Hello and welcome!
We are Ollie, Ula, Lily & Bella and together we run the Family Travel Blog “Here We Go Again” .
As a family, we absolutely love discovering new areas and recently jumped at the opportunity to explore the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
We really wanted to find out if the The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France, with its impressive landscapes, undeniable history and, of course, amazing food, could also be family friendly?
First things first, let’s talk about where we stayed! For us it’s so important that our requirements are all ticked off - to ensure everything is clean, tidy, safe and has child friendly meals (you know all the essentials travelling with a young family!). However, what we discovered in Nouvelle Aquitaine was sheer quirkiness!
Two places in particular stood out to us: The Floating Village and Defi'Planet.
The Floating Village in Pressac
The Floating Village, in Pressac, allows you to drift into a peaceful night's sleep, whilst listening to the calming waves lapping against your cabin then, in the morning, you can enjoy a delicious breakfast, delivered to your deck by a rowing boat - what more could you want?
Defi'Planet
The second place is Defi'Planet, which is set in an idyllic location, where you can sleep in the trees or in little houses shaped like rabbits, chickens and mushrooms - all great fun when travelling with kids!
The Vallée des Singes
Next on the agenda for us was to do something “with animals”, which our 4 year old made a very specific request! So, where better to go than the Vallée des Singes - a park, fully dedicated to Monkeys!
It certainly left a wonderful impression on our daughter! In fact, as soon as she was back at school, she was telling her teachers and classmates about the monkeys and hw she absolutely adored the squirrel monkeys and babies. Even better, as they were able to get really close up and personal with them!
The Futuroscope
A holiday to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region would not be complete without a visit to the famous theme park, Futuroscope!
The park was a lot more child-friendly than we expected it to be and we had read some reviews that kids really needed to be over 8 years old to make the most of a visit. However, both our girls had a really enjoyable day. The best thing about it is that you get to experience both education and fun at the same time, which was great for our girls.
Chauvigny
Sometimes - even when travelling with children - you need to spend a chilled afternoon, drinking an espresso and watching the world go by, in a quaint medieval town! Well, in Chauvigny we got just that!
Our relaxing afternoon, which included strolling around some idyllic streets, was (we thought) well deserved as, in the morning, we had taken part in the Chauvigny Rail Bike (VéloRail).
If you need an explanation, just imagine yourself as a train driver riding along, soaking up the amazing views, whilst you pedal away! It’s basically a pedal cart which runs on an old railway track and, for us, powered by 2 enthusiastic parents!
After discovering the monkeys at Vallée des Singes, the girls were even more obsessed with anything to do with animals!
Ferme du Chaudron magique
So, we found another great way to discover the animal world and took them to Ferme du Chaudron magique. Here, they could discover and interact with rabbits, turtles, ducks and a working goat farm.
What they most loved was feeding the goats and playing with the rabbits. We were also able to try our hand at milking goats and making cheese - a great experience for those with children!
Monflanquin & Villeréal
Finally, it was time to take the children to discover some beautiful French Villages in Monflanquin, and Villeréal.
When we arrived in Villereal it was Saturday, which is market day and the day when local producers from the region congregate in the main square, with their fabulous array of goods for sale.
The village itself is a typical bastide village (a medieval village) with remains of the old fortification around its central part. We were totally amazed by the buildings, with their splendid architecture.
Monflanquin was another village, similar in style to Villereal, and we simply enjoyed our time there, exploring the alleys and narrow side streets that surround the centre of Monflanquin - another truly great place to visit.
We are Ollie, Ula, Lily & Bella and together we run the Family Travel Blog “c”. As a family, we absolutely love discovering new areas.
