Gite in idyllic spot by the leisurely river Sarthe. Flat surrounding countryside ideal for cycling to nearby villages. The owners could not have been more helpful and obliging - the gite had everything we needed. We enjoyed having picnics in superb weather conditions by the river with the peace and quiet disturbed only by the croaking frogs! Thank you Jennifer and Julian for making it possible for us to have such a memorable week's holiday.

Just what was needed - quiet and relaxed. The abbey at Solesmes is a must to hear the monks sing offices in plain chant. The troglodyte village at La Fosse de Forges near Doué la Fontaine also very interesting and well done.

From food perspective can recommend the Logis restaurant by the church square (Auberge du Port St Aubin) in Morannes. We also enjoyed lunches at Châteauneauf (Auberge de la Sarthe) and Précigné (Bar du Précigné) costing about £6-£7 per person for 3 courses. PS Can fully recommend the vins rouges from Saumur and Chinon!

We had a great week and were made very welcome by our hosts Jennifer and Julian. A superb setting by the river and good for photography and sketching. A short walk into town where there are good shops - a small supermarket, charcuterie, boulangerie etc. The best market we found was at Tiercé on Wednesday morning.

We had a mainly sunny week. A good change from the miserable weather in Britain recently. We loved hearing the frogs - 10pm every night! The property is in a great position - it is lovely to be so close to the river.

Morannes is a lovely village with good facilities. The supermarket is well stocked and the boulangerie has some great 'treats'. There was an excellent firework display following the fête on Wednesday. The gite has everything we need - especially a hot powerful shower!

We were blessed with no rain, which is unusual for this summer, and were able to explore the countryside at leisure. A good day out via péage is to Chinon, Saumur and Fontevraud. Despite its bad press Le Mans has a very attractive old town and is being improved. All in all a lovely quiet area, and thanks to our hosts.

A beautiful week from still mornings with mist over the river to warm afternoons; getting warmer as the week went by. Liked the gite very much, especially having shops and restaurants within easy walking distance. Jennifer and Julian were very friendly and helpful with lots of advice on things in the area. A really enjoyable holiday.

The cycling is easy with no big hills, just gently undulating relatively traffic-free country lanes. Most of the places previously mentioned in this visitors book are not far away so the car has been mostly redundant all week. As we are English we cannot sign off without mentioning the weather - it has been perfect, blue skies and sunshine every day!

The gite is small but has all the necessities and is so well situated. Morannes has enough shops to keep one going, and 2 decent restaurants. The one at the Camping is particularly good value and is worth a visit for lunch during the week when there is a 'workers menu'. Everyone around has been friendly and helpful (and so have our hosts, Jennifer and Julian) - thank you for a happy stay.