Kevred1

Hi all,

We have not been over here long looking for somewhere to live in our retirement and aareseekikioany advice on the Vendée area or Sarlat-la-Canéda area?

Any fors and against are most welcome.

Kevin & Jan

EuroTrash

It's a bit hard trying to compare an area with a town.
But I can't see any major againsts for either of them, I would say it's simply a case of which you prefer.
Do you like the coast or do you prefer inland?
Sarlat-la-Canéda I think you would have to not mind having a fairly high saturation of Brits, I'm not sure I would care for that but some people would find that a plus. I'm sure there are parts of the Vendée that are very Britified too. But of course you can find places off the beaten track if you prefer.
I would have thought that property prices in the Vendée would tend to be higher but then it varies so much depending on location, plus since the pandemic the balance is supposed to be shifting..
The Vendée has parts that get very packed with tourists in summer, again that might or might not suit you - I guess since you're attracted to Sarlat you don't mind that., And you can always avoid the honeypots.
Quite honestly the more I think about it the more impossible it seems to advise a person I don't know at all, on where's best for them to live.
But then, personally I wouldn't choose either of those places so I'm not the best person to be answering.
I'll leave it to others and just say, Happy hunting.

Kevred1

That's great, thanks alot for that, appreciate it 😀

dmu

+1
Which part(s) of the Vendée attract you? Bear in mind the coastal flooding (e.g. Xynthia and la Faute-sur-Mer),and the Marais Poitevin inland, although beautiful, must be vulnerable to flooding, too.
From a healthcare point of view, according to Les Pages Jaunes, Sarlat is less a medical desert than in my area (important if you're "getting on") and, due to the number of Brits there, the practitioners probably speak English (although that's not a reason for not brushing up your French!).
As said, it's impossible for any of us to advise, you should spend time in both areas, living as "residents" within a budget and not as tourists, to see where you'd feel happier to live forever more.
Good luck with your search!

Kevred1

Thanks dmu,
We are staying at a place called Champagnac-la-Rivière which is nice bit we would like a more scenic place to live with a lot less debse forest close by. The places we are looking at in Vendée are AUCHAR SUR VENDÉE, DOIX LES FONTAINES, PETOSSE, DOIX, SAINT AUBIN LA PLAINE and SAINT HILAIRE DE LOGES, not sure what any of these areas are like until we visit. We had been told about the flooding in the Vendée but no specific areas, so thanks for that advice.

We are edging towards Sarlat-la-Canéda because of the history and culture oh and the food 😀

Listen Very Carefully

Sorry to mention this but what is your visa status or nationality?

Kevred1

Hi, sorry we are British with a Long Stay visa.

EuroTrash

What I did was, I spent the best part of a year exploring France in my motorhome, gradually focusing in closer and closer on the areas that I felt most attracted to/comfortable in. Eventually I narrowed it down to two specific towns that I was confident would suit me, I loved them both and I couldn't choose between them, so then it was a case of looking at properties in both places and picking one.
I have never understood how people can buy a house in an area they have barely spent any time in. I know a lot of people do and it seems to work, but I wouldn't dare in case I found that although the place ticked all my boxes on paper, for some reason I just couldn't gel with it. If I hadn't had a motorhome I would probably have rented before buying.
It was massive fun, and I felt I knew so much more about the country I had chosen to live in by the end of it.

scrubbedexpat142

Sarlat! Bruno country (Martin Walker)! Having read some of his books I have come to the conclusion that, if reincarnated, I would like to come back as a French country policeman. From what I can see Bruno can only do about 2 hours work a day!

Sorry OP this doesn't help you but I couldn't help myself!

Moses2013

The only downside by driving around these days is that you might fall in love with a place and then realise you can't afford it. That might not always be the case further inland, but along the coast it can be harder if on a budget. If one likes the coast, Sarlat-la-Canéda seems like an odd choice though. When I drive through France to get to Spain, the worst bit is always betwen Agen and Toulouse and I just want to be near the coast again. You're close but still so far away and once I pass Perpignan happiness returns.

EuroTrash

Oh I fell in love with loads of places that would never have done for me. But that was part of the fun. I loved the Midi passionately, in fact I worked there for a season, but I would never have felt at home ther. Waking up and hearing the crickets and looking forward another magical South of France day was amazing. But in my heart I knew that the climate was too extreme and the Mediterannean mindset was too foreign and the economy was all about wines and vines and I know nothing about winemaking. For me it's great for a holiday but not to live. Ditto loads of places I discovered that I had brief passionate affairs with. But at the time I was looking to keep working and keep leading basically the same life I'd led in the UK but in France. The places I chose, in the end, weren't the ones that made my spine tingle, they were the places I felt comfortable and at home. I suppose if you're retiring, or you want to make a clean break and start a completely different way of life, it's different.