Philippe was an excellent host, very attentive to our needs. He provided an informative tour of the winery and its associated history. The location is excellent, with stunning views of the surrounding vineyards and St. Emilion, only a few kilometers away. The land is flat and ideal for jogging/walking on the scenic and seldomly used roads that wind through the vineyards.
The historical lodgings are attractive, spacious and well equipped, having been recently, completely, skillfully and very tastefully renovated with a large modern kitchen including a table that can easily sit 8 people, a spacious and comfortable living room and bedroom on the main floor with separate shower/sink (including laundry facilities) and toilet rooms. The second floor has two bedrooms, one which is very large and well equipped to accommodate and entertain children and another spacious bedroom, toilet room and separate master shower/sink.
The deck is large (at least 1,200 square feet) and also well equipped including dining table and above ground pool for dipping.
The property is well located with local access to St. Emilion (a UNESCO site but very touristy), the small town of Branne with several very good restaurants and grocery and fresh fish stores. Not far away is the larger town of Libourne with excellent restaurants and larger stores. Nearby Créon also has an excellent street market and bicycle path (as well as rental) that leads to Bordeaux to the west and a more rural setting to the east. We bicycled east on the bike path and had an excellent day, with superb scenery (shaded by the bordering trees/shrubbery on a hot, sunny day, and a superb lunch in a local restaurant in one of the towns near the path).
Nearby to the west, is Bordeau and the coast with beautiful sandy beaches and to the east, more hilly terrain, with sites like the town built on a cliff (Rocamadour) and the close by Gouffre de Padirac, an amazing underground cave that goes on for miles with a waterway navigable in a gondola like boat.
We truly enjoyed our sejour here and highly recommend it, for the hospitality, wine (the Chateau Arcole Grand Cru is excellent), lodgings and surrounding countryside.