Maison Duroy

in Francescas, Lot-et-Garonne, France

When we return to the house, it slows us down and roots us.

François, owner
Maison Duroy, Francescas, Lot-et-Garonne, France

Maison Duroy

  • Location: Countryside
    La Romieu, one of most beautiful villages of France: 18 km (20 mins by car)
    Lectoure, picturesque town: 30 km (30 mins ba car)
    Nérac, lovely weekly market on Saturdays: 10 km (10 mins by car)
    Château Gensac, beautiful property, wine & Armagnac tasting, best wine in the region: 15 km (20 mins by car)
  • Bordeaux Airport (BOD): 140km (1h 30 mins by car)
    Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS): 140km (1h 30 mins by car)
    Car recommended
    Free parking
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An introduction to Maison Duroy

What is the story behind Maison Duroy, what was your inspiration to create it?

It has always been our dream to create a home in the countryside that we share and where we enable exciting encounters with people from all over the world.

When I turned 50, in 2018, I told my wife Sylvia that I was going to quit my job or we would never get the project started. So that is what I did – and the dream started to become true.

We knew we were looking to buy in the south of France, so we started around Bordeaux with a shortlist of 50 houses that we visited in January 2019. One was Maison Duroy and although the house was in rather unloved condition, we immediately fell in love with it and the keys were handed over in August.

How would you describe the atmosphere and interior design of Maison Duroy?

Maison Duroy is the opposite of a typical French chateau, which usually has manicured gardens and a shabby chic aesthetic. It’s an eclectic mix of mid-century modern furnishings that we have collected over the last 20 years.

I’m strongly inspired by Danish designers from the 60s and grew up in the 80s with Italian designers. All of the rooms are decorated with plants and books, so it feels personal, and there are music collections so people can sit down, listen to music and drink a glass of wine.

To you personally, what is so special about Maison Duroy?

We think it’s the same thing that struck us the first time we visited - the calmness. Even if we just go out to buy groceries, when we return to the house, it slows us down and roots us. It’s just you, nature and peace.

And it does the same for our guests. Coming from a big city or stressful lives, Maison Duroy is a place that immediately calms them down.

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Maison Duroy
Maison Duroy
Hallway
Hallway
Living area
Living area
Dining area
Staircase
La Ferme
La Ferme
La Ferme
La Ferme
La Ferme
La Ferme
La Ferme
La Terrasse
La Terrasse
La Terrasse
La Terrasse
Amélie
Delphine
Garden
Pool area
Terrace
Breakfast
Garden
Terrace
Maison Duroy
Maison Duroy
Views

Maison Duroy rooms & rates

We share the house with our guests and don’t rent it as a holiday home. There is a salon and a library with an old turntable where you can sit and drink a glass of wine. We also have a salle à manger where we serve breakfast and dinner if the weather isn’t good outside.

There are two bedrooms in the main house - "Amelie" and "Delphine" — both of which are on the first floor. One has views of the terrace and the other of the garden. "La Terrasse" is in a building attached to the main house and has access to the main terrace, which offers beautiful views of the countryside and morning sunshine. "La Ferme" occupies a separate building with a kitchen, a living room and a large bedroom, as well as having its own terrace.

In front of the house is a vegetable garden that leads to the swimming pool. This is a separate, private area with a pool house that’s stocked with drinks for guests to help themselves to.

Surrounding the property is 430,000 square feet of land. Maison Duroy is suitable for children and we often have couples with babies experimenting with living outside of a big city.

  • La Terrasse for 2 people / 55 m²
    220 / night
    • 1 Double bedroom
    • 1 Shower room (ensuite)
    • Terrace
    • Air conditioning

    La Terrasse is a 55 sqm bedroom located on the ground floor of the Maison, with private access to the 400 sqm terrace with magnificent views. It offers a king-size bed (180 × 200 cm), its own dressing room and a large bathroom with a generous Italian shower and a dash of Côte d’Azur.

    A calm room with three large windows to the garden it is furnished with timeless design classics, gorgeous linen bedding and freshly picked flowers from the garden.

  • La Ferme for 2-4 people / 70 m²
    240 / night
    • 1 Double bedroom
    • 1 Shower room (ensuite)
    • 1 Living room
    • 1 Kitchen
    • 1 Extra bed (on req.)
    • Terrace
    • Fireplace

    La Ferme is a 70 sqm Farmhouse with a fully equipped kitchen, one bedroom, washing machine and a large fridge. The private terrace invites you to laze in the comfortable lounge. It offers one king-size bed (180 × 200 cm), a beautiful original fireplace and a bathroom with a generous Italian shower.

    From the living room you have a wonderful view into the walnut orchard and with a bit of luck you can watch deer from the comfortable chairs.

    A calm place with a large window to the garden. Furnished with timeless design classics, and gorgeous linen bedding.

