Genévrier - Au Coin des Arbres

Genévrier is a 2-bedroom barn conversion for four guests at Au Coin des Arbres, a small hamlet of self-catering gîtes set in meadows and woodland on the southern edge of Biron, in the Périgord Pourpre. The lane in is a no-through road, the fields fall away towards open countryside, and the hilltop silhouette of the Château de Biron rises 2 km north.

The original barn has been opened up into a single, generous ground-floor room: oak beams overhead, a fully equipped open-plan kitchen with dishwasher and oven, a dining table built for slow lunches, and a sitting area gathered around a large wood-burning stove. Upstairs, a landing leads to a separate double bedroom and a mezzanine sleeping area with zip-and-link beds that configure as a double or twins, with a shower room, basin, and WC on the same floor. Electric radiators back up the woodburner in winter; fans, blackout shutters, and thick stone walls keep the heat out in July.

A private rear terrace with garden furniture and an outdoor shower looks across the meadow, with the option to merge into Laurier's adjoining terrace when both gîtes are taken together. The hamlet's 13m shared infinity pool is open from May to September, with sun loungers, a pool house, and a safety fence; most evenings end at the covered communal dining terrace, where the built-in BBQ looks over a fishpond. Beyond it sits a games field for badminton, volleyball, and disc-golf, with bicycles, ping-pong, and a board-games library on hand for slower afternoons.

Bergerac airport is a 40-minute drive. The medieval bastide of Monpazier, with its 13th-century arcaded square and Thursday morning market, is a 10-minute drive; the Château de Biron itself sits 2 km along a wooded path, reachable as a 30-minute walk. The Dordogne valley, its canoeing rivers, vineyards, and prehistoric caves, opens up within an hour.