Le Chevrefeuille Gites de Charme

My husband and I just returned from our two-week stay at Le Chevrefeuille. I am so excited to share my review as it was a wonderful home base for us. Sara and Ian were superb hosts, ensuring we had all we needed to be comfortable. We rented La Petite Maison and it was just perfect for us. We loved the inverted design of this charming gîte, with the kitchen and living space on the top floor, where you can open the windows and view the grounds and equestrian center next door, and two bedrooms and bath (with radiant heated floor) on the lower level. This is a farmstead estate, giving you a more authentic French country experience than staying in a hotel, which is just what we wanted. La Petite Maison has been updated with a gourmet kitchen and open floor plan that retains its rustic 17th century charm but has modern amenities. In the bedrooms, there is lots of closet space with drawers to store clothes. The beds/bedding are very comfortable, and it is so peaceful at night with just the crickets to lull you to sleep. WiFi works well. We often spent nights after our day's adventures in front of the wood stove relaxing and sipping wine, enjoying the night sounds and the moon rising. Sara provided a curated list of restaurants in the area and was generous in offering advice about most important places to visit. Be prepared to eat and drink in Perigord Noir: the food and wine in the region is delicious (lots of duck, locally produced fois gras, interesting charcuterie and cheese, walnuts, seasonal produce). We also took Ian’s cooking class which was a highlight. Ian is a gifted chef and teacher, and together Ian and Sara have a well-orchestrated approach to the classes. We made crusted/toasted cabécou and duck salad, a delicious cepes and chestnut cream sauce for our pork wellington, and chocolate souffle for dessert (see pics), each course paired with the perfect regional wine. The class is held in an open but covered outdoor kitchen area, so of course, weather sometimes does not cooperate. It poured rain one day when we were scheduled for class and understandably it had to be canceled (I was grateful—would have been unpleasant!) but we rescheduled on much nicer day. We had a wonderful time and learned a great deal about regional ingredients and cooking processes/techniques. I was surprised to read a previous review (also in May) from someone who was angry about a class cancellation, resulting in assigning a one-star rating—I was taken aback that someone would post this publicly as a “review”, so if you see this, ignore it! The cooking school is a small operation and it is truly special. Sometimes flexibility is needed! The location of Le Chevrefeuille is perfect, convenient to everything you’d want to see. Nothing is very far away by car and there are bikes you can use, too. The town of St. Cyprien (where the Sunday morning market is a must) is just about 4 km and the popular town of Sarlat is about 17km. The lovely village of Les Eyzies is 6km away and is home to the Musée de Préhistoire Nationale and some nice restaurants we enjoyed. The famous Lascaux caves are also relatively short drive away, where you can visit Lascaux II and IV. We visited many beautiful châteaus and gardens throughout the area (e.g., Marqauyssac, Béynac, Milandes, etc.) and there are countless charming villages to explore. Le Chevrefeuille is also a good base for slightly longer drives (we went to Brantôme and to Rocamodour for example, both a 1.5'ish hours away). Just driving in the area is a delight, with one captivating medieval hamlet after the next, rivers, valleys, meadows, forest, and gorgeous natural scenery through narrow winding roads. It is like visiting the land of fairy tales. In Perigord Noir, life’s pace slows, and you feel a deep sense of connection to human history. It was hard for us to leave. I highly recommend Le Chevrefeuille!