For us at France Just For You, it's very important that our travelers receive a warm welcome at the accommodation we book for them, and that we know they'll be well taken care of. This is why we choose to work mainly with premium Bed & Breakfasts across France, which we have tested ourselves and where we have gotten to know the hosts personally. 

We also want our travelers to have the chance to meet and interact with local French people who speak some English. All the B&B hosts we work with speak some English and are very happy to share tips and stories about their region with guests.

Eric and Nathalie are two of our preferred B&B hosts in the Dordogne region. They have an absolutely beautiful old farm house, typical of the region and built with locally sourced stone. They also have a gorgeous garden with a pool and a hot tub available for guests to use after a long day exploring! 

They have kindly agreed to answer some of our questions to help you get to know them better!

Eric & Nathalie, B&B hosts
Eric & Nathalie revealing a delicious meal they have cooked with their B&B guests
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France Just For You

What do you enjoy most about running a B&B?

Nathalie: I like traveling by staying at home - ‘armchair travel’ you might call it - and meeting people from all around the world. Up to now, we have hosted people from 23 countries. I love speaking English and German, which I was not used to doing in my former jobs.

We used to travel a lot, but we don't have time now. But when we received an Australian couple who told us that they could see the ferry going to the island of Tasmania from their house in the bay of Sydney… for me, it’s a perfect way to travel.

Eric: The job is very varied. You have to master a huge range of subjects, including marketing, communications, website development and referencing, and the various sales channels. 

On top of all that, of course, you have to welcome guests and find solutions very quickly when there are technical problems, which always come up at the wrong time (power cuts, no hot water, water leaks, etc.). I also sometimes help out with guests' cars (punctured wheels, battery failure, etc.). To sum up, you really need to multitask.

Trip planners Clelia and Emilie with B&B hosts Eric and Nathalie and other guests outside eating dinner and drinking wine
France Just For You Trip planners Clelia and Emilie, having dinner with B&B hosts Eric and Nathalie and other guests
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France Just For You

In your opinion, what are the advantages of staying at a B&B?

In France, B&Bs can only manage five rooms and welcome no more than 15 guests at a time. That means the owners manage everything: welcoming guests, making breakfast, cleaning, reservations… and thus are very close to their guests. 

In France, nobody speaks about ‘customers’ in B&Bs; they are guests. We especially like to inform people about the best places to visit, hidden gems, nice restaurants and try to give good recommendations regarding people’s needs. B&B hosts are deeply involved in the running of the house.

B&B in Dordogne with a pool
Eric & Nathalie's B&B in Dordogne with a pool
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Eric & Nathalie

What do your guests say they like most about your B&B?

Our B&B is a typical old farm from Périgord, built with the particular yellow stones of the region. People do like these old stone buildings and also the quietness of our place. 

In the morning or after a day's sightseeing, they love to relax in the hot-tub or around the pool. 

In the afternoon, they love to enjoy a glass of Bergerac wine around the pool or in one of the many garden lounges. With a bit of luck, they can see the roe deer at the end of the park. And lots of people say that they love our warm welcome.

Premium B&B accommodation in Dordogne with a pool
Premium B&B accommodation in Dordogne with a pool
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Eric & Nathalie

Have you ever received any particularly interesting guests?

Up to now we haven’t received any very famous people, but some of our guests have shared some extraordinary stories.

For example, we welcomed an American oncology surgeon who said he traveled a lot to relieve stress. In France, he was following the tracks of his grandfather, who landed in Provence during World War II and then went to Germany to liberate the concentration camps. 

That’s the type of thing people wouldn’t speak about with hotel staff. In a B&B, the guests and hosts are close enough to share very personal stories.

What are the most common interests among your guests? 

Our guests are very interested in history, particularly prehistoric times and the famous Lascaux Cave, and also the Middle Ages with all our amazing castles and villages.

They are also very attracted by the gastronomy of Périgord. We have some very good restaurants close to the B&B that showcase the products of the region. We particularly recommend a restaurant run by a young chef from New Zealand, Le Petit Léon in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, who has just been awarded his first Michelin star.

Trip planner Clelia by the Dordogne river
Trip planner Clelia by the Dordogne river
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France Just For You

You offer cooking classes to your guests - can you tell us more about those? 

We try to cook some Périgourdin specialities, such as duck confit and duck foie gras. Most of the products on the table or for breakfast are local and homemade. We cook vegetables in a tagine, which is a Moroccan dish, and add some duck confit. We also show them how to fry raw foie gras and make some small buns with an onion and apple chutney.

In fact, our cooking class is more a moment to share and enjoy a glass of wine together than a true cooking lesson.

B&B host Eric cooking with a traveler
B&B host Eric cooking with a traveler
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France Just For You

What is your favorite hidden gem in Dordogne?

We especially love the village of Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère. It’s a very charming place along the river Vézère, where there’s a nice 15th century manor, beautiful houses and lots of artcraft shops. And last but not least, there’s the best restaurant in the region, in our opinion, Le Petit Léon.

A birdseye view of the village Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère in Dordogne
The village of Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère in Dordogne
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 France Commune de Saint Léon sur Vézère, CC-BY SA 4.0

We are very grateful to Eric and Nathalie for speaking to us for our blog and newsletter!

If you would like to explore the beautiful region of Dordogne by car, at your own pace, with a full itinerary of driving routes, recommended places and activities, and beautiful accommodation arranged by France Just For you, we warmly invite you to browse our Dordogne tours page. 

If you have any questions about our tours, please don't hesitate to contact your expert trip planners Emilie, Laura & Clelia, and we'll get back to you shortly!

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Tyndall from the US
Truly an amazing experience traveling with France Just for You. Their attention to detail, availability, communication, and knowledge of France is unmatched. Went on the girls trip of a lifetime thanks to them! Made incredible memories and loved the balance of having curated activities planned and suggested activities for the time in between. Truly …
Elizabeth from the US
An amazing trip through Southern France! This is the second trip we have booked with Émilie and her talented team at France Just for You and we couldn’t be happier. Based on our inputs, they designed an excellent trip for my husband, myself, my sister and sister-in-law using the Southern France from West to East as a template. We added several days …
Bip
My wife and I took a road trip in the Normandy, Loire Valley and Burgundy regions of France last May. The road trip was 17 days long. The trip was planned by Emilie, the owner of "France Just For You". Emilie sent us a 400+ page personalized guide book before we set off to France. She booked our rental car, all the B&B's and 3 guided tours. We got …
Deirdre
My husband and I spent one week visiting Normandy and the Loire Valley on a trip planned by France Just For You. The trip was amazing....We stayed in beautiful accomodations,had the BEST private guides,utilized many suggested itineraries---and all while keeping within our budget! For anyone who does not have the time or inclination to plan a trip …
Clare & Greg
We just got back from a 2-week fairytale trip to the Southwest of France, perfectly planned for us by Emilie and Guillaume. We spent 3 days in Carcassonne, 4 days in the Dordogne, and 4 days in the Medoc. Each B&B was charming and the hosts were wonderfully welcoming. The special activities that were planned (truffle-hunting, wine-tasting and …
Harry
We are independent travelers, and usually I do extensive research on Tripadvisor and other websites, and plan our own itinerary. I started doing this for our France section of our trip, and came across Emilie's France Just for You website. End of research ! After an initial inquiry, Emilie totally customised our Normandy and the Loire Valley trip …

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