About Us

Hello and Welcome!

Bienvenue! We’re Louise and Lottie – best friends for over 20 years, partners in adventure (and occasional mischief). Now, the proud owners of Rêves au Soleil, our little slice of paradise in the Dordogne.

We both spent years living in the UK, building long careers in hospitality, working hard and living life at full speed.

Louise, originally from Ireland, is a proud mum to two grown daughters – Emma (now sunning herself in Australia) and Katie (studying hard at university in Cardiff).

Lottie, less lucky in love, gives her heart to her true soulmates: her dogs, Milo and Luna. Louise is equally besotted with her own four-legged family members, Roxy and Heidi, who made our move to France an even more chaotic and exciting adventure.

After years of conversations and daydreams about a slower, more balanced way of living, we fell head over heels for the Dordogne.

When we stumbled across this gîte business, something just clicked. So, naturally, we did what any sensible person wouldn’t do – quit our jobs, sold everything we owned, crammed four bemused dogs into a camper van, and headed to France!

Exploring the Dordogne

Before settling in, we spent six glorious summer weeks exploring the Dordogne in our trusty campervan. From bustling markets and riverside villages, to secret beauty spots and must-see attractions. That adventure gave us a real feel for the region, and we’re always delighted to share our honest recommendations with guests.

We arrived in January 2026, ready for a new chapter and a better way of living. Now, we’re pouring our hearts into creating the kind of place we’d love to stay ourselves: relaxed, welcoming, family-friendly, and full of laughter (and a few muddy paws)!

Whether you’re here for rest, reconnection, or adventures, we can’t wait to welcome you to Rêves au Soleil and to share our home with you.

A RELAXED…

★★★★★ 2 weeks ago

A relaxed and chilled holiday

We spent a very relaxing, chilled week at Rêves au Soleil. Lottie and Lou were extremely welcoming and knowledgeable about the local area. The property is located in a rural setting but within easy reach of supermarkets and villages. The property itself is charming and well equipped. There are several comfortable outside sitting/eating areas along with activities such as table tennis, badminton and pétanque. The pool area is fabulous and perfect for cooling off in high temperatures. This property is perfect for just relaxing and recharging, the only sounds are from the wildlife – wonderful!

Fantastic, fun filled week

Fantastic, fun filled week in gites in the stunning Périgord Vert région

4 of us had a fantastic week at Rêves Au Soleil. The gites are well equipped, spotlessly clean, and had everything we needed, including a kitchen with oven, dishwasher and washing machine, meaning we could travel light. Each gîte has its own garden space with sun loungers and dining table and chairs, plus its own bbq.

There are plenty of activities provided in the large garden, such as badminton, boules and table tennis, plus a fenced off swimming pool.

Lottie and Louise are very thoughtful hosts and added lots of nice touches to make our stay even better. We enjoyed a lovely wine tasting evening during our stay with plenty of nibbles, including a delicious charcuterie platter.

The location is superb, with lots to do on the doorstep, though you will need a car, to make the most of it. We visited beautiful nearby villages, and a lake with a beach and plenty of shade. There’s a fab weekly local market at Brantome with plenty of fresh local produce and other items for sale. There is also a good range of restaurants, supermarkets and shops a short drive away from the gites.

Highly recommended for couples, families and groups.

The most scenic beautiful

The most scenic beautiful and relaxing place to come on holiday

I had the most amazing stay here! The gites were immaculate and so home from home! I was able to have an enjoyable but relaxing stay where you can lay by the pool or go to local towns to explore! I would highly recommend and I will definitely be coming back!

Fantastic stay

Fantastic stay

This place is beautiful quite spacious cleanliness is absolutely fantastic… Rural quite clean and very homely feel to it… Owners on site very smiley and helpful and they have some lovely pooches… Would 100 paw cent recommend it to anyone will stay again hopefully this summer….

5-star review

5-star review

Holiday | Family

I can’t recommend Reves au Soleil enough. We stayed there for 2 weeks as a family of three over the summer holidays. Louise and Lottie were amazing hosts, friendly warm and helpful to mention a few of their attributes.

We had a fantastic cheese and wine event to a few paddle boarding days (thanks to the use of their boards). The Gite was perfect with everything you need plus more. The facilities are also great and a lovely place to just relax.

Reves au Soleil is situated just out of Thiviers and is perfect base for the local attractions.

We arrived at Reves au Soleil as guests and left as friends, thank you again for an amazing time Louise and Lottie we will be back.

We were a family of four..

We were a family of four (two adults and our two children) and stayed at Rêves au Soleil for three nights. It was absolutely wonderful. The location was great; we could easily reach several of the regions attractions, and the area around the complex was wonderfully peaceful.

The cottages were a good size and had everything we needed for self-catering.

The highlight was definately the spacious garden and the large pool. It was a joy to spend the afternoons and evenings there.

Our children quickly made friends with the other children staying at the complex t the same time. Supervision was a breeze.

Thanks to Louis and Lotti for making our stay so enjoyable.

I highly recommend it!

We had a wonderful stay with our children at the Lavande gîte. Louise and Lottie are very welcoming and the gîte is fantastic: a large swimming pool, a lovely shared garden with plenty of space and games. Fresh eggs from the gardens hens were provided, and there were four dogs that delighted the children ( in their own garden ).

Places to visit nearby include Brantôme and its Abbye, the castles of Jumilhac and Puyguilhem, caves and a railbike track.

In short, I highly recommend it!

Such a beautiful picturesque place to stay

Such a beautiful picturesque place to stay! I stayed with a big group of my friends for 5 days and we loved it! The gites were the perfect size and had everything we needed, the garden was full of activies and space and of course hte pool was amazing. Defo recommend!

Fantastic stay here,

Fantastic stay here, Louise and Lottie are lovely and natural hosts. The place is beautiful and really lends itself to families that want to get together, there are hammocks, a BBQ are, football nets and play area and swimming pool.

The chickens are fabulous and we even got to put them to bed at night.

Highly recommend the hosts are very hospitable and invited us to a BBQ with other guests and had a wonderful night…we will be sad to leave xx

a massive thank you

Public review · ★ 5

I would like to say a massive thank you to Lottie & Louise for making our holiday amazing! These to lovely people are unbelievable hosts that made our stay just perfect. When we arrived I walked out onto the garden and the place just made me relax, I immediately felt at home. The atmosphere is amazing, all the cottage’s were full and everyone one was so welcoming and accepting; it’s as if the place encourages friendliness. Louise & Lottie communicated immediately when I asked them a question about our stay on Airbnb before we arrived and were so warm and helpful whilst we were there. The cottage was like a home from home with everything you need. The swimming pool and the garden is lovely and safe which put our minds at rest for our 10 year old. Lottie & Louise have 4 dogs that are just adorable and the place is dog friendly. It has really made us as a family think about moving to France, the local area is amazing and the Dordogne is just stunning. Thank you so much, we will be back xx