Villa des Thermes
Around Saint Jean d'Angély
Villa des Thermes holiday rental in the Charente Maritime region of Sw France is very centrally located for all the main towns, places of interest and of course the beaches.
La Rochelle, Royan and Rochefort on the coast and Poitiers, Angouleme and Niort inland are all just an easy one hours drive away at most. Saintes and Cognac are closer still and have plenty to keep both adults, children and toddlers occupied and entertained. Even Bordeaux with its world famous vineyards and wineries are just a 1hr30 drive away. The Coast with hundreds of miles of coastline is just an easy 1hrs drive . There is a great indoor swimming pool centre, park, lake and river with kayaking in St Jean d'Angély (2.3km, 30 min walk). The links below take you to our child friendly gites blog posts with more detail on each main town and tourist attractions .
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Saintes and Cognac
Saintes is just a 30 minute drive from our family holiday villa here in the Charente Maritime region of south west France. Because of its noteworthy Gallo-Roman, medieval and classical heritage, Saintes is a popular tourist destination and a member of the French Towns and Lands of Art and History since 1990. It has several museums, a theater, cinemas, and organizes numerous festivals. A European center of musical research and practice is in its Abbaye aux Dames and in the summer holidays holds spectacular events in the fantastic ampitheatre.
All Cognac is brandy but not all brandy is Cognac - Cognac can only be made in a specific area surrounding this French town of the same name in the Charente department of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of south western France and is just an easy 45min drive from our holiday accommodation.
The town itself is a prosperous one with medieval cobbled streets that fan out from a delightful riverside quarter. On the river is where you'll find the largest concentration of chais or cellars where the Cognac is matured. There are many Cognac houses to visit including Otard, Martell and Hennessy Cognac, you'll discover the fine art of Cognac making and the secret of blending, as all run regular tours throughout the year and all end with a tasting.
La Rochelle
When staying with us at Villa des Thermes in the Charente Maritime region of western France, La Rochelle is a 'must see' and very probably number one on our list of days out after Saint Jean d'Angely of course.
The area has been inhabited since before Roman times. The Romans used the area for the production of salt (still produced today on the salt flats of the nearby Ile de Re and Il d'Oleron)and of wine. It became an important port in the 12th century; became English for 12 years in the 14th century and then became an independent protestant republic in the 16th century. More recently it was an important German stronghold during the war with a submarine base and was the last French city to be liberated. Today La Rochelle has a population of around 80,000 and is an important tourist centre being the third most visited city in France.
Being just an easy one hour drive from St Jean d,Angely,
La Rochelle has so much to offer for a full day out.
Saint Jean d'Angély
The town of Saint Jean d’Angély has had a long and brutal history. The Abbey is the main feature of the town. It was founded in the ninth century to house a relic of Saint John the Baptist, and rebuilt in the 14th, 17th and 18th centuries because of repeated destruction. The Abbey was then abandoned and is now a listed building.
Saint Jean d’Angély is situated on the pilgrim route that led to Santiago de Compostela]the edifice still constitutes a major stopping-off point for pilgrims.
Other sights to see are the clock tower and the museum des cordeliers.
After practicing your French chatting to the producers and picking up some local delights for your evening meal you can relax in a café bar and watch the local life go by. There are numerous bars where you can sit outside and soak up the atmosphere of this small French town. ‘Rum runners’ is a popular one located on the place du Pilori. The town also boasts a good selection of restaurants from simple bistros to top class cuisine. Le Scorlion and Hotel de la place are two of our favourites.
The town has been known for it's underground hot springs since Roman times. They are presently being developed into a new thermal station by Valvital on the site of the old military barracks, due to be opening in 2026.
