Much admired again in 2002, this marvellous guest house is run by kind and intelligent owners. He, Jean Pinel Peschardiere, is also local mayor; she, Anne-Marie, is pretty, charming and a good cook. Set in walled and landscaped gardens, it is `a handsome stone farmhouse, lovingly restored, in a quiet and beautiful village amid the oyster-growing charentaise marshlands. On fine days, dinner is taken on the flowery veranda by the pool: it is communal, and the owners eat with their guests. `Monsieur's hosting was excellent. He talked much about the area's history, its birds, the cultivation of oysters. We had good company: other guests were a Belgian banker, English air pilot, German surgeon, Paris bus driver, and their wives. You eat what you are given: duck, swordfish, mussels, etc - this comes with `unlimited local wine. Our room, Rose tremiere, in the barn in the garden, was rosy pink and green, very pretty, with a raspberry bathroom. The large garden is delicious, with loungers, a hammock, a froggy pond, picnic tables and a heavenly piscine. In a shed are exercise machines, pingpong, a fridge full of drinks. Madame spends hours working in the garden. She and Monsieur get up early to bake the bread and croissants for breakfast (yogurt, fruit, muesli, etc). They lend bikes, and we cycled around. There's a library/lounge with books on the wildlife of the area. Sandy beaches are nearby, also the fine old town of Rochefort.