Our villa is about as friendly to children as most houses were built in the 1970's, which is to say, it was not built with either children or the frail in mind. It is just a house.

Exterior:
Having said that, the garden is fenced from the lane outside and has a lockable gate to prevent children from running out. However even if they do, there is no through traffic on the lane as it is only an access lane not a road and dead ends at the villa. The terrace has a 4 foot wall a round it on two sides.

BUT is does have an out side staircase from the terrace leading to the second bedroom which is only accessible using this staircase. Since the stair case also has a 4 foot wall on the outside, it is unlikely that children can fall over the side unless they climb on the wall which is to be guarded against. However, the stair treads are constructed of cement block with stucco on both wall of the house, the wall of the stair case and the face of the stair treads which are surfaced with tile.

This is not a stair case that should be navigated by small children under the age of at least 5 years old. Even then, parents should determine which of their children is ready to deal with the stairs since there is not a banister installed.

The terrace can be secured by opening out the double shutters on the stair case side of the porte fenêtres (French Doors) of the salon. Using the hook and eye that it is equipped with, you can fasten the shutter to cover over the staircase so children cannot descend.

There is also a set of steps that lead from the upper garden to the lower one where the firewood and the laundry line are located. We have a green plastic covered 2 foot wire fencing to prevent small children from falling from the upper garden to the lower as well as a length of the same fencing that can by drawn across the top step and secured to some hooks on the end of the terrace wall. This is not a perfect solution but it should help. There is also a length of the same fencing pushed back against the hedge that can be drawn across the garden from the outer street wall to the end of the terrace wall as well.

BUT advise parents with small children that they must not be allowed to play outside without constant parental supervision.

Interior:
The ground floor is all on one level and is surfaced with tile. The hazards for small children are very much those of any house with tables, chairs, a fireplace, bathrooms and kitchen. The electric outlets are NOT child proof. We have installed a temperature controlled shower valve system to prevent scalding of anyone using the shower. To obtain hotter than normal water, just hold down the red button on the hot water and you can get very hot water. But the red button is to prevent anyone from scalding themselves so please you with caution.

The stairs leading to the mezzanine are wooden and the treads do not have backs to them but there is a banister The mezzanine bedroom is fully secured with a wall and bedroom door for privacy and to prevent small children from falling down the stairs.

The day bed/sofa in the salon can be made into a bed as it is actually a proper bed with mattress.

We wish we could make the villa totally safe for all children, but it was not built with that in mind and we can only make modifications to help protect your children from obvious hazards. You must decide if the villa's environment will accommodate your children. If you have any questions, please do ask us directly via any of our contact methods (below at bottom).

Village/Region:
The world is full of hazards for all of us including little ones. But Esparron has little traffic all of which is limited to the main road through the village. But some drivers use it as a speed track so please warn your larger children to use proper road crossing care at all times and do not let little ones go with out supervision. There are many public stairways made of stone, cement and asphalt since the hamlet is built on a hillside. Some but not all have metal banisters. There are so many lovely places for children to play from the hillside with forests of trees to the rocky slopes that lead to the lake and the lake itself. This can provide a wonderfull holiday with all the shops, cafés, ice cream vendors etc. within minutes of the villa, but there are all the normal dangers for small children.

However, we have watched the local kids grow from babies to young adults and have yet to hear of any disasters. Neighbors come every year with all ages from babies months old to centenarians and no one worries. It is a wonderful holiday place for all ages. Common sense is mostly the best guide.