Le Mas & Le Mazet

Set on a ridge in the southern Dordogne, Le Mas and Le Mazet sit within a twelve-minute drive of two bastide towns, their markets and cafés a short run from the gate. A private drive winds through woodland and open fields to reach the farmhouse, its walls built from honey-coloured stone in the 16th century. Roses, jasmine, wisteria and lavender grow against the walls and scent the terraces. Le Mas sleeps up to ten across five en-suite bedrooms, with thick stone walls, exposed beams and two working fireplaces warming the kitchen and sitting room. Its heated saltwater pool measures 10 by 5 metres. Beside it stands a converted barn, once used for drying tobacco, now an open-sided summer kitchen with a long table and gas barbecue. Le Mazet, the one-bedroom cottage next door, looks across the valley to an 11th-century village church and château, and keeps its own walled garden with sun loungers and a charcoal grill. Rented together, the two houses hold thirteen guests. A private chef, formerly of a Michelin-starred kitchen, can cook at Le Mas by arrangement, and a local baker delivers bread twice a week. Rupert and Franck, who live on the grounds in a former tobacco barn, manage bookings and local advice without getting underfoot. Garden fruit and nuts are free for guests to pick.