Chantemerle is a traditional 'Tourangelle' stone farmhouse with four bedrooms and a spacious garden, set in the rural Loire Valley. The two-storey building includes a converted attic with dormer windows under a tiled roof. Once a rest house for Ursuline nuns, the house was a peasant's dwelling during the Revolution, then became the home of vine-growers.

Inside, the walls are lined with exposed wooden beams. The living room has a pair of comfortable sofas, with a mezzanine gallery overlooking it. The kitchen is fully equipped and includes a dishwasher. A games room has an antique billiard table and a collection of books. Two of the bedrooms are on the ground floor, both with a pair of twin beds. One of the bedrooms has an ensuite shower and toilet; there’s also a separate bathroom on this floor.

Upstairs are two more bedrooms and a study area. The master bedroom has a large double bed and an ensuite bathroom and toilet, while the fourth bedroom has a pair of twin beds.

The house is set in a large private garden containing a small orchard and a mini-vineyard, and an oak tree providing plenty of shade on hot days. An outdoor dining table and chairs with a sun umbrella and a barbecue make dining al fresco irresistible. At the back of the house, the vineyards and fields seem to stretch on forever.

Special features:

• Credit cards accepted

The house is on the outskirts of the village of Pocé sur Cisse, which has a baker and chemist. There is a large supermarket and shopping centre three kilometres away, but the best place for food shopping is the excellent market in Amboise, also just a few kilometres away. Visitors can also enjoy elaborate son et lumière entertainment in Amboise. Tennis courts are available in Pocé sur Cisse, there are swimming pools in Amboise, riding schools are also available nearby, and there is is a nine hole golf course at Cangey. Leaving the back gate, one can cycle for miles on country tracks through vineyards, fields and woods. Perfect countryside for walking or cycling.

Chantemerle is a perfect location for visiting all the major châteaux of the Loire. Chaumont, with its spectacular views across the Loire, is fifteen minutes away. Chenonceaux, the most visited chateau in France, is only twenty minutes away on the other side of Amboise. Chambord and Cheverny both offer an excellent day out. Children often prefer seeing them all in one go in the mini chateau park. Not to be missed is the Futuroscope at Poitiers. Trains from Tours take less than an hour to arrive in the centre of Paris.

The living room, seen from the mezzanine	The kitchen
The kitchen	The walls of the living room
The games room	The master bedroom
One of the twin bedrooms on the ground floor	The upstairs twin bedroom
The house and garden	The front garden
The château in Amboise	The château of Chenonceaux