We like people to review and share their experiences at Domaine Le Portrait. So feel free to respond in this guest book by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.
18.08.2011 - Gunn Berit and Herman
Maybe you think that camping life can only be enjoyed in a tent, camper or carvan? Then its time to widen you horizon a bit. At Domaine Le Portrait you can also be camping in a little and charming chalet and still enjoy the camping feeling.
We (me and my 13 year old son) stayed in the chalet for 2 weeks in August this year and we enjoyed every minute! The chalet is nice and sober, you have a perfect little bath room for yourself a bedroom and a combined kitchen/livingroom and finally a little "veranda" outside. From the veranda you can fully enjoy the perfect view over the landscape and you can eat nice, sweet berries that are growing outside. It is up to you if you want to enjoy complete privacy or if you want to mingle with the other camping guests. The chalet is located at the end of one of the paths so there is no "traffic" passing by. So in case you need complete rest then this can be enjoyed here. We can fully recommend staying in the chalet. Everything you need is there! It is even possible to rent a Nespresso mashine so you can prepare your own espresso or cappocino at any time. I enjoyed that VERY much :-)
Of coarse the most important frame of staying in the chalet is the service and kindness from Wim and Tineke. Everybody will feel welcome at their site and I have the impression that they enjoy all their guests and like to have a little chat with them each day.
So to conclude, I will fully recommend the chalet AND the camping as such!
14.07.2009 - Jim and Wendy Sinclair
Portrait/Landscape View?
Jim and Wendy Sinclair report on their discovery of a new naturist camp-site in the South Charente area of France
When you hear from time to time of naturist establishments closing down or changing to textile, it's nice sometimes to find new ones opening up. This is what happened to us recently when we wanted to stay in the Charente departement of France while house-hunting. We did an internet search for a naturist camp-site in Charente, and came upon just one – Le Portrait, a new Dutch-owned small site at St Séverin in the very south of that county – the beautiful area to the north of the Dordogne, but as yet not quite so overrun by British holiday-makers and emigrees.
Wim and Tineke Ellenbroek opened their place to campers for the first time in 2008, so when we went in spring/summer 2009 it was just their second season, and they were still officially limited to 6 units (the permission for their target of 25 units was just coming through). Although the sanitaire block at that time was a small affair attached to their farmhouse, they already had a beautiful swimming pool ready for use. Their priorities were right, but a new sanitaire is to be built for 2010, with a sauna incorporated in the building, as well as the usual showers, toilets, basins, etc.
The site is on a small hill, giving fabulous views of a lush, green valley with grass, sunflowers, crops and trees, and two or three distant houses. No 'fortress' of fences or hedging: one is separated from the outside world only by distance, an approach that we really liked. There is an orchard for tents, offering a mix of sun and shade, while caravans, camper-vans or trailer-tents go in several terraced strips of grass, all in easy reach of the central point.
Many camp-sites have a weekly dinner at which campers can socialise with each other, but at Le Portrait you can enjoy delicious home-cooked dinners every night of the week. There is a WiFi point for those unable to resist checking their emails, and a fridge-freezer where cooler-bricks can be frozen and limited amounts of food or drink left. Wim and Tineke stand ready to help and advise with anything, and of course their English is perfect. Only here have we experienced the daily ordered bread being delivered in person to our tent!
If you love this part of France, with its innumerable picturesque villages, historic churches, châteaux and wonderful landscapes; if you love gastronomic experiences at modest cost and being within an easy drive of two of the best wine regions in the world; if you enjoy naturist camping in comfort but without large organised activities, you will love Le Portrait. For more information, visit that website with the address to die for: www.LePortrait.nu.
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