Welcome to Le Presbytère Chambre D’Hotes Bed and Breakfast

We offer a great opportunity for children, adolescents and young adults between the ages of 10 and 20 years to come and stay with us to perfect their written and conversational English skills. 

It doesn't matter what level of English you know because learning in a relaxed and supportive environment will go a long way in helping your language skills evolve. We provide a balance of learning and leisure time so all guests will get the most out of their stay.

We can accommodate a maximum of two learners at any time and all language stays are dedicated, meaning no B&B guests will be able to stay at the same time. 

If you are interested in arranging a stay, please get in touch! We will arrange a dedicated time to go through all of the details required to know about the learner and our service, including or terms and conditions. 

Deborah and Steve Archer live in rural Normandy with their friendly shih tzu, Alfie. Their home is a large Presbytery which is run as a chambre d'hôtes (b&b) during the summer months. Between them they have 5 adult children that live and work across the UK and Australia.

Deborah has been a registered mental health nurse in the UK for 30 years, co-ordinating the care of vulnerable adults during her time as a nurse, as well as running her own business in the private health and law sector.   She has a BSc (Hons) degree in Health studies and various nursing related qualifications, including the teaching and assessing of student nurses.

Deborah is a creative person who enjoys oil painting, crafting, sewing, cooking/baking, sugar craft, music and films, creative writing/poetry, organic gardening and picnics in nature. Deborah is a vegetarian and enjoys making vegan butter and milk, including natural soaps. Both are animal lovers and conscious about living a life in balance with nature.  

Steve has a background in construction and is a carpenter joiner by trade.  Although now retired, he continues to put his skills to good use in the ongoing renovation of the Presbytery.  

Steve's passion is riding his Harley Davidson motorbike, walking nature tails, visiting historic places, music, films and woodwork. 

The house is a non-smoking environment and smoke alarms are situated in the bedrooms and around the house.  

A good hearty breakfast is key to starting the day and our guests will have the opportunity of trying a cooked English breakfast or a lighter option of cereals, fruits, yogurts and pastries. Once breakfast is over, Alfie will be taken on his morning walk before getting back to prepare for morning lessons.

Informal lessons can last a few hours each morning and are flexibly provided and age appropriate depending on other leisure activities at the time. We encourage our guests to discuss their expectations for learning so we can focus on those areas of need.  

We want to make learning fun so informal lessons can take many different formats, such as learning through musical rhyme, interactive multimedia, role play and conversation. All approaches will help the guest to develop their language skills.  

If a guest has particular difficulties with learning English, or maybe just lacking in confidence, we can take the worry out of learning by providing bite-sized experiences over the day and making learning enjoyable. 

After lunch, we can part-take in any of the leisure activities listed including dining out for lunch and picnics in the better weather. Free time can be taken when this suits and we encourage our guests to keep a journal of their time with us to share with family.

Our guests can help prepare the evening meal whilst engaging in various topics of conversation around the table.  Participation in other activities or free-time will continue in the evening before preparing for bed. 

Guests can take advantage of our reading room which has a variety of books to enjoy and also our extensive collection of English dvd films. 

There are a lot of interesting places to visit around the area, such as:

• Museums
• Medieval Castles
• In-door bowling (paid activity)
• Equestrian centre (paid activity)
• Cinema (showcasing English films)
• City and coastal trips
• Fishing lakes
• Forest walks
• Velo rail (paid activity)
• Mini golf
• Pedalos (seasonal)
• Pottery classes (paid activity)
• WWII museums / Normandy beaches

We have a number of activities that can be provided at home, such as:

• Games room equipped with pool table, darts board and board games
• Chess and vast amounts of Lego!  
• A playstation, Wii and video games
• Art and crafts 
• Cooking and baking 
• Clay model making
• Dress-making or sewing projects
• Woodworking projects such as making bird boxes or other small items  
• Film nights
• Star gazing with our telescope
• Growing organic vegetables and gardening projects

A selection of flexible stays are available. Shorter stays are ideal for those wanting to give their child a taste of an English immersion experience and to help promote confidence. Longer stays can also be arranged.

The twin room (Magnolia room) would be ideal for two friends of the same gender or two siblings to share the experience. All meals are included on a full-board basis and bedrooms (twin room or double room) have private bathroom facilities.  

