Studio apartment Rose in the Dordogne, with swimming pool & magnificent view

This is a very basic property that I would describe as one step above camping. It is all on one level with easy parking and very clean. The range top ran on propane. The heat takes hours to warm the room and in March the room was uncomfortably cold for the first 8 hours of our stay. After that, it was comfortable and we even had to turn the heat down. The owner, Ester, is Dutch, speaks fluent English, and is very accommodating. The town only has about 600 people and there is really nothing to do there. It is close to Brantome and Nontron. We used it as a stop on the way to Paris from the Dordogne and to go to the Nontron knife factory. We had previously purchased a Norton carving knife and were so happy with it that we were considering steak knives. It’s supposed to be only 15 minutes from Nontron, but with narrow windy roads, it took us longer. The property was overall accurately described except that there is no washing machine. Ester will do your wash for 2 Euros 50, but you must dry the clothes on a rack in your room. Our one miscommunication came when Ester gave us an invoice for our stay. Apparently, she doesn’t deal with Expedia very often and did not realize we pre-paid. Once she checked with Expedia, she sent us a text complaining about Expedia’s fees rather than apologizing for her error which I found inappropriate. We stayed two nights and I would describe it as cheap for France and you get what you pay for.

We had a fantastic stay at Abjat-sur-Bandiat. The apartment was clean, big enough for a family of 4 and in a beautiful setting. Ester could not have been more hospitable, during our stay. The boulangerie and creperie across the road made it a perfect location and we really enjoyed using the bikes on site to explore the local cycle routes.