guest comments

Here comments received from previous guests (adults and children!).

"How lovely to return for a second stay at this beautiful,, relaxing place! We have thoroughly enjoyed experiencing all the aspect which make Le Pourtaou so special - the genuine friendliness of our hosts, the breathtaking views, comfortable and homely accommodation. Our family has spent a week playing together, spending time which we rarely get to enjoy so freely at home. The children adore the dogs and were thrilled to see them again...! We have felt relaxed, happy and safe thanks to the generous hospitably of Paul and Nicola - you should bottle it - (like the perfume we spent a blissful afternoon making from your fabulous fragrant garden!) We hope to return PS Hope the sloe gin is a success! - Off to harvest damons!!"

"I swam without my jacket for the first time! I loved the doggies they licked my chocolate (coated-face!!)" Noah (3)

"Thank you for letting us stay in your beautiful house. I have really enjoyed relaxing by the pool and watching the mountains. It has been lovely meeting the dogs again, their soooo sweet!" Dulcie (10)

"I had a lovely time staying here. My favourite bit was going on the cable cars." Florence (7)

"We have had a fantastic 2 weeks here. Superb location for us as close to the mountains but not chilly in mornings and evenings. Loads to do around this areas, we managed some downhill mountain biking from Locacycles, Kayaking from Valcabrère, bungee jumping from Pont Napoleon in Luz and some wonderful if challenging mountain walks. Accommodation was spotlessly clean and a very good size. Pool very welcome and views to die for. Paul and Nicola gave us a warm welcome when we arrived but then blended into the background almost unnoticed, I say almost because every morning as if by magic the pool cover would be open and sun lounger cushiosn distributed and ready for action (thanks Paul!) Not a lot else to say really, we came here hoping to have a fantastic holiday and are leaving having had a fantastic holiday...JOB DONE!!

"We have had a lovely holiday, the gîte was perfect and the pool and views quite outstanding. We were really grateful for the wonderful welcome pack when we arrived here late on Saturday night and for all Paul and Nicola help. We walked part of the GR10 but also some beautiful walks around the valley du Lys, the thermal pool called Balnea was worth the trip and good for families on a rainy day. We visited the garden " Les jardins de la Poteries" as recommended by the previous people which was another good trip. Sadly the cafe was closed but it looked as if it would have been really delicious! Thank you for having us!"

"We particularly admired Saint-Bertrand and attended a superb choral concert at eh cathedral - the areas seems blessed with a succession of musical events. Les jardins de la Poteries near Boulougne-sur-Serre is exceptional, created over 20 years - a garden full of charm and surprises, not least the salon de thé and its amazing gateaux de la Maison."

"We have had a splendid stay, very relaxing which was much needed. The gîte is in a perfect setting surrounded by beautiful countryside and was very comfortable. Great fun was had in the pool and enjoyable trips out. Thank you Paul and Nicola for sharing your home with others."

"We have had a terrific week here; filled with fun with the gorgeous dogs, mostly scorching days, great cycling in the mountains for Dad and exploring the pretty area. For cyclists we recommend the Port de Bales finishing at Luchon, where we would recommend tea and cake/ice-cream at eh Place de The. Luchon is a really pretty and is definitely worth a visit. The Auberge at Charlas is very good, open air for dinner, Friday Saturday and Sunday evenings. The gîte is very comfortable and one of the best places in France we've stayed in. We have really enjoyed our stay!"

"We have thoroughly enjoyed our week in the gîte, it has been the perfect place for our family. We have not needed to leave the gîte often as the children have been happy to play in the beautiful grounds and pool. Nicola and Paul have been the perfect hosts; they have been helpful and made us feel relaxed. The kids are already asking when we will return. We thoroughly enjoyed our day at Luchon, the town itself was really pretty and the cable-car trip breath-taking. We hope to explore more of the Pyrenees when we return - the views have been amazing - in a week we have not grown bored of looking at it! A great week in a well kept and designed gîte, the welcome pack and dogs added to a really personal touch. Many thanks."

"I loved playing in the pool, sunbathing in the fab weather and playing with the dogs!"

"Thanks for a great holiday, very relaxing in a beautiful setting. The children had great fun in the pool with the crocodile and enjoyed picking and eating tomatoes from the green house! Thanks for the welcome pack, much appreciated!"

"This is our third visit and yet again we have had a wonderful holiday! Paul and Nicola are wonderful hosts and have a great gîte that is ideal for families wanting to relax and play by the pool or couples to tour the area. Our visits to the Pyrenees have bee spectacular, the girls thoroughly enjoyed going to the cable cars up to the Pic du Midi and also Superbagnères. We were lucky to be here when the Tour de France cycle race was in the Pyrenees - Matt and Evie have dared to say they would like to cycle the Col de Tourmalet - s we will definitely be back! The dogs are lovely and the girls have had a great time throwing the ball for them. Thank you again for making our holiday great, hope to see you again!"

