Hi, we are Mandy and Willo and we are both from Ireland. We bought this six bedroom Maison Bourgeoise in December 2018, located in the historic town of Saumur, in the Loire wine region.

There are many reasons why we choose Saumur. We had many holidays over the years in France, exploring different wine regions and we fell in love with the Loire region, for its beautiful valleys and castles (chateaux), the food and wine of course (Cabernet Franc wines are really interesting). We decided a couple of years ago we wanted a foothold in France, somewhere to base ourselves as we continued to explore French wines with our friends. The size of the house was important to us as we were keen to buy somewhere that we could entertain with our friends and be able to rent out for self-catering holidays and corporate lettings.

The house is situated in the centre of the town which was an important factor for us as we wanted to be able to walk home from bars and restaurants. Taxi's are not plentiful in France! And this was one of the reasons why we didn't buy a chateau style house as almost all are based in the countryside (although we did look at a few). Being within walking distance of restaurants and the main square is a great plus and not least having Restaurant Gambetta only a few doors away. The other reason for buying in the Loire region is that it's easily accessible for airports, train or travelling by car from ferry ports or Eurotunnel. Its the first part of France as you go from north to south where the weather is better than Ireland! It has less rainfall and more sunshine throughout the year.

The house was built in 1850 and is approximately 322m2 in size, with impressive high ceilings. The house was vacant for many years and we were keen to put some life and soul back into the property. It required complete renovation starting with rewiring of the electrics throughout and overhaul of all rooms and bathrooms. We added 2 additional bathrooms and updated the current 2 that were there already. We were lucky the house still retained some of it's period features, along with many additions reflecting the different styles through the ages (such as the art deco staircase). You can follow our renovation story on Instagram.

The appeal of France for us, not only the range of foods and wines there but also feels like home from home. From our first visit there the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. There is a fabulous market on a Saturday and attracts tourists and locals alike. There is good banter from the stall holders and strangers don't hesitate to stop and talk to you. Our dog is a great conversation starter and people stop to talk to us all the time and give him a cuddle.

What we love about our place is that whilst we are close to the centre of town, the house and garden are extremely quite and we feel a sense of calm as soon as we arrive. We hope when our guests come to stay they get that wonderful experience too and it will be our pleasure to welcome you at La Maison Trumeau.