testimonials

Detailed below are some guests' comments from the summers of 2002 to 2007:
You may also be interested in the articles that have been published about us. Please click the link at the bottom of the page.

I was really excited about Pagel..When I first saw it on the interent.It sounded perfect for a holiday. On arrival it exceeded all expectations and we loved all the little extras e.g. toys on the beds and a little bathrobe for my daughter.

Lucy didn’t want to go to bed on her first night as she was having so much fun discovering new toys. Its taken her two weeks to get through them all and get to the bottom of the two toy boxes.Shes loved the train set indoors and the electric train outside and as learnt to say choo choo…for the first time.

Each morning Lucy wakes up she runs to the door points outside and says horses …babies (not sure if she means dolls or other children) we all love the toys in the garden even hammocks and trampolines for big 34 year old kids. We used the babysitting service making the holiday special….thanks for a perfect holiday hope to come back.

Dear Lara and Mark. Thanks for a great and relaxing holday.Youve made us feel welcome from the minute we arrived and have gone out of your way to ensure all our needs were met. The personal touches on arrival, food, and craft set; toys laid out ready to go were well appreciated. You clearly have a passion for the place as we witnessed with all of your hard graft over the week we were here and have thought about most things a family with kid’s reqire.Mia and Ellie loved the outdoor adventure and the good weather helped with the pool. Trampoline and pirate ship big successes and if you could only slow the butterflies down a bit we would be really grateful Fantastic selection of books in the gite made early morning rises with the kids pleasurable and your tips on markets and restaurants were all spot on. We wish you every success and hope to visit again.

This place is fantastic and even before we arrived we told so many people about it. Well be telling even more people about it when we get home.

It’s nice to holiday with other like minded families who want the same things out of holiday-lots of chats over cups of tea. Depending on the time of day even wine!

Chloe loved the toys and we now need to go shopping at home to try and compare. The local Rose is lovely. Chloe loved the playhouse and the trampoline and it is great that there is no television please does not ever change that. Well be back again soon and cant wait to see the changes for 2008 Many thanks for a great holiday.

A spectacular place, better than we expected.Accomadation is great and very easy to settle in and feel at home. There is a great balance between providing lots of stimulation for the kids whilst making it enjoyable for the adults.

The fact that Pagel is slightly off the beaten track makes it a real find and this is also a part of France that has been a real revelation to s.Pagel provides a great base allowing you to relax while ere and travel easily to stunning region.

Our 2nd visit to Pagel and we still think it’s fantastic! So much so we have booked again for next ear.The children have such a lovely week…I think we may have tears tomorrow when we leave,thet have loved making new friends, having picnics with one another and playing with all the toys.

We have discovered that Olivia is a demon in the electric jeeps so much so that I (mum) can’t watch as she scares me so much. Charlie has just loved the freedom to go and play with the trains etc.

We have never felt so relaxed on a holiday before and the weather has been fantastic, sun every day.

Thanks so much for a wonderful stay. The children had an incredible time, wearing themselves out swimming and bouncing. We got to enjoy a bottle of wine or five on the terrace. Bliss.

We had a lovely time, accomadation and facilities exceeded our expectation…girls loved the toys and especially the electric jeeps.

Once again a fab time booked already for two years time when we will hopefully be five.

Meeting so many nice people and their children whilst relaxing is what Pagel is all about. Massive thanx for the La Recreation restaurant it was a most memorable afternoon. See you all soon

We have all had a very relaxing time in a beautiful setting. You seem to have thought of everything Mark and Lara-you’re right to be proud of this place-.

We have had the most fantastic week here at Pagel. The weather as been gorgeous which means Jacob had barely touched the toys in the gite.

Jacob has particularly enjoyed the trampoline, pirate ship and swimming pool. He also really enjoyed playing with the other children he has made friends with this week.

We have really enjoyed the setting here at Pagel and that we haven’t had to make grand plans to entertain Jacob .We are hoping to return to Pagel and next time we will be back for two weeks as one wasn’t enough!!