  • Amélie for 2 people / 36 m²
    180 / night
    • 1 Double bedroom
    • Fireplace

    Amélie is a 36 sqm bedroom located on the first floor of the Maison, facing the terrace. It offers a king-size bed (180 × 200 cm), a beautiful original fireplace and a large bathroom with a generous Italian shower.

    A calm room with two large windows to the garden. Furnished with timeless design classics, gorgeous linen bedding and freshly picked flowers from the garden.

  • Delphine for 1 people / 38 m²
    180 / night
    • 1 Double bedroom
    • 1 Shower room (ensuite)

    Delphine is a 38 sqm bedroom located on the first floor of the Maison, facing the garden with glorious morning sun. It offers a king-size bed (180 × 200 cm), its own dressing and a large bathroom with a generous Italian shower and a dash of Marrakech.

    A calm room with two large windows to the garden. Furnished with timeless design classics, gorgeous linen bedding and freshly picked flowers from the garden.

Included in the rates
Rates include a delicious breakfast.
Children & Extra beds
Children of all ages are welcome. It is possible to put an extra bed or cot in La Ferme.
Minimum stay
2 - 3 nights (check calendar for dates)
Check in time
after 16:00
Check out time
before 11:00

Facilities & services

  • Swimming pool
  • WiFi
  • Air conditioning
  • Terrace
  • Garden
  • Music system
  • Central heating
  • Pets welcome
  • Hair dryer

Breakfast is included in the rates and includes croissants, baguettes, yogurt, homemade orange juice, eggs and cheese. Each group has a private breakfast area near their room so they don’t have to socialize early in the morning. Every second night we offer a three-course dinner on request and this is served at a big, communal table.

We are always available for recommendations about things to see and do and when guests arrive, Sylvia gives a short explanation about the area and the nearby restaurants.

Things to do in Lot-et-Garonne & Francescas

  • Art / Culture
  • Shopping / Markets
  • Wine tastings
  • Wildlife / Animals
  • Hiking

Unlike staying in Paris or Tuscany where there are things you “have” to see, Gascogne is more about slow tourism and much of the infrastructure is built not for tourists, but for the people living here. If you’re a person who needs to see churches, there are hundreds, but if you just prefer to relax by the pool, many guests opt to do that.

Gascogne is particularly renowned for its wine and Armagnac and our friends have a chateau around 15 minutes away where they produce some of the best wines in the region. Unlike the big chateaus where you’ll find architecturally-designed cellar doors, here you can actually go to the cellars and meet the winemakers — it’s very authentic.

We’d highly recommend going to one of the local farmers’ markets, with the closest one being in Nerac each Saturday. Lectoure is another beautiful medieval town with a farmers’ market and lots of antique shops. In summer, some of the towns also host antique markets, which we’d recommend visiting.

The area is also beautiful for cycling and we partner with a small company that rents out bikes, both electric and traditional. If you want to cycle alone, they will bring the bikes to our place or they also offer guided tours and wine tours. (If you get too drunk, they’ll bring you home in the car!) It’s a nice way to explore the area.

The location of Maison Duroy

The house is a fairytale mansion framed by hundred-year-old trees and set in the middle of a four-hectare estate. Its 400-square-metre terrace offers a magnificent view of the Gascon hills. Here, in the Tuscany of France, Henry IV had his hunting pavilion five hundred years ago.

Maison Duroy is surrounded by countryside partway between Bordeaux and Toulouse, both of which are around 1.5 hours away. In one hour and 45 minutes, you can be on the Atlantic coast in Cap Ferret enjoying an oyster lunch.

The closest town is Nerac, which is roughly 10 kilometres away and home to restaurants and grocery stores. It was here that the story behind the film “Chocolat” originated and the chocolatier still exists today.

In France, there is an organization that selects the most beautiful towns, 'Les plus beaux villages de France', and about 10 of these are near us. Because the area didn’t experience a lot of destruction during the World Wars, many of the medieval towns are in their original state. This is also due to the fact that the region was once quite poor, so there wasn’t a lot of development. Dordogne is around 60 kilometres away and much more famous, although we have quite similar towns, just without the crowds.

There are several restaurants within 15 to 20 minutes drive that we highly recommend and you can dine everywhere from traditional French bistros to Michelin-star restaurants.

When is the best time to visit Lot-et-Garonne?

Winter is just three months long and spring starts in March when all of the flowers start to bloom and the temperatures rise to around 20/21 degrees Celsius. May/June is a beautiful time as you will have the area largely to yourself and the weather is perfect at around 24 to 26 degrees.

July/August is the high season when the French are on holiday and it can get very hot during the day, up to 40 degrees. But it usually drops to between 16 and 18 degrees at night, so it’s comfortable for sleeping and there are local markets in the evenings. September/October is when the wine harvest is, making this another great time to visit.