Le Manoir de La Foye - l'Ecurie

Things to do
Charente-Maritime is situated on the southwest coast of France and is part of the larger Poitou-Charantes region.
Just fifteen minutes by car from us, you will find the pretty town of Aulnay. This pleasant town has a small range of shops, supermarkets, banks and bars. There is a very good market on a Sunday morning and a smaller one on a Thursday morning. The church is a World Heritage Monument and is regarded as one of the top Romanesque churches in France.
The small village of Néré, which is a few minutes’ drive from La Foye, has a small assortment of shops and the friendly bar and restaurant, Bistro St Pierre.
The nearby Donkey Sanctuary for the rare Poitou donkey which is indigenous to this region and an open air Zoo Park featuring northern hemisphere animals are only a twenty minute drive from La Foye.
Futuroscope, which is one of France’s largest leisure parks, is just over an hour away on the outskirts of Poitiers. It is packed with innovative activities for all the family.
La Rochelle and the Île de Ré rank amongst the highlights of the French Atlantic Coast. La Rochelle has a beautiful Vieux Port, guarded by medieval twin towers, historic shopping streets, quayside restaurants and one of Europe’s largest Aquariums.
The Île de Ré is accessed by a toll bridge, it is known for the quality of its light and whitewashed houses, and you can explore the island following a network of cycle trails or just sit in one of the attractive harbours soaking up the atmosphere.
The town of Cognac is forty minutes to the south of La Foye. The name cognac is synonymous the world over with the finest French spirit and a tour of one of the many distillery’s is both enlightening and interesting.
The seaside resorts of Royan, Fouras, and L’île d’Oléron are also within an easy drive and make a pleasant day out.
Green Venice (Venise Verte) with its maze of ancient canals, lined by willows and poplar trees offers the opportunity to go boating in traditional barques, using a form of punting. There are several piers, 'embarcadères', from which boats can be hired.
Just a short journey in any direction one will find many more quaint villages and towns that support open air markets, shops, restaurants and historic churches.
The combination of the words "Charente" and "Maritime" help to capture the magic of this department – producing as it does the best from the land with the Cognac, grapes, cereal crops, fields of sunflowers and forests – and the best from the ocean with the oysters, mussels and fish. Located with the Atlantic to the west of its 150 mile coastline, the Vendee and Deux-Sevres to the north, the Dordogne to the east and the Gironde to the south, the Charente-Maritime is a magnificent and exceptional part of France.