Mark and Lara have judged their market very well ad we wish them every success for the future.

What a way for a little girl to sped her first birthday! Lots of outdoor fun and ready made friends for Sophie and plenty for the grown ups too.

Weather was perfect-sunny but not too hot. The heated pool was very much enjoyed. The trampoline was a huge hit with the little ones and the pirate ship duly explored but we didn’t find the pirates treasure, so perhaps we will have to come back to find it!!

We have had the most fantastic time here at Pagel and we will be back next year.

Orla had a brilliant time and loved the playhouse and trampoline. Next time we will not bring as many things as you cater for every need and more.

It was a great surprise to be somewhere, which has such a focus on parents and children’s needs.

The children have been so happy playing with all the toys and spending time in the pool has been great. Thank you Mark and Lara for all your advice on where to go and restaurants to visit.

We feel that we have found a truly magical place, which we will visit time and time again.

It is hard to pick out the highlights as it has all been fantastic but for me I think it has to be Rosie’s fantastic cooking (giving me a well earned break from the kitchen)

And also the chance just to relax and play with Lucy and Evie (when they haven’t been playing with their new friends)

I don’t think you could ask for more from a holiday just a bit more time……in fact I don’t think Lucy has quite managed to play with all the toys in our gite and around Pagel grounds so we will just have to come back next year.

Sarah in her own words…”I really love it here because this place is so child friendly I have loved playing in the garden with all the new things because I don’t have any of these in my garden. I have especially loved the trampoline, pirate ship and the football pitch where I like to practice my football skills I have had a lovely holiday thank you.”

Mum says, “While the girls have played I have found time to admire the myriad of butterflies and amazing flora and birds not to mention relaxing and spending time playing with Sarah and Phoebe.”

Dad who rarely gets the last word says:” Our second visit and every bit as enjoyable and relaxing as before. The cliché kids happy=mum and dad happy really works at Pagel Thanks! But the bad thing is that we have to go home we have enjoyed it.

When you book a holiday on the basis of the internet you never really know if it will be what it says, some may say that is a risk in itself.

“WOW” we were so glad we found Pagel the excitement started when we booked after seeing the trampoline and all the toys in the pictures on the web we felt like we had already been by the time we arrived. Harvey and Freya have had a fantastic time and will be sad to leave tomorrow, as we will too.

Great place fab weather lovely people, loads of great toys everything you could possibly need. The best word to describe our holiday is “unique” with two small children.

Our 3rd time at Pagel and it keeps getting better. New Pool is great (Amelia is in it every day!) New pirate ship is very impressive (think Noah may make a fully fledged pirate next summer) and the new bath is a little bit of Mummy heaven.

Another summer at Pagel watching the children make another set of friends is lovely.

It is so nice to see that you work every year to keep improving what we thought was perfect back in 2004!

Its great fun watching Mollie grow whilst Benjamin and Charlie do you credit. Youre a lovely family and deserve all the success you’ve worked so hard for.

Thanks so much Mark and Lara for a really peaceful and relaxing week at Page Nathan couldn’t believe his eyes (and nor could we) when he saw all the toys laid out for him when we arrived and has been content and happy ever since. This has made Pagel such an easy and relaxing place for us to be. Weve really enjoyed the easy pace and rhythm of family life here the pools been fantastic and the gite excellent- a real home from home with everything we could have possibly needed. The only challenge was getting Nathan out of the place to do some sightseeing!!! Advanced toddler negotiation skills required. Hope to be back next year.

The Lovibonds en famille four children and two adults.!!! Harry 9 Oliver 6 and Zoë and Ella 4

And so that moment of mixed emotions arrives again when we say “goodbye” to Pagel with a tinge of sadness whilst recalling the great fun we all have had in the last two weeks.

For the children Pagel is like the Tardis from Doctor Who. Around every corner there is something or someone new to play with.

For the parents Pagel is “ probably the best children’s holiday in the world” (with apologies to Carlsberg) The children are entertained so fully that the parents can relax with a good book and a chilled glass of wine and shed the trials and tribulations of another year.

So we say to Lara Bish Benj Charlie and Mollie thank you once again for surprising us with new delights whilst ensuring that all the old faithful were still here for our amusement and enjoyment.

-It is the first item we have let Harold go off and play on his own, as we know it is so safe here

I don’t think I have ever been back to the same place on holiday before and we are now booked back here for the next two years. What a lovely holiday very relaxing and we met some lovely people. Thank you to Lara Mark Benj Charlie and Mollie see you next August.

Pagel does this and more. One of the loveliest things is that all the gems of information Lara and Mark impart are given as for the first time. Thank you for a wonderful week hope to come back again if we can be efficient enough to book 3 years in advance!!!!

We always say we will return to our annual holiday destinations but we never do……………Pagel is the exception!

Our second visit and we were definitely not disappointed. You only have to look at their advance bookings for 2007,2008,2009 and 2010 to know that we are not alone. We can’t come back next year because it is already full until mid September

(PPSSSTT Hey guys here are an idea lets NOT tell everyone how wonderful Pagel is and then we might get the dates we want in future years!!)

How do you explain to a sobbing 3-year-old why you have to go home?? Except to say that nor do we want to but we will return again and again and again.

Once again Pagel has worked its magic and we go home albeit regrettably relaxed and recharged ready to face the world again…….

The relaxed nature of the hosts the facilities and the gite all combine on arrival and as though through osmosis find one relaxing immediately.

The children loved finding the toys and books in the gite as well as the bigger toys in the garden. The weather has been very kind to us a bonus at this time of year.

Watching the children swim outside so late in the season was a pleasure. Pagel is set in a rural peaceful location that is perfect as a central point from whence to explore some of the areas natural sites of historic interest, Rocamadour, Padirac and St Cirq Lapopie are the start of what could be quite a long list

We have enjoyed a lovely family break and would have no hesitation recommending it though judging by your repeat bookings and testimonials it isn’t necessary!

superb food, babysitting or your own private chef! All in a peaceful location a with an informal 'houseparty' atmosphere with thoughtful homely touches...

Claire Norman

Paul Kathryn Luke 3 and Nathan 1:Once again we have had a fantastic holiday with the boys at Pagel.Luke has loved making new friends and finally mastered the jeeps which are great fun.Thank you for all the thought and care that you put in to ensure a relaxing holiday for families with young children.we will be back........

Pagel it does what it says on the tin! Charlotte had a wonderful time in the pool,on the trampoline etc Also made some good friends.It makes a happy holiday for all if the children are entertained.Le Gindreau was a wonderful experience Thank you very much!

We have never seen so many toys in one place. Have had a very happy holiday see you next year. This has been our best family holiday and we have had a great time meeting fun people who all seemed happy to have our hordes invade we are coming back!

Exceeded our expectations and they were high!A real home from home but much more fun.lots of fresh air and activity we loved it ...thank you

We shut out the world for 2 weeks and just enjoyed our girls in a magical place-thank you Mark and Lara we will be back.

Billy and Lou had a fantastic time-which of course meant so did we.Jeeps were a big hit -even my mother in law couldn't find fault!!Thank you all hope to be back soon.

Pagel is a kids wonderland!Great time with great hosts we wanted for nothing!Great places to visit were rOCAMADOUR.Cirq le popie,Padirac caves,Monkey forest.Le Lac Vert is a great place to chill pout for the afternoon and La Recreation restaurant and Rosie the chef are both a must.

Kathleen,Steve,Lauren 2.5 and Jamie 1.5 Thank you for a lovely visit!two weeks was just right for us.So nice to have a child focussed holiday-we ALL could enjoy.!

Nicola,Steve Toby 6 and Lucas 3:We must have had a good time as after 2 weeks we are still not ready to go home.Boys had a fab time and I've read 5 books Padirac caves are a brilliant experience and Domme and Catus market very worthwhile for a visit.

Our second visit to Pagel was just like coming to stay with friends welcoming and relaxing but most of all peaceful and magical.Holidays for 2006 and 2007 already booked if that isn't enough of an endorsement for Pagel and the lovely Bishop family I don't know what is!!...Mange- tot Bish!

Charles ,Caroline Lovibond Harry 8,Oliver 6 Zoe and Ella 3.5: Last year I quoted Caesar-this years its Sinatra:

"Pagel,Pagel-so good we came here twice"Already booked again for next year so Ill have to think up something clever again.In the meantime Padirac brilliant,as was the canoeing.Tree climbing became a second home-even though I failed to complete the red course.Last year there were four Bishops this year there are 5 enough to qualify for a synod I believe.Put simply a brilliant holiday and thanks to Lara and Bish for making it so.

Clare,Nick Henry 6 and Jude 3 :Had a super time the facilities were ideal for our energetic boys and the weather has been fantastic Thanks to Lara and Bish for being so welcoming.

A truly relaxing stay it really is a fantastic family environment Lexie came into her own and we just relaxed,fantastic that you are there when/if needed Hopefully see you again.Thanks

"Once upon a time there was a fairy tale family holiday destination whose hosts Lara and Mark waved their magic wands and made little ones gasp in awe at the toys and Mummies and Daddies relax dreamily in plush surroundings with thoughtful homely touches.Rosie the fairy godmother chef prepared magical lunches and dinners and we all holidayed very happily ever after...well for two weeks anyway and will return next year with our two princesses.The End Holiday you dream of but never believe exists!!!Thank you Claire.

We have rarely seen a visitors book with so many superlative compliments We will not try to compete except to say that we agree with every one of them.See you again next year we hope.

Oh Wow we have had the most fab time!!!!Never before had a holiday exceeded our expectations in everyway.Pagel is a heavens sent oasis for regaining the wonderful pleasures of family life.Annie-May has had the time of her life Without a doubt the trampoline was her favourite thing she has accomplished her first forward roll and a near perfect rendition of "Dingle Dangle Scarecrow" whilst on it! She has mastered driving the electric cars on her own which at 22 months is not bad Thanks to the Bishops for everything see you next year!!!!!

We cannot imagine another holiday destination that would allow us to relax so completely whilst looking after our little girl. The location is breathtaking, the house, gites and grounds beautiful and the locals in every village very friendly. Thank you to Mark and Lara for a memorable holiday hope to see you next year.

A super holiday.Pagel is really relaxing and fantastic for the children. Plenty for them to amuse themselves and great for us to do very little. Thanks to Mark and Lara for all their effort to make this place so special and child friendly. We really had a super time-it went very quickly-the sign of a good holiday.

A truly relaxing week in wonderful surroundings. The best of England transported into the Best of France! The real value added is the genuine welcome, the desire to make your holiday so special. Nothing is too much trouble yet never intrusive. A wonderful recipe and a very tasty dish! Thank you Mark and Lara

We have had a wonderful and relaxing time.Pagel provides a totally child friendly environment and Mark and Lara made you feel completely at home from the outset. A night at Le Gindreau (Michelin star restaurant) was a special treat courtesy of Marks baby sitting Thanks for everything.

Its not often a holiday lives up to the brochure but Pagel did this and more. A beautiful location, a warm welcome and a dream come true for the boys. Thank you Mark Lara and family for a lovely week. The highlight had to be the endless hours of fun in the castle, on the trampoline and in the pool for our boys with their new friends from the other gites.

Our second stay at Pagel (and our third already booked).We can hardly believe Pagel has got even better, the kids have run about, swam and shouted to their hearts content and we return with all our books read.

Charlea, Caroline, Harry (7) Oliver (5) Zoe and Ella (23/4): With apologies to Caesar

A home from home-thank you Lara and Bish for making us so comfortable. Your advice was spot on, your suggestions were just right and your hospitality was just what we needed. Canoing on the Cele was great fun, the Padirac caves were memorable. The pool and toys entertained the children and one week was not enough. Hope to see you again next year.

We have all had a lovely week at Pagel. Luke has loved all the tractors and diggers in the sandpit and will be very sad to go home tomorrow. All the baby equipment for Nathan has been brilliant and has made life very easy-we particularly like the “bumbo”seat.Hope to see you next year.

Becky,Scott,Ben(21/2)and Sam(16 months) and Tim,Natalie,James(3)Georgia(21 months) and Grace(10 weeks):

What a wonderful break for both children and parents! The welcome was super warm and friendly as before. Mark and Laras willingness to organise restaurant bookings and advise about the region really sets the place apart from all the others-it genuinely removes a lot of hassle and allows enjoyment of the local food, beautiful country side and of course Pagel.Great to see the place developing and improving year on year. It is very hard not to be impressed with the time effort and care that must go into it behind the scenes. Unbeatable.

What a superb holiday! It’s difficult to choose the best bits: toys, pool, care and advice from Mark and Lara, babysitting, gourmet cuisine in our gite (Rosie thank you) the trampoline, the shed of secret delights or the swings. The place is beautiful and if possible even better than last year our only regret is that you’re fully booked in the school holidays next year! Thank you

What a great place to bring the (big) kids!! Normally bickering and squabbling over this and that,Pagel allowed my brother and I to get on and enjoy playing in the sandpit and with the abundance of toys and not forgetting the fab trampoline!.....all happy in the knowledge that the big kids were safely tucked up by the pool enjoying the company of others their own age. Dads already moaning he doesn’t want to leave but I’ve promised him if he’s good well bring him and mum next year. Thanks for everything Mark and Lara-it’s been great.

Bec, Rich and Freya: Had the most relaxing hol in years something we did not think would happen again until Freya was 18.The babysitting was one of the things that attracted us but Pagel was so lovely and relaxing we didn’t feel the need to go out. Freya has had a fantastic time, shes going to miss the timpoteen (trampoline), slides and play house. Hope you have a good season, I know you will and well be back probably before it ends.

We’ve had a really fantastic 2 weeks here with mixed weather but still so much for the children to do. They’ve been so happy here that we’ve hardly been out anywhere exploring. When they are happy we can relax-and we really have relaxed here and actually managed to finish our books!

Emily and Molly will miss Ben and Charlie so much and Sophie will miss her “nice” pool and “bounce” so much that we will definitely be back next year. Thanks for all your help, hardwork and for being such friendly hosts-this is a very special place!

Perfect place…pool and trampoline and dressing up clothes a hit! Couldn’t believe we got some sunbathing in!

Enjoyed seeing the monkeys at Rocamadour, countryside great for cycling (for adults). The holiday we wanted-will definitely recommend to friends. Good luck Mark and Lara with future plans.

Thanks to Mark and Lara, Charlie and Benjamin we have had a fab holiday at Pagel.Charlies smiling face will be missed by all of us. Mark and Lara seem to have thought of everything and the child/baby friendliness of the gite and grounds has been particularly helpful. We visited Ghislaines farm, which was fun for the children and happened to sell some rather nice wine too! The animal park at Gramat was a great trip for under 5s,plenty to keep them amused. For the grown ups a meal at Le Gindreau was something really special.

We all had a great time and really enjoyed our stay, you made us feel very welcome and the facilities are great. For anyone that enjoys wine we would recommend a visit to St Emilion.Pagel was perfect for our 13 month old and us son-very relaxed.

A wonderful and relaxing fortnight. Mark and Lara have thought of everything to make holidays with young children a pleasure for parents! Although we spent most of our time by the pool, St Cirq Lapopie and La Grotte Peche Merle are to be highly recommended. As is just driving around, admiring the scenery and stopping wherever you feel like it. Our children are expecting us to return next year and we are looking forward to it already!

