My parents live in a beautiful remote part of France (the Dordogne Valley) where I love escaping to once a year. As I visit them very rarely I tend not to do much sightseeing over there and just spend quality time with them, also known as eating and drinking.
This summer Mr. FFID and I wanted to play tourist a bit so we planned a few nice things over the course of the week, including something that had been on my bucket list for a while: sleeping in a tree house.
The choice for alternative accommodation in France is great, between tree houses, yurts, tipis, converted wagons, they're all over the country. Very often they are run by farmers in rural areas who want to make use of their land and earn extra income, which is a brilliant idea.
I first saw La Ferme des Histoires Mélangées on Instagram and when I realised this place was located just an hour from my parents place I booked it straight away. It's located outside the village of Sexcles in the Corrèze department in France. A nice couple, Fabienne and Vincent have managed to create a unique experience on the grounds of their farm, with their quirky tree houses and wood cabins. They have five options in total (two tree houses, two wooden huts and one self-catering house) all very different with their unique little universe and separated by enough trees/distance that you feel like you have the place to yourself.
I knew which tree house I wanted to stay in from the start, the fairytale/Tim Burtonesque looking: La Cabane du Soleil (which can accommodate up to four people). The owner Vincent and his friend built it and there's no electricity or running water but it's very cosy. There are led lights and candles throughout as well as a sawdust bathroom and a little wood stove to keep you warm.
You can access la cabane du Soleil by a little side bridge, which leads up to a little balcony with a table and chairs for eating al fresco.
Inside it's magical; from the chairs to the mushroom shaped salt and pepper mills, it's like a fairytale that kept me smiling he whole time I was there...
We stayed for a night and ordered a candle-lit rustic dinner (€26 for 3 courses and they have cheap wine too, it's France after all) which was delivered in a little basket by Vincent to our tree house.
The bed was comfortable but because the weather was slightly stormy at night Mr. FFID and I freaked out a little bit with all the noises. I think we watched too many horror movies involving couples being attacked in isolated wooden cabins... Below the tree house, there was an old piano and I think our imagination expected to hear it being played at night by some serial killer, which made us laugh... the next morning!
In the morning we had breakfast (with eggs from the farm) brought to us, it was just lovely...
While Mr. FFID and I were in our little tree house, my parents stayed in the lovely 'Cabane du pêcheur' that has its own little lake in the front with a vintage pedal boat that you can use.
It's nicely decorated to make you feel like you're in a fisherman's cabin...
We drank apéritif on the outdoor deck and (almost) burnt it all off by pedalling around the little lake in the scorching heat.
One night was just the perfect length and we loved every second our our little stay at La Ferme des Histoires Mélangées. We thought it was good value (we paid €142 for a night with breakfast, the meal and wine for two people), so definitely very affordable if you more than two in the tree house and/or bring your own food.
This place is the dream for every girl who's ever imagined herself as Alice in Wonderland.
Disclaimer: This is independent review, I paid for my accommodation and all the food.
La Fermes des Histoires Mélangées
Marlinges
19 430 Sexcles
La Fermes des Histoires Mélangées's website
