In 2005 we spent a lovely summer holiday in the Poitou-Charente region of France and at the end of our stay, we did not want to go home to Jersey.
That’s when the planning started! After months of research on the internet and visiting a French property exhibition in London, we decided to take the plunge and contacted several estate agents in France before narrowing down our search to the Vendée and Poitou-Charente regions.
A house-hunting trip was organised for March 2006 and many properties were viewed. On the second day we visited Lairoux in the Vendée and immediately liked the look of the large house and gardens – seeing the potential for Gites!
On our return to Jersey we put our house up for sale and let our employers know that we would be leaving Jersey at some point in the near future! Both house sales went through in July and the next few months were spent renovating & redecorating the house in France.
The main house dates back to the 1870’s and has had a varied past. Over the years it has been a focal point for the village – as it used to contain the village café, restaurant & Salle des Fêtes. The Salle des Fêtes still exists and is now used as a communal games room for guests.
We share our house and gardens with a menagerie of pets and wildlife - having brought our cat Delilah over from Jersey and being adopted by the local village cats.
