Guest comments

Thank you to both you and Razia for such a wonderful, relaxing holiday. You have created something very special with Artagnan. A unique, luxurious rural French stay with all a family’s needs taken care of:

The house was simply stunning – we both loved lots of pieces of furniture and the towels were so soft. 

The gardens and pool just perfect for the boys to explore and play whilst being safe under our watchful eyes.

The sheep and chickens – what can i say?? The boys adored feeding them and learning all about them and we’ve had several requests for them as pets now we are home!! 

Thank you for the childcare you offered – I know little George was challenging initially but thank you for persevering with him. His farewells to you both are testament to how much he loved his time with you. 

The service you both provided with the food and drink was a lifesaver and made my life of feeding my brood so much simpler.  

Above all, thank you both for being so kind and welcoming. You bent over backwards to ensure we felt looked after and had the best holiday.  Well – it worked – I don’t think, since having children we’ve ever had such an amazing, family holiday where Neil and I enjoyed it as much as the boys. 

We have loved our holidays at Artagnan so much that this was our 6th! year …. and it was every bit as great as previous years. Tim & Razia are super hosts and go out of their way to create a lovely relaxed environment for everyone to be able to have a holiday. We can’t recommend highly enough!

What a wonderful week! You have provided a wonderful weeks holiday and the boys have ABSOLUTELY loved every minute they’ve spent here. The care and attention you provide in everything here at Artagnan is so unique and makes it such an enjoyable holiday. Thank you for a fantastic week.

Thank you for the most amazing holiday. We could not have asked for more to get us into the holiday spirit – you have quite literally thought of everything; from the amazing childcare, to the wonderfully equipped kitchen, to the toys, to the restaurant recommendations. A little piece of heaven – we shall definitely be back! xx

You have created perfection and what I thought did not exist for families with small children – a relaxing holiday where everyone is happy! Your kindness and care make Artagnan the beautiful haven it is – thank you for everything and see you next year! XXX

Well what can we say, what a brilliant place! Not a detail has been left out, the kids absolutely loved all the toys! Most importantly, Tim & Razia are the perfect hosts who really go out of their way to make your holiday special. The childcare they provided in particular was amazing Max (2) & Callum (1) loved feeding the sheep and chickens and they’ve taken so much away from this holiday. THANK YOU XXX

A brilliant holiday at Artagnan and even better than last year. Your hospitality, kindness and warm welcome combined with your endless energy mean we have had a proper rest and return home feeling more normal! The children simply adore you Tim and Razia – thank you for all that you have done to make their holiday memorable.

Thanks you all for another wonderful stay. This is a magical place.

Over the years, we’ve come to realise that when you walk through the gates of Artagnan, there’s no option but to relax and have a wonderful time. The boys have loved their days cooking, eating, playing games and swimming. We’ve unwound bathed in the peace and quiet and forgotten about the real world. Perfect. Thank you, as always for your kindness, friendship and help. We love it here.

Thank you for another fantastic week at Artagnan. We have loved our time here, as always. To experience the excitement of the Tour de France (stage 18 started in Trie!) was an added bonus. Henry & Steffi have had a fabulous time at the barn – cooking, collecting eggs and the many games of Croque – Carotte! Thanks again from us all xxxx

It has been so lovely to return to Artagnan. We can’t really describe how wonderful it has been – Thank you all so, so much. Our sadness at leaving is tempered by knowing we will be back! Thank you for your kindness, eggs, hospitality and for being so brilliant with the girls who have loved every minute. Thank you from all of us

Razia, Tim, Louis, Eva, George & Abbie. Thank you all for your great welcome and huge kindness – SO very much appreciated xxxxx

We had another wonderful time making memories that we will treasure. You couldn’t be kinder more helpful hosts – our girls absolutely LOVED their time in the barn with all of the “young dudes” HUGE thanks for another incredible holiday

Another unforgettable and magical year – Artagnan just gets better and better. The boys have loved every moment. Razia & Tim thank you doesn’t really cover it! You have given us all the most wonderful, happy holiday. Endless fun, games, tractor rides, Top Trumps, baking and the stomp rocket! We feel so lucky to have found this amazing place. Thank you for such a restorative and fabulous holiday XX

This is our second beautiful stay in this fabulous retreat. The children (and baby) were smiling from ear to ear. As were we. As ever Tim & Razia were wonderful hosts. Thank you again for our stay.

We have just returned from our third stay with extended family in 7 years at the wonderful Artagnan in South West France. If you are looking for a beautiful, fully equipped, relaxed and child friendly home to stay in with family/friends this absolutely fits the bill. The incredibly kind Coleman family couldn’t be better hosts. They organise shopping for when you arrive but happily arrange local delicious prepared food made by local talented cooks/chefs so you can get there knowing you can relax, eat well and leave the fun market foraging for another day.

From Monday to Friday they also offer three hours complimentary childcare, they are a true family business and their lovely teenage children all muck in and lend a hand, which my girls and nieces love. My youngest was crying herself to sleep last night missing them.. a true endorsement if ever there was one! They bake, do crafts, play fun games outside, feed the animals, collect eggs, have discos.. honestly done with such kindness and care. 

