“A place to unwind and experience a little of the magic France still offers,” says a visitor. Jean-Philippe Gautier, an architect, and his wife, Olivia, have restored their manor house, in a town south of Poitiers, while preserving its old character. “Madame loves her beautiful 18th-century home. It is not for those who want a standard hotel experience (bars, room service, etc). The feel is almost Tuscan: mellow stone, eau de nil paintwork, large terracotta pots, all in a lovely walled garden cocooned from the outside world, though it is on a busy Route Nationale.” You should avoid the rooms that face the road. There are exposed stone walls, parquet floors and paving; an iron balustrade, lit by wall sconces, curves up from the entrance hall; oak stairs are highly polished. Stone walls surround the garden, with its “amazing, long” (35-metre) swimming pool, tubs of clipped box trees, and orchard. On fine evenings, the no-choice dinner, using locally-sourced and organic produce, is served outdoors by candlelight: “We found the food well thought out and tasty.” Vegetarians should give prior notice. Breakfast, also alfresco, has “delicious jams made with fruits from the garden”. In the games room, a “beautifully converted” beamed attic the length of the house, are old board games, and antique snooker and billiard tables.