• 2 nights stay - Friday afternoon arrival to Sunday morning departure
• 4 nights stay - Sunday afternoon arrival to Thursday morning departure
• 6 nights stay - Sunday afternoon arrival to Saturday morning departure
• 10 nights stay -Sunday afternoon arrival to Wednesday morning departure

• 2 nights stay - €290   (excluding pick-up and drop-off)                                                                                                           
• 4 nights stay - €580   (excluding pick-up and drop-off)   
• 6 nights stay - €870   (excluding pick-up and drop-off) 
• 10 nights stay -€1450  (excluding pick-up and drop-off)

*Paid activities are not included in the price.

• 2 nights stay - €332   (excluding pick-up and drop-off)    

Includes 1 horse-riding lesson (2 hrs duration on a Saturday)   

• 4 nights stay - €639   (excluding pick-up and drop-off)  

 Includes 2 horse-riding lessons (2 hours duration Monday & Wednesday)

• 6 nights stay - €946   (excluding pick-up and drop-off)  

Includes 3 horse-riding lessons (2 hours duration Monday, Wednesday & Friday)

• 10 nights stay - €1678 (excluding pick-up and drop-off)  

Includes 4 horse-riding lessons (2 hours on Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday)

*If guests already have a license/membership with the French Equestrian Federation, please bring proof as to avoid paying any further fees. 

We are situated in Passais Villages in rural Normandy in the department of Orne (61). Collecting a guest from a designated point can be arranged as can the return of the guest once the stay is over, and is an additional charge. 

If you choose to have your child collected from a pick-up point, please consider planning your travel arrangements to coincide with an afternoon arrival and afternoon departure, to allow time for us to ensure your child is collected or taken to the collection point with ease.  This will be discussed further during the family interview.

By Bus

Bus routes 405, 406 are available from Flers to Domfront en Poiraie which is approximately 10 minutes away.  Pick-up and drop off is free to/from Domfront en Poiraie. 

By Train

Our nearest train station is Flers which is 30 minutes away (1 hour return)

= 20 euros pick-up (return) and 20 euros drop-off (return). 

Laval train station 55 minutes away (1.50 hours return)

= 40 euros pick-up (return) and 40 euros drop-off (return).

By Air

Rennes airport is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes (2.40 hours return)

= 80 euros pick-up (return) and 80 euros drop-off (return).

Alternative collection points can be negotiated.

The welfare of our young guests are paramount and guests will be appropriately supervised to ensure their health and safety. Young adults aged 16 years and above are able to spend unsupervised free-time out of the home on negotiated terms.

Guests who have special dietary requirements and/or medical needs, such as taking medication can be supported with these if necessary.  

Deborah and Steve have their certification of police checks from the Minister of Justice, Bulletin Numéro 3, dated 21st October 2024 to confirm the absence of criminal convictions.

Civil liability cover is with ALLIANZ ASSURANCE.

• All payments will be made via bank transfer. Holiday vouchers (ANCV) are also accepted.
• Short stays of 2 nights will be paid in full. 
• A deposit of 145€ will be required for stays of 4 nights or more unless full payment is preferred.
• An invoice for the deposit will be sent following email confirmation of the booking, and the remaining balance will be invoiced 7 (or more) days prior to the stay. 
• A receipt of payment will be sent electronically. 

• Please provide pocket-money for your child to cover any additional paid activities.

Changes or Cancellations

Additional information on our Terms and Conditions is available in our Parent/Guardian Information pack concerning changes or cancellations.

• Free cancellation for guests who cancel 72 hours or more before 23:59 CET on the day of check-in.
• Cancellations less than 72 hours before 23:59 CET on the day of check-in (including no-shows) are charged for the 1st night at a rate of 145 euros. In this case, reimbursement will be the final balance minus the cost of the first night at 145 euros. 
• Cancellations made on the day of arrival, or early departures, unfortunately are not reimbursable. 

If you are interested in arranging a language stay at Le Presbytère, or have any questions, go to the 'Contact Us' section and send us an email outlining your interest in language stays. From there we can arrange a dedicated social media call to talk through any questions and to complete some formalities. 

Alternatively, telephone us directly so we can arrange a dedicated social media call to complete the necessary paperwork to get things moving.  

As part of the family interview prior to a stay, or interview with the young adult, a Guest Questionnaire will be completed covering all aspects of health & wellbeing, activities and interests, physical limitations and travel, objectives for learning, and what, if any, additional assistance is needed during their stay. You will also be provided with a Parent/Guardian Information pack for our terms and conditions of service. 

Note: For English Immersion stays, please do not use the B&B booking system. Following a discussion with you and your child, or with the independent young adult, and the dates you wish to reserve, we will close out those dates to B&B users to ensure the reservation is dedicated to our young guests.  

We look forward to hearing from you!