5 Child and Dog Friendly Places to Stay in France

With two trips across the Channel with our kids and pooch already under our belts this year, I wanted to give a run down of some fab child and dog friendly places to stay in France. From large family houses to chambre d’hôtes, B&Bs and Air BnBs – we’ve found some gems. Anywhere that happily welcomes a family with three kids and a big dog is definitely worth checking out! I have not been paid or bribed to stay at any of these places, I just love to pass on some good finds where I can.

Le Vieux Logis – chambre d’hôtes

This lovely chambre d’hôtes is based just outside Rouen and we stopped for one night on a drive down from Calais to Limoges.

The owners have a dog of their own and welcome guests with dogs. With three bedrooms in the main house and a separate family suite across the garden, there are options for different group sizes. We stayed in the family room which had a double, two singles, a travel cot and plenty of space to put a dog bed. It had a large en-suite bathroom with shower.

If you book ahead, a three course meal with wine and coffee is available in the dining room, where you eat with the other guests and the owners. We settled our dog, Buddy, outside in the garden while we ate as he is a bit of a pest at the dining table (he’s a greyhound so his nose is table height!) but well behaved dogs are allowed inside.

Breakfast in the morning is also served with other guests in the dining room, and is a classic croissant, coffee and orange juice affair, although a special round of hot chocolate was served for the kids!

(Le Vieux Logis, 1 Place de l’Eglise, 27370 ST DIDIER DES BOIS)

Chez Skerrit – Large family holiday house

This amazing large property is based just outside the village of Rochechouart near Limoges and is just perfectly set up for large groups. With a main house and various smaller properties, it is ideal for those that want to socialise but also have access to their own space.

As well as a massive garden, this property has its own fully enclosed field. With the front gate closed, the garden is very secure and you can feel comfortable letting pooch potter around. There’s even a very friendly dog next door who waits at the fence for a sniff and tail wag every day. Buddy had an amazing week!

For the kids there is a play room stacked with books and games, along with table football  and a Wii console. In the garden as well as the pool and and a well stocked games shed, there is a massive trampoline and a barn with a table tennis table.

And if that wasn’t enough, there is also a fully functioning pizza oven building! The kids totally loved making and cooking their own pizzas.

Domaine de Nesvres

This beautiful chambre and table d’hôtes, not too far South of Beaune, is run by lovely French couple Adeline and Michel. It is set on a Medieval farm which has been lovingly renovated and restored. There are five guest rooms and we stayed in the family room which had a double, two singles and a small toddler bed (which was just a bit too grown up for Baby DaisLikeThese so we put up her travel cot). There was plenty of room for the dog bed too.

The views from our room were stunning and the grounds were beautiful. As well as a little playhouse in the courtyard, the boys also enjoyed the swings in the garden and they were so excited to see that we were surrounded by fields of white cows!

The resident dog, Falco, was happy to play and did laps and laps of the courtyard with Buddy!

If you book ahead, dinner with the hosts is available. We enjoyed a delicious evening meal as well as breakfast and Buddy allowed in the dining room with us.

(Domaine de Nesvres, Route de Buxy, 71390 Saint-Désert)

Large House in Pradons

This house in the village of Pradons in the Ardèche region of France is perfect for families. As well as the four bedrooms in the main house, there is also a small self contained one bedroom house (perfect for grandparents wishing to escape the mad house, or, in our case for parents and baby wishing to keep a bit of routine and avoid the noise of the main house).

Dogs are welcome and there is a lovely garden with plenty of shaded areas for them to enjoy. There is a chicken run at the end of the garden but it is well fenced and Buddy lost interest pretty quickly.

The top floor of the house has two twin kids bedrooms with plenty of books and toys. This is a perfect place for the kids to play or relax during the hottest part of the day (or on a rainy day). There is also a swing set in the garden and an allotment which guests are allowed to help them selves too.

But it is the beautiful fenced pool area that steals the show really and if the weather plays ball (it did for us – for the whole two weeks!) then you can pretty much spend most of your days here. With plenty of sun loungers and parasols to keep the grown ups happy, and a selection of pool toys to keep the kids happy, it is perfect.

Air BnB Apartment in Reims

Reims is a perfect stopover city for people making the long journey back to Calais from the South of France. For our stopover we booked an apartment through Air BnB. We contacted the owner before booking to make sure she was happy for Buddy to stay.

Not only was this flat beautifully decorated (it was like a hotel suite but for half the price!) it was also perfectly located; close to Jardin de la Pastte-d’Oie (ideal for dog walks and kids playgrounds), and walking distance to Place Drouet d’Erlon (with it’s array of bars and restaurants lining a long pedestrianised stretch) and the stunning Reims Cathedral.

With one separate bedroom and a sofa bed in the living room, we also found there was plenty of room for a travel cot and a dog bed. With a small kitchen and a bathroom with a giant walk in shower, this is a lovely place to stop over or spend the weekend exploring Reims.

(Apartment based on Rue Bacquenois, Reims)

So, you needn’t let having kids and a dog in tow stop you from staying in some amazing places. I will be sure to let you know of any more gems that we find in France on our future adventures, and I would love to hear if you have found any too!

But if you are not quite ready to head abroad with your pooch, Claire from tin Box Traveller has a great round up of luxury family and dog friendly accommodation here in the UK  and Laura over at Have Kids, Can Travel has put together a lovely list of top dog friendly cottages across the UK (and also has another tip for France).

Mini Travellers

12 Comments

  1. travelingchristie
    October 16, 2016 / 8:11 pm

    They all look so fab, I would love one with a pool although last time we visited the weather was awful, I am hoping for sun next time x

    • daislikethese
      Author
      October 17, 2016 / 11:46 am

      Yes, it’s a shame that the weather can’t be guaranteed like in some destinations! We had a whole week of rain this year and it really puts a downer on the holiday (although we were very lucky to be staying in an amazing house which had lots to keep us entertained indoors!)
      Thanks so much for reading. x

  2. Nanouk
    November 2, 2016 / 9:08 am

    These places look great!! We travel with a caravan but in the future we want to rent apartments and airbnbs. Good to know there are beautiful kid-friendly places like this!

  3. February 28, 2017 / 1:29 pm

    I really love the homes from home you can find to stay in while travelling. These all look perfect for travelling with kids.

    • daislikethese
      Author
      March 14, 2017 / 12:09 pm

      They really were fab! We’ve managed to find some amazing places to stay whilst travelling with kids.

  4. February 28, 2017 / 8:57 pm

    These look great. Im still trying to convince my husband to take the dogs with us to France! Maybe one day #MondayEscapes

    • daislikethese
      Author
      March 14, 2017 / 12:08 pm

      I didn’t realise just how easy it would be to take a dog, so I would recommend it for sure. It’s also so much cheaper than a dog sitter!!

  5. March 4, 2017 / 11:21 am

    It’s often difficult for people to find Child and Dog Friendly holidays! Thanks for sharing. I’ve scheduled for a share on fb too. Thanks for linking up to #MondayEscapes.

    • daislikethese
      Author
      March 14, 2017 / 12:07 pm

      I have to admit that I was sceptical that we would find anywhere dog and child friendly, I was so surprised that we were so welcomed! Thanks for sharing. x

  6. travelingchristie
    March 8, 2017 / 8:50 pm

    We have never traveled with Toby, maybe we should although I am sure the little monkey would be in the pool ha ha .Thanks so much for linking up #Mondayescapes

    • daislikethese
      Author
      March 14, 2017 / 12:03 pm

      Haha! Yep, there were definitely a few occasions where I though Buddy might leap in to cool down!

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