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Le Gentil Retreat
Le Gentil rural French countryside gîtes with pigeonnaire in Brossac Charente

Le Gentil Retreat

Rural French Countryside Gîtes

Le Gentil Retreat

Rural French Countryside Gîtes

  

Le Gentil Retreat is a picturesque ensemble of dwellings with a rich history. An inspiring holiday location for nature lovers, creatives, star gazers and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

It is in a tranquil setting, aimed at helping guests recharge, switch off, relax and experience the perfect antidote to a busy modern life. Ideal for individuals, couples, families with older children and small groups of likeminded people looking to spend time together. 

We have two separate self-catering holiday cottages, (gîtes) set in extensive grounds, with a lovely outdoor pool.

A rustic and welcoming retreat

We invite you to share a little glimpse of our natural and seasonal French lifestyle, and discover why we love living in this beautiful part of the world.

Soak up the atmosphere and charm of our authentic French holiday gîtes, and fabulous pool in rural Charente, South West France. Immerse yourself in French culture and cuisine, and reconnect with the environment and those around you. 

Traditional French courtyard setting with holiday gîtes in rural Charente

Le Gentil

Embrace wide open skies, connect with nature and immerse yourself in our holiday gîtes. 

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La Petite Maison authentic French holiday gîte in rural Charente

Our gîtes

La Petite Maison (3 bedroom)

La Cachette (2 bedroom)

Availability and booking
Le Château de Chalais, Charente with ancient drawbridge

Local area

Nearby and days out, markets, brocantes, restaurants and regional food.

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How to find us

We are in the Charente, South-West France

Travel Information

Our story

A little about us and our background story

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Cognac vines in summer in a field near Brossac Charente

Gallery

Inspiration for your visit to  the area

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 We believe spending time engaging with nature and being outside, nourishes the soul and resets tired minds.   We truly hope your stay at Le Gentil will leave you feeling recharged and revitalised.

Our aim is to help you create holiday memories, and enable you to reap the benefits of slowing down, by reconnecting with nature and life’s simple pleasures.

Escape to our rustic and welcoming retreat…

Get In Touch

We will endeavour to answer all enquiries within 24 hours

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Address: Le Gentil, Route du Moulin, 16480, Brossac, Charente, France 

Email: info@legentilretreat.com

"We had a wonderful stay. It is a beautiful setting with gîtes and the main house surrounding a characterful central courtyard, with fields and woods all around. Our stay was blissfully quiet giving the ideal conditions for a restful and relaxing break. The pool is set in a lovely area, with countryside views. Mark and Jackie are fantastic hosts, with an abundance of local knowledge. We hope to return very soon."
Phil & LynUK
"What a lovely place. So peaceful and quiet, yet with all the comforts we needed and, of course, a great pool. Fab walking (we loved the Blue Lakes and ambling through the woods in search of red squirrels) and great local food and wine! Mark and Jackie were the perfect hosts. We can't wait to come back!"
Sue & BazUK
"We had a wonderful vacation in the beautiful 'Petite Maison', renovated with a good eye for detail and with conservation of authentic elements. A peaceful location! A beautiful night sky with million of stars...Thanks for the hospitality!"
SDBelgium
"We'd love to come back! There's nothing more to say…Thank you 1000 times!"
C & SGermany
"We had a wonderful time here in La Petite Maison, enjoyed the peaceful silence, nature, the pool and spending time with each other having fun, your warm welcome, interest in our wellbeing…our battery has a new energy again and we have good memories of our stay here, and the lovely trips we've made"
F, I and familyNetherlands
Together with our two adult daughters, we enjoyed a wonderful holiday here. We are happy to give the maximum score. ‘La Petite Maison’ is fully equipped and very neat. The interior has been designed with an eye for detail, and it is a pleasure to discover all the beautiful accents. The house is also spacious and has a beautiful, authentic but above all easy staircase to the upper floor. In the middle of the countryside but still centrally located if you want to visit something.
SoniaGrimbergen, 2025
We (a family with three children aged 15 to 22) thoroughly enjoyed our stay at La Petite Maison. The peace and quiet, the surroundings, the exceptionally beautiful grounds and the fantastic swimming pool made this a unique experience. If you are looking for an authentic experience where everything fits perfectly within the concept, you couldn't make a better choice. Our family thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the grounds and the house and had some fantastic evenings by the swimming pool, on the terrace and under the starry sky. It was time for some real quality time with the family. The peace and quiet is exceptional; all you can hear is the rustling of the trees and the birds singing.
GreetKalmthout, 2025
Wow what a wonderful place ‘Le Gentil’ is- probably one of the most relaxing holidays we’ve had! Jackie and Mark have been superb throughout our stay- their knowledge of the area along with recommendations of days out and restaurants to try are second to none. We look forward to returning to La Petite Maison- a little slice of heaven that you’ve put your hearts & souls into to make it what it is.
The WaldronsEngland, 2024
Where to begin? We’re not sure we will ever want to go on holiday anywhere else! ‘Le Gentil’ is such a beautiful retreat in a fabulous location. There is so much to explore and learn about. The house and grounds are perfect; they had everything we needed to make our family holiday extra special.
The Gentil'sScotland, 2024
We had two fantastic weeks. The warmth and hospitality we received from Jackie and Mark throughout these two weeks made our stay even more wonderful. They did everything they could to make our stay as pleasant as possible. Beautiful cottage (much larger than expected), a clean and lovely swimming pool, peaceful surroundings and the most beautiful starry sky. We recommend it to everyone!
LauraDilbeek, 2023
A huge thank you Jackie and Mark for your warm welcome! These three days of retreat in your paradise away from the world did me a world of good. The gîte La Cachette is superb, very well decorated and the beds are very comfortable. I loved swimming in your beautiful pool, the walks in the woods and the quarries. I am now recharged to get back into the rhythm of everyday life. Thank you so much!!!
MSAParis, 2025
Thank you very much for the lovely week spent in La Cachette! We really loved it here at your amazing domain with a fantastic pool. The sky full of stars every evening was breathtaking.
J & CBelgium, 2024
Thank you for another incredible stay here at Le Gentil Retreat! From stargazing to scootering around Charente we have fallen in love all over again and safe to say that we will be here again soon. Our favourite memories were by the pool with the family, the BBQ dinners all together, and the amazing food from Chez Poirier, which left us with an authentic French taste in our mouths. Thank you so so much!
The BellsEngland, 2024
The perfect place to completely unwind! Lots of privacy and ideal for taking an evening stroll around the large, beautiful grounds. Beautiful, spacious gite with everything you need. We had a wonderful time!
CatharinaBelgium, 2023
A really lovely place to stay and wind down from everyday life. Jackie and Mark are so kind and welcoming. If you want to go and have a nice peaceful stay, go to Le Gentil. We saw deer in the garden one morning! Thanks for a wonderful week! Hope to come back one day... Edit: August 2025 back for a third time! We love it here! ❤️
JosineNetherlands