Every single thing you can think of (and lots you don’t) for young babies up to young teens is provided. Table tennis, basketball, badminton, bikes, trikes, mini tractors…! Tonnes of toys especially selected for the ages arriving are so helpful and really minimise the packing! 

They have chickens, sheep, frogs and lizards (all v friendly!!) to provide extra entertainment.. our girls absolutely LOVED them. There is a cute little water park 15 mins away which we went to twice and lots of lovely villages to visit. 

Besides all that the house is absolutely beautiful and comfortable and despite it being extremely child friendly it remains a lovely space to be in, ie still a fab place for grown ups too. I’ll stop banging on now, just LOVE it and wanted to share!

They book up v quickly with return guests so get in touch soon if you’re hoping for next year.

Fantastic place, fantastic people, fantastic experience. Every detail and need thought of. Every eventuality catered for. Our time here has been way more than a holiday. Thank you for your expertise and warmth. Look forward to seeing you again

You could easily be wowed by the warm as a bath pool, the fine food or the grand home and views but in truth it’s the people that make Artagnan truly special.

Soon I will revisit the emotional and logistical chaos of the last few weeks that saw us arrive at the door of this fine French home mildly hungover, after an emotional goodbye to friends, and with our underwear and crockery falling out of the car as we opened the doors. But right now I am too content, relaxed and full to talk about anything other than the positive experience we have had here.
It’s hard to fully portray the effort and energy that has gone into making this a relaxing holiday for parents in one blog. Every detail from bath toys, cupboard locks, play pens and toys is in place to distract children and reassure parents. Even the pantry is stocked full of wet wipes, calpol and cutlery for toddlers. My two year old wasn’t even interested in the mountain of tractors he was too interested in feeding the chickens and tormenting the sheep. Travel cots and play pens were strategically placed so my 6 month old could be safely with us when playing outside and in the pool.
On our first night we accepted an invitation to have a drink with the owners Razia, Tim and their son George, who was terrorised by my two year old until the teenager had to retire to bed for a rest. The cheese was good, the trout tasty, the foie gras surprisingly edible and the wine even better. My eldest could get where water couldn’t. He is an escape artist but here he is fenced in by animals and fields of sunflowers, slides and a lily pond (behind a fence). The garden is extensive and safe. Which meant we could relax. My husband and I actually ate, drank and talked to each other.
We thought it was just a pleasant evening but in truth it served as the ice breaker that meant my two year old, the child who has never had a baby sitter and screamed so much at a creche he and I were both asked to leave, actually ran out of the door the following day to play with Tim and Razia. They looked after the children for two hours, singing, baking and playing with them. We felt guilty for handing them over on our family holiday, …… Listen to me trying to justify it! We felt guilty for five minutes, then we actually talked, and drank our coffee hot! We haven’t been on our own for months, we have no babysitters or family on hand in France, we share our bed every night with the children, we go everywhere with the kids and it was nice to have two hours to do whatever we wanted. I forgot I quite like his company. Granted we sat in the garden meters from them and able to hear them most of the time, we could even see them. But that’s not the point. They went somewhere without us and they were fine! They loved it.
When they came back we were even keener to play dinosaurs than when they left. Recharged. That’s how we will feel leaving this place. A few days of family time, playing in the garden and the pool until bed time. Using the local cook who provided meals, reading seven books to the children because we have no time pressure to be anywhere. Making precious memories before in the blink of an eye they turn into teenagers who don’t want to talk to me.
Full marks and appreciation to the Coleman family who have turned their home into luxurious haven. Thanks for having us.

Thank you Tim and Razia for a restful and special family holiday. Artagnan has a great reputation but our experience surpassed all of our expectations – everything had been planned and thought of down to the minor details and this eliminated the stress and strains that go with with usual holidays. The location is quiet and peaceful and Henry & Emily loved playing with all the toys, feeding the chickens and visiting you next door. Thank you for your hospitality and generosity.

Artagnan lives up to and exceeds its reputation; we were told we would love it and we do. Thank you so much for a magical 10 days; you have created a unique holiday for families. The idyllic and tranquil setting is wonderfully peaceful and you have thought of everything to make it a totally stress free break, from all of your incredible hospitality, to the endless tractor rides, the animal feeding, the baking, the craft activities it has been a very special holiday. The children would happily stay forever (without us!).

We absolutely love our holidays at Artagnan and have just completed our fourth consecutive year. If you are looking for a quieter holiday (which we always are!) then this area of rural France is perfect; it is rural, simple and quiet and gives to your children the ability to have fun, outdoor adventures in a safe environment. Tim & Razia are an integral part of the holiday. The success of their secret recipe is that they want you all to have a lovely holiday – and they go out of their way to help you achieve this – from doing the weekly shop before you arrive, to making sure the house is looking perfect for each persons stay, to taking the children off most mornings for fun-filled hours of cooking, art, bike rides, swings, egg collecting, pond dipping ……. and to being on hand to help give advice on local things to do or to organise somewhere for supper or to go riding. For us it is the Swallows and Amazons type of holiday that we want for them – where they are learning about themselves and having experiences in the best way possible! Activities are all based appropriately for the children’s ages.