Domaine Chantoiseau

There’s masses to keep everyone entertained on site, but the siren call of Puy du Fou theme park (half an hour’s drive) will no doubt persuade you to spend the day watching thrilling historical pageants and raptor flying displays. Families are really well catered for in this corner of Poitou-Charentes; you can spot big cats, rhinos and giraffes at Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine (45 minutes), located in a former quarry, and the wacky 4D rides and IMAX movies of Futuroscope are 90 minutes away. There are tropical gardens, interactive dinosaur encounters and a butterfly house to discover at Terra Botanica (an hour) – an ingenious botanical-themed version of Futuroscope – while the serene Japanese water gardens at Parc Oriental de Maulevrier (10 minutes) put on a colourful display all year around. Anyone looking to get out into pristine nature can hire boats to paddle the waterways and look out for storks in the Marais Poitevin Regional Natural Park (about an hour). If you want to ramp up activity levels a bit, Lac du Verdon (15 minutes) is a popular watersports hub where you can hire all the gear for windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking.