at the beach at Cabourg though. The boys (my son and my nephew) had a great time exploring the woods and picking blackberries and raspberries. The chap you spoke to on the Saturday was actually my Dad (I'll tell him you thought he was my brother - he'll be very pleased with that!). If you do have any vacancies for Xmas one year, do let us know as I'm sure everybody would be very keen to return. My Dad has stayed in many properties in France and he said that Les Aunaies was by far the best he had stayed at. Many thanks once again," Ian Cook, Wiltshire |
| "Hello Ann and Rodger
Now that we are all safely back home. I am writing to say thank you to you both for allowing us to use Les Aunaies. We all had a super holiday and found the place most charming and perfect for our families use. The property is beautiful and the space available in the grounds was just ideal for our grandchildren to play and explore (they loved it). As you probably know, the weather was quite exceptional with wall to wall sunshine throughout the whole fortnight, a little too hot on some, but we are not complaining. It meant that we probably spent more time on the beaches than we would normally have done, but the children loved every minute. It was a lovely surprise to arrive and find a card from you both with a bottle of champagne. Many thanks, it was a lovely surprise. Once again many thanks for a fantastic holiday. With best wishes" Shirley and Alan Bell, York |
| "Hi, Yes, indeed. The farm is a lovely, lovely house in a beautiful position. We wished we actually lived there. I have seen a lot of France but it was the first time I'd actually spent any time in the countryside of Normandy. We were all struck by the beauty of the region, especially its villages and the wonderful domestic architecture, the half-timbered houses which we adored. Of course we did all the things tourists should do - The Conqueror's castle, the Bayeux Tapestry, the Normandy beaches, Mont St.Michel &c, &c - all fascinating and enjoyable but the simple luxury of having the time to read five books over the fortnight gave me an immense amount of pleasure. Watching the sun set over Caen with a G&T wasn't so bad either! But there was one simple little incident that, for me, beat everything else. As we were returning to the farm after a day out at the national stud we drove homewards through the forest. I happened to glance up one of the forest rides as we passed and caught a glimpse of something unusual. I had to stop and reverse the car. Everyone else thought there was something terribly wrong. I thought I was seeing things, but no, when I came to a stop again, there they were - a family of wild boar, of all ages, grazing on something interesting they'd found in the grass. There must have been about twenty of them, no more than a hundred feet away. It was so thrilling to see them in their own environment rather than in a zoo. They weren't so impressed with us though. The young ones retreated into the trees fairly quickly while the older ones, not so nervous, tolerated our attention for a while but gradually followed them. The last to go was a large and very grumpy looking old male who'd stopped grazing altogether whilst we watched. He kept an eye on us until the rest had disappeared and then with a contemptuous flick of his tail went with the rest. I'll never forget it. Happily we come home to our own beautiful view and deep rural silence in Northumberland. Les Aunaeis was truly a home from home. " |
"The house was fabulous - so much hard work has gone into making a truly exceptional holiday home. We had a great time visiting the Cider and local produce festival in Cambremer, Honfleur, some of the D-day sites and the Bayeux tapestry - all in glorious sunshine. Kjeld & Meera Spillett, Kent |
| "Hi Ann, We had a fantastic holiday! We think the farmhouse is lovely, you have made it very homely! the location was superb, the weather brilliant. We didn’t expect to have such a good week! we spent most of our time sitting outside admiring the view plus we had a few barbecues, which is brilliant for march! Our main aim was to have a nice relaxing holiday, which we certainly did! we went for several walks and spent Thursday visiting Arromanche beaches.we agree with your choice of restaurant, we had two lovely meals in St Jullienne and would recommend it to anyone! we tried to get in to the farmhouse for a meal but were unable to do so, we'll leave that for next time! Thank you very much for the use of your farmhouse and we will certainly be thinking of visiting again! Can I just ask how long you have had the property and if you are going to convert the other buildings! Just a little discussion we had with our friends! thanks again regards" Maggie Ferguson, Cheshire |
Other hand written comments and letters received, can be found in our Visitor’s Book in the Farmhouse