"We enjoyed 2 weeks (nearly!) cycling in this lovely if challenging area of France. 2 Days not cycling as the weather was disappointing to say the least in week 1. Week 2 however was as expected - hot and sunny all the time. The gîte is very comfortable with all the facili9ties you would want and the starter provisions most welcome. Paul and Nicola have been very helpful and welcoming keeping their friendly dogs under control where necessary! All in all a wonderful holiday retreat.!

"We have enjoyed possibly one of the most relaxing weeks of our life here. The accommodation is exceptionally well appointed, the grounds and the pool are the stuff of dreams and the views are simply stunning. It has been difficult to wrench ourselves away to explore the region but we have visited St Bertrand De C and can recommend the trip as well as Pau and Luchon, also a trip to St Girons is well worth the effort. Equally you can just give on to indolence and soak up some sun around the pool. Paul and Nicola have been superb hosts and our welcome pack was more than we could have expected and more than generous too! We can only wish whoever follows weather as good as we have enjoyed - often mid 40s! Many thanks to Paul and Nicola and to all that follow - Bon vacances!"

"Good stay, fantastic gîte with brilliant hospitality. Views to remember for life. Top tips on things to do would be (in no particular order): Take a coffee in Aspet square on a Wednesday morning (market day), Drive to Luchon, take the ski lift to the top, take care to choose a clear day. Have lunch in Luchon. Canoe from Valcabrère, two man canoe, take some lunch, stop and swim. Takes about 2 - 2½ hours to Montréjeau. The van then picks you up. Go to Auch - historic centre - choose a day when it's not raining! Beautiful cathedral and old centre. Drive to La Mongie and take the cable car up the Pic du Midi, the drive and the scenery and the "heart stopping" cable cars are all are all worth it. Spend hours choosing cheese and bread and eat it while drinking beer and dossing by the pool!!! (Probably an easy favourite). Play with the dogs!!"

"A combination of "home from home" and hotel with full facilities. Nearest supermarket is LeClerc at St Gaudens, only 10 mins away...Pic du Midi well worth the trip but you won't need gloves, hats etc. it was very warm up there! Eat before you go up because the restaurant is pricey and the snack bar very disappointing. everything in French so read up on it before you go. St Gaudens market worth a look but get there before 1:00pm. Château de Pau worth a visit, guided tours by French speaking guide...Town very attractive. Paul and Nicola are great - there if you need them but you wouldn't know they were here otherwise!"

"Thoughtful touches in preparation of gîte. Thank you. recommendations for future guests: The forest walk/arboretum...is lovely to cool off on a hot day, even better is you have bikes. On a Wednesday there is a market in Aspet. We had a drink on the market square then headed over the Col de Porte d'Aspet to St Girons - lovely mountain scenery and plenty of little places to stop for lunch. The local "pizzeria/gril" in St Marcet (only 5 mins away) is friendly, nice and inexpensive. We already knew the area well but if you don't other places worth a visit would be the Parc Animalier in Argeles Gazost - small but really nice, Auch, nice swimming lakes in L'Isle Jourdain, even Toulouse if you get a wet day because there is lots to do there, Luchon, the Pic du Midi cable car at La Mongie is inexpensive but breathtaking."

"We were brought here because we needed accommodation for a family celebration in St Marcet but added a few days holiday as a taster for this part of France. We are now hooked by the area and the gîte and your generous hospitality and wonderful accommodation. We hope to be back next year with a hire car so we can explore much more. We have used the St Marcet taxi (Michel) who has been superb and delightful company. St Gaudens is so good simply because is it itself and now given over to tourism - just very welcoming to visitors. "

"We had a lovely relaxing week here. Wonderful countryside, amazing hosts, and the "goodies" on our arrival were just the best! We had a "fig-feast" - great! Best wishes and congratulations on creating a very special place - we will definitely be back!"

"Great week - increasingly hot! Perfect arrangement of house and pool and garden - just right for relaxing and doing nothing. Views not bad either.... Thanks for the welcome flowers and wine and food - a really easy arrival and everything worked - a real treat!"

"It has been great fun reading by the pool with the beautiful view. Then going for a swim in the heat. Overall a great week! Hope to come again!!!

"Lovely fun dogs. Milly is very sweet and loving. Coco mad and fun. Always wants attention. Blue and Carys inseparable and inquisitive!"

"We have had a lovely week here. We have enjoyed the pool and the beautiful views. Thank you for providing food and wine in the fridge on our arrival, and for all you thoughtfulness."

"Very relaxing week & we enjoyed the gîte and the fantastic views. Children enjoyed the swimming pool & the company of the dogs. Going home very chilled out! Thank you."

"Much more luxurious than we are used to! Lovely pool with wonderful views of the Pyrenees! Thanks!" "Lots of lovely space perfect for playing games and lovely flower arrangements." "Great fun with lots of space to play football and cricket and lots of board games to play in the evening."

"Our second visit here and we were not disappointed. A lovely welcome from Nicola and Paul and the dogs. The gîte is perfect - it has everything anyone could need. We don't usually return to a gîte - but this one is very special. Thank you."