We’ve had the most relaxing holiday since the children were born! So thanks for thinking of everything to make this possible. The girls have made new friends, learnt to swim and don’t want to leave

The kids loved Pagel-the freedom of sunshine and space! For the first time in 6 years (since we had Jack) we have been able to relax by the pool with a book or two! Beautiful countryside and lovely sunsets. Thank you Mark and Lara

Really very hard to beat place for holiday with kids. Not even toys r us have so many ride ons and when you through in the pool, grounds, trampoline etc and sunshine its unique. The atmosphere is great too-very relaxing and totally safe, it’s such a pleasure to see the kids running around enjoying themselves. Will definitely recommend to others trying to get out of the Mark Warner trap-not that Pagel is just an alternative to that-we’ve enjoyed great food, wine and even done some exercise! Keep it up and see you again sometime.

Fantastic place-great facilities at Pagel with the added bonus of childrens entertainment-Ben and Charlie!...Enjoy

Pagel is undoubtedly the Best Gite holiday we have had. Mark and Lara Bishops attention to detail means we have everything we could possibly need for a great family holiday, the pool
fantastic and the kids facilities were such a bonus as was the view!....we will be back

A lovely place,very beautiful.....you have everything you need in the Gites ,we will be back.a great holiday.

Alan Douglas and FamilyJuly 2002; Really lovely site,superb area-fantastic holiday.

Steve,Tom and Jack Vandersteen,Jane Cafferky ,Meghann,Lily and Thomas Thorp August 2002;

A lovely holiday and a superb place for the children.Mark was great with the little ones, with his own made waterslide and mini train trips around the grounds. We visited the real tourist spots of St Cirq Lapopie
(brilliant!), Roches des Aigles plus Rocamador (excellant!) the magnificent caves of Gouffre de Padirac......as well as the fetes of Uzech and Salvezou which were really French. A good time was spent playing tennis, 5 aside
football and boules by Catus Lac....another really nice place! Oh Yeh and the weather was near perfect as too the Gite. A fantastic holiday, a wonderful memory, many thanks for everything.

A really excellant holiday-"the best ever" Josh and Tom said. Great for parents and children alike-Mark and Lara worked very hard to make it special-tractor rides and water slides, fruit picking. Fantastic food at La Recreation at Les Arques. All went canoeing at Caix, St Cirq Lapopie was wonderful, lovely cafes and boutiques. Swam in the River afterwards. Theo loved all the attention and toys....but liked the pool best of all.

We are writing this looking at the Sunset over the valley from our Gite. What a perfect end to a wonderful relaxing week. We can recommend the electric boats in Cahor-very peaceful. The restaurant Mourges in Peyrilles as well as the many cafes in the square by the Cathedral at Cahors. The Lac Vert provided us with many pleasant afternoons cruising on the lake aboard our pedalo. Mark and Laras home provided us with a beautiful base from which we explored the area and relaxed in 100% comfort. A wonderful break.

David and Michelle Warner August 2002; Thanks for a wonderful stay. Just an ideal setting for an away from it all holiday. Too much to see to name it all, just explore.

Marian and john Morris, Emily and Hannah, Jonty and Kathia Boddington, Mark Seabridge. August 2002; Comfortable ,spacious and cool Gite, breathtaking views and excellant local food and wine especially at Mourges in Peyrilles......The maize, the sunflower fields so quiet and peaceful.....and watching for shooting stars late at night in the garden-a magical fortnight.

A very well equipped Gite and excellant facilities for the children. Peace and quiet and beautiful countryside enjoyed by three generations.

Thank you for a most relaxing and enjoyable holiday. We really appreciated all the great advice, particularly that for the great restaurants. Le Gindreau (restaurant) was an experience we shall never forget. The relaxed informal enviroment was great for the children and for the adults. Thank you for everything.

Many thanks for a wonderful holiday. Our only regret is that it was only for one week, prehaps next time.

Fantastic family holiday.....with so much for the childrens amusement. We are going home feeling like we've really had a relaxing holiday too!! Brilliant thank you.

The attention to detail is unsurpassed and unique...we love the relaxed way of life at Pagel. A return visit is without question.

We've had a lovely week, peaceful and very well equipped for both children and adults alike. The walking and bike riding were fantastic along with the weather-shirt sleeves all week.

Please click the link below to see articles that have been published about Pagel.

Testimonials