For families and friends wanting time together in an undiscovered part of France, consider a lovely country home owned by a kindly Scotsman. It's near La Baule on France's Atlantic coast in southern Brittany also known as the Loire Atlantique. And yes, this is truly an area of France undiscovered by Americans.

      The large country house has seven bedrooms and baths. Having stayed there I can attest to its comfort: well equipped kitchen (with microwave, two ovens and cooking stoves, two dishwashers, three refrigerators, and washer/dryer), rooms well furnished with some Scottish antiques, beds with ironed linens, a heated pool, well-landscaped grounds including a small orchard and herb garden, and cows in the fields. Bikes are provided for touring at a more leisurely pace. It easily sleeps 14, can be seen by going to 'villaslabaule.com' and, being owned by a generous Scot rest assured in these uneasy times, the price is right!

      Coastal La Baule, about ten minutes by car, has a six mile crescent shaped beach is filled with French bathers. Adjacent is the ruggedly picturesque Côte Sauvage coastline. Nearer is Guérande, an unspoiled medieval walled town overlooking more than 9,000 acres of privately owned salt marshes. Here the world's finest sea salt, Fleur de Sel, is harvested each summer. Harvesting of the marshes has been handed down from father to son for over the past 1,000 years. Golf courses abound; bike paths are clearly marked; and fine dining is found in tiny sea-hugging villages. The farmers' markets abound and fresh fish can be found everywhere.

      A few leisurely hours north in Normandy is Bayeux's Château de Sully - the perfect location for visiting the Beaches, Arromanches, the incredible Bayeux tapestry of William's 1066 conquest, Caen, Mont-St-Michel, and St-Mâlo. Out the windows of this exquisite four star château are also cows in the fields ~ plus a pool, flowers and herbs in the gardens. Here the Michelin star dinner may be as enjoyable as your beautifully appointed room.