"Many thanks for a wonderfully relaxing time in such a fantastic location. we really enjoyed our stay. Home from home. Loved the dogs, can't wait to get to see ours again!"

"A wonderful location and a perfect gîte. This is the perfect place to escape the stresses and strains of modern lives. Stunning view and a great location to visit the area. The nearby mountains around Luchon and Gavarnie offer wonderful views and wildlife. Many thanks. We hope to be able to visit again!"

"We've all had a wonderful three weeks "getting away from it all" in England (& Germany). This is easily the best gîte we've stayed in in among very many across France & Italy, with excellent facilities, beautiful pool and views, and well placed to get out and about. We've walked in the mountains (Gavarnie, above Luchon, Col d'Aspet), seen some lovely churches (St Bertrand, St Ligier, Toulouse et al) and enjoyed some splendid site (e.g Carcassonne, Col de Tourmalet, birds of prey at Arreau). We hope to return some day to see the rest!"

"Our second visit which was even better than last time, which was fantastic. The week has gone too quickly - we'll have to stay a fortnight next. Blue was very cute. It was great staying up to see the fireworks. I had great fun watching the fireworks and talking to you too."

"Enjoyed our visit. The views are to die for!!! Hope to meet you again sometime."

"Our third trip and I still love it here. Would really love to come back, but now we've bought our own Maison Française perhaps we will visit you instead. Love your gîte, your hospitality and you."

"A lovely house in an ideal setting! Thank you for making our flying trip a good one."

"We have spent two weeks wondering if anyone lives in this area of France - deserted streets in the day and dark houses at night. Real escape from the stress of living in hotels, airplanes and many countries. Congratulations for creating a great escape, wonderful views, two seasides and stunning mountains.

"Well, what can we add to the comments we made last year which prompted our second visit. We thank you once again for their generosity and hospitality. We recommend the canoes/kayaks at Les Pagares. The quad bikes are also good value for money (20 minutes south of Pau). We also recommend La Pyrène restaurant (St Gaudens) for a varied menu, nice atmosphere at a very reasonable price. It was great fun to meet and mix with the locals at Larcan. Thank you!"

"We have had a wonderful fortnight. We were very grateful for the late-night lift from the station and into town - and for all the goodies in the fridge and vegetable garden. Thank you for your hospitality and congratulations on creating a wonderful gîte."

"A beautiful location, comfortable accommodation, great hospitality and a whole week off watching the World Cup. Who could ask for more?"

"Superb gîte, b & b great. Thanks for your hospitality. We fell in love with your views & our weather here too. We really want to come back some day."

" Many thanks for a wonderful week in your beautiful house. We had a relaxing time enjoying the scenery, food and the Armagnac. We were made to feel very welcome from the moment that we arrived and would love to come back."

"Fantastic accommodation in a beautiful location and the most hospitable gîte owners we've met. We had a fantastic few days visiting Luchon, spending the day up the mountain, sledging, snowball fighting and building snowmen - everything we could have wished for and sunshine!!! Roll on next year when the kids will be old enough to start skiing."

"The ideal place from which to explore this beautiful countryside. We doubt there's a gîte with a better mountain view or a warmer welcome. You have achieved a great deal in a short time and are obviously continuing their efforts to make it perfect. We are sad to head north again into the cold and rain after superb autumn weather."

"We would like to thank you for your hospitality and generous welcome pack in addition to their superb garden produce. The gîte is exemplorary set amidst beautiful surroundings. We can whole heartedly recommend this to our friends as this is the best gîte we have stayed in in our 20 years of French holidaying. We will definitely be back in August 2006."

" Lovely house and pool - fantastic views (eventually!! when the weather cleared up.) Thanks for looking after us so well - aren't French hospitals wonderful!!"

"Had a lovely, relaxing two weeks here at "Le Pourtaou". Just chillin'!!! We are truly jealous of your beautiful location. It is definitely a view we will always remember. David and Christopher had a fantastic time in the pool and will never forget playing with Coco and Milly. Thank you for making us welcome".

"We've had an absolutely fantastic week. Gîte brilliant!! We hope to come again." "Fantastic view. Milly and Coco great. Swimming pool wonderful."

"Lovely, peaceful break again - just what we needed after the trauma of house moving, see you again."

"Beautiful house and a pleasure to come back to every day. Our 2½ weeks have been an experience that hopefully will now be our reality too, as this time we also found our dream location and house. Thanks to both of you for your kind thoughts and insight to living in France. See you both soon."

"Fantastic gîte, superb base for exploring the area and what a view on a crisp, frosty morning. Thanks for the hospitality. It was a real home from home."

"Wonderful autumn break, glorious colours (who needs New England?), weather marvellous, all against backdrop of snow topped mountains!"

"Thank you for a fabulous holiday - beautiful spot, lovely house. We all adored the pool."

"Beautiful scenery, tranquil, no hustle or bustle! The girls loved "training" Milly and Coco and the pool was bliss long into the evenings. Thank you for a wonderful break."

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