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2005 Rates:
This comfortable and elegant chateau
is like a holiday fairy tale. Every detail has been
carefully considered to provide a perfect, classic French
rural vacation experience.
Chateau di Beaufort is owned by a
well known Australian interior designer and her French
American husband who’s family originally lived
in the area for generations. Now the couple live in
London and use the chateau as their country escape.
This property perfectly encapsulates
French holiday style. It is elegant but at the same
time rustic and comfortable.
 The
Château has been completely restored in 2003 and
has all new bathrooms and kitchen. On the property is
also the care takers house. He will be on hand through
out your stay to take care of the garden and maintain
the property generally. For an added fee and with advance
notice he can also take people to and from the train
station or airport and be the designated driver. There
are also other garages and out buildings on the property,
all suitably picturesque.
ACCOMODATION: The
main entrance to the villa is rarely used. Instead guests
tend to find the kitchen door more convenient. The kitchen
is spacious and rustic in feel with a long trestle table
and benches, granite work surfaces and an industrial
fridge. There is a large chest freezer in the cavernous
foundations and cellars of the chateau which are down
a flight of stairs from the kitchen.
There is a professional six burner
“La Canche” stove, Dulite toaster, Food
processor and electric kettle. This kitchen has been
equipped for serious cooks and is well out fitted with
crockery, cutlery, kitchen gadgets, pots and pans. From
the kitchen one steps straight out side to an out door
eating area with umbrellas, a large table and chairs,
verdant country side all around. Off the kitchen is
a powder room with toilet.
 Also
on the ground floor is the formal dining room and a
study with book cases, comfy sofa, Television, DVD and
video player. At the end of the hall is a large drawing
room with three sprawling sofas, a massive fire place,
a piano forte, a stereo with CD drive and a television
with DVD and video players as well as a mega telescope
and card table.
All rooms have double French doors
to the out side and stunning views of the garden and
fields beyond. The floors are ancient wood planking
with scattered Persian carpets.
On a chest in the hall way are light
carpets and cozy rugs for star gazing or picnicking.
Up stairs is the master bedroom which
has a walk in dressing room and an on suite bathroom
with shower over the bath tub. It has a chinoisery style
four poster bed and Toile d joy decorations.
There are two further double bedrooms,
one large and one small that share a bathroom. There
is a laundry with washer, dryer, iron and ironing board
as well as a room that is closed for the owners personal
use.
 On
the third floor under the eves of the chateau are three
children’s bedrooms, each with two adult size
single beds or bunks and another bathroom for shared
use. There is also a games room with ping pong table
The ceilings of these rooms are quite
beautiful soaring up to a height of nearly four meters
(about 12 feet) in the apex and all with the original
ancient chestnut beams exposed.
The chateau does not come with a telephone
but the owners will rent you a pay as you go phone for
the cost of the calls and an extra deposit against loss
or damage. There is good reception for guests own mobile
phones. In the case of a medical emergency the care
taker has a telephone.
THE GARDEN AND SURROUNDING
ENVIRONMENT: The Chateau is approached by
an impressive avenue of oak trees. The gardens and pool
are cared for by the care taker and comprise roses,
lavender, camellias, mature fruit trees and herbs. All
the land around the Château is owned by it and
includes several hectares of park with massive mature
trees both deciduous and non deciduous. There are no
near neighbors.
 The
pool is 16 meters by 6 meters and purified with salt
rather than chlorine. It has a wide semicircular step,
that effectively creates a perfect play area for (supervised)
toddlers. The interior is a speckled grey PVC that imitates
granite and is very beautiful. The pool area is paved
with a grey local stone and flanked by a long lavender
hedge and pots of lobelia, creating a sophisticated
and pleasing effect.
It is very private from both the
house and the staff who work on the estate and also
has a boules court, a rustic bathroom with toilet and
shower and a large gas BBQ for pool side dining. It
is a five minute walk from the main part of the chateau
and well furnished with lounges, umbrellas, tables and
chairs.
A ten minute walk from the Château
is a natural lake fed by a fresh water spring. This
lake is gorgeously clean and very cold and makes for
a pleasing alternative to the pool on hot summer days.
There is a small concession there in a charming antique
boat house selling drinks, ice creams and the best French
Fries we’ve ever eaten !
The village it’s self is walking
distance from the Chateau, picturesque, quaint and sleepy.
It has a delightful medieval church, a bread and pastry
shop and a bar. Every day the bar owner will produce
a local dish of the day hungry clients.
 With
in a few minutes drive are many restaurants of various
levels and types. Good food is not hard to find.
At Tulle (15 minutes drive) are large
supermarkets, shops and banks as well as a twice weekly
farmers market which is well worth visiting.
This part of France produces textiles
(Tulle) porcelain (limoge) and foi gras. All can be
had locally at extraordinarily low prices for fabulous
quality. Also in the area are horse riding, hiking,
canoeing and a wealth of medieval art and architecture
to explore.
LOCATION: Château
D’Beaufort is in La Roche Canillac near to Tulle.
In the Dordogne region. The nearest airport is Clairmont
Ferrano which is about 1 ½ hours drive from house,
followed by Limoge (about 3 hours). The nearest train
station is Brive, 40 minutes drive from house.
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Chateau
Beaufort
