Val de Costes is a beautiful stone Maison de Maitre built in 1866 five minutes from St Maurin . It is set in the rolling countryside of the Lot-et-Garonne, in south west France. The house was fully renovated in 2012 and shows off the exposed beams throughout the property. Guests may enjoy a spacious and comfortable bedroom with a hotel quality super king size bed (180 x 200), private bathroom, with either bath or shower, hair dryer, and high quality bed and bathroom linen. Pool towels are also provided for guests' comfort. There is a cosy guest seating area with books, games and puzzles, together with coffee and tea making facilities. There is no television in either the seating area or guest bedrooms. There is free WiFi throughout the house. Guests can relax by the west facing swimming pool, with views over the surrounding countryside. Breakfast may be enjoyed in the dining room or on the large west facing terrace in good weather; guests may enjoy local produce together with home made jams and bread.

After having had careers in the City and fashion we decided to leave London and enjoy a slower pace of life in the south west of France. In establishing our B&B, we used our experiences of our travels, to include those personal touches which made a stay memorable, whether it be good beds, swimming pools and the welcome given to guests. We both enjoy meeting people and and this gives us the perfect opportunity to share this quiet corner of France with our guests. Between us we speak English, French, Spanish and German.

Val de Costes is just outside St Maurin, a village celebrated for the remains of its large Clunisien Abbey. A section of the Clunisien way runs down the path at the edge of the property, so guests can follow the trail easily. We are 1 hr 15 mins from Toulouse airport and approximately 1hr 30 mins from Bergerac airport. Agen with its TGV station is 25 minutes away and there are small bastides all around the area, including Beauville, Montjoi, Puymirol, Valence d'Agen. Moissac, an important stop on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, is 30 minutes away and a delightful town to explore with its vast abbey church and little streets. There are night markets in many of the surrounding towns and villages in high summer, along with excellent day markets so guests can discover and enjoy local produce. There are Michelin starred restaurants in Puymirol and Agen and small family run restaurants locally. A little further afield, guests can discover the rich heritage of the region, with the many chateaux dotted around, for example, Bonaguil, and Duras, as well as the region's prehistoric past with the caves at Lascaux and Pechmerle.