les jardins de la ferme

Les jardins de la ferme is a guest house in the Pays de Herve, set in a 19th-century farm in Évegnée-Tignée near Soumagne. Jessica and Dany welcome guests in three rooms, and the place delivers exactly what they promise: a genuine break from everything, a return to nature after a working day, and a well-earned stretch of green around you. The three rooms are called L'étable, La laiterie and Le fenil, each for two people. Their names recall what they once were, and you can still see it: wooden beams, parquet floors and old stone. L'étable is on the ground floor, measures 29 square metres and has a bed of 180 by 200, its own entrance, a seating area and a bathroom with a walk-in shower. La laiterie is the same size, also on the ground floor, with a private terrace of 30 square metres and a bathroom with a bath. Le fenil is on the first floor, measures 23 square metres, and has a bed of 160 by 200, a private terrace of 30 square metres and a view over the fields. All three have air conditioning, wifi, a flat screen and their own entrance, and parking is secured. Breakfast is included and served between 7 and 10. It is homemade and uses local produce only: charcuterie, regional cheeses, breads, homemade pastries, eggs, bacon, fruit and yoghurt. Anyone who prefers a lie-in can have it in the room for a small supplement. Outside there is a heated pool of eleven metres with a two-metre deck, open from 1 April to 30 September and accessible from 8 to 20h. Each room also comes with forty-five minutes in the jacuzzi and the sauna. There is a pétanque court and a table tennis table, both free to use. The gardens look out over the rolling landscape of the Pays de Herve. For a day out, Jessica and Dany prepare a picnic basket ordered the day before: fifteen euros per adult and eight per child up to twelve, with a homemade sandwich, a drink and a dessert. Jessica is also a qualified podologist and offers foot care on request, in your room if you prefer. For anyone looking to give a stay as a present, Jessica and Dany put together gift packages of two nights for two, breakfast and the wellness area included, with either a bottle of bubbles or a meal in the area. What sets this address apart from an ordinary bed and breakfast is the combination of a real farm with a wellness area that simply comes with it. Pool, jacuzzi and sauna are not paid extras but part of the stay, and breakfast comes from the producer rather than out of a packet. The house is in Soumagne, a short drive from Liège and the Voer region, in the middle of the fruit-growing country the Pays de Herve is known for.