French Immersion Homestay At Teacher’s near Vannes, Brittany

If you want to live like a local in gorgeous Brittany with a delightful friend/teacher/guide, all while improving your fluency in French, contact Florence now and hope that she has availability! She welcomed my friend Ann and me as treasured guests and more than achieved her intent of giving us the best possible French immersion homestay experience at her exquisite Breton home. Florence is a talented teacher, gracious host, tour guide extraordinaire and is so kind, patient, and fun to be with. Our private gite accommodation was roomy and lovely with modern kitchen/bathroom(s), and views overlooking the countryside.All of our home-cooked meals with Florence (and in the evenings, also with husband, Dawson, their son, Luca, and also a cousin one night) were incredible and made with locally sourced ingredients, including vegetables from their garden and eggs from their chickens. These meals were also accompanied by fun French conversation with her and her supportive family. Also under Florence’s tutelage, we learned how to make galettes and crepes (and flan), and Dawson oversaw our cooking them. To expertly flip them as he does is a goal, but thankfully simply folding them over was also an option!

We started our days with breakfast and conversation with Florence. Then we sat together at the table in her sunny office/classroom upstairs, with their sweet dog, Maia, lying down nearby, and had our organized morning lessons and exercises. Florence expertly tailored our lessons to include exactly what we wanted to cover and helped us each to move forward in our comprehension and spoken French. But ALL times with Florence were learning opportunities. She would discreetly write on a small pad during our meals and adventures and would re-visit her notes later and let us know where we needed to make corrections. She would also occasionally gently correct us at the time. At the end of our amazing week, I understood French conversation better and was more confident in speaking it.

For our three excursions, we loved seeing and learning about the ancient, mystical stones at Carnac; exploring by ferry the Golfe de Morbihan (with 42 islands!), and by foot, the magical Ile-aux-Moines with its beautiful harbors and streets lined by quaint, flower-adorned homes; and, finally, wandering in historic, picturesque Vannes including buying fresh fruit and vegetables at the market and enjoying “moules frites” at an outdoor café on the harbor.

We were also kindly invited to visit Florence’s charming parents who live across the “valley” from them. Her talented mother gave us a tour of her exquisite garden and cut stunning flowers for us along the way for bouquets to take “home.” Then her gracious father insisted that we stay for an aperitif which we enjoyed with them and Dawson, too. On another afternoon, Florence asked me to join her in walking Maia in the beautiful countryside and through the small village where her grandparents lived, meeting neighbors and friends along the way.

Ann and I had two afternoons/evenings “on our own.” On the first evening, we had a relaxing dinner at our gite after stocking up at the local supermarket under Florence’s guidance. On the other night, we had a delicious meal at a charming, beamed-ceiling restaurant in the neighboring town of Saint-Jean-Brevelay where we were also entertained by local villagers doing expert karaoke. Florence dropped us off, and Dawson kindly retrieved us.

And, finally, getting to Florence’s home is so easy. Vannes is a direct 2hr30min TGV ride from Paris. Florence picked us up at the station on Sunday, and drove us to her home. She and Dawson drove us back to the station the next Saturday. After such a fun, fabulous, and informative week where we learned about and experienced French culture in Brittany as well as improving our working knowledge of the French language, we didn’t want to leave. Merci mille fois to Florence and her gracious family for everything! LAURA

Flo,

Thank you for all you did for Laura and me during our stay earlier this month.  Really, it could not have been better—it was both fun and a great learning experience for both of us.  We particularly appreciated all you did to accommodate our several special requests, from arranging a wonderful garden tour to a briefing on France’s government to learning to cook galettes, crepes and even galettes des rois.  You and Dawson were such gracious hosts and made us feel welcome every day in your lovely home; I meant it when I said to let us know if you visit Texas as we’d enjoy seeing both of you again. 

From creating grammar lessons specially directed to our numerous weaknesses to keeping a running note on vocabulary during casual conversation, you used every minute to best effect, helping us to be a great deal more comfortable in French.  The combination of an excellent French teacher and an engaging tour guide is hard to beat!  We loved seeing Vannes and the Gulf of Morbihan especially, and your own knowledge and love of the area made everything more fun.

I can heartily recommend a week with you to anyone interested in gaining fluency in French.   Again, so many thanks! ANN

Chère Flo, Ça fait un bail et je suis désolé de te remercier si tard. J’ai passé beaucoup de bons moments avec toi. Trop nombreux pour être énumérés. Mais tu le sais. Ce sont deux semaines dont je me souviendrai toujours. Tes leçons, tes repas, tes conversations, ta patience, et les visites autour de la Bretagne. Je ne peux pas citer le meilleur moment. Tout était merveilleux et tu l’as rendu ainsi.

Bayeux et Paris étaient tous deux formidables, mais très différents. Bayeux est jolie et très touristique. L’hôtel était parfait. Paris, dans le vingtième arrondissement, n’était pas touristique. C’était vivant et intéressant. Nous avons adoré nos promenades au Père Lachaise et au Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

Quoi qu’il en soit, le voyage a été superbe (à l’exception des vols), mais la meilleure partie a été Chez Flo et c’est vous qui avez fait en sorte que cela se produise.

Je feuillette encore toutes mes photos et mes souvenirs. J’ai l’intention de compiler certaines de ces photos et commentaires dans un petit livre.

Enfin et encore une fois, merci beaucoup.

En septembre, avec mon mari (qui ne parle pas de français), je suis restée pendant deux semaines pour faire une immersion française près du village Saint-Jean-Brevelay. Le dimanche, nous avons rencontré Flo et son mari australien Dawson à la gare de Vannes et après, nous avons partagé un apéro de Kir avant le dîner – une introduction très sympa à « Chez Flo ».
Pendant les 15 jours, nous étions très confortables dans le gîte et tout s’est très bien passé – des repas délicieux, des excursions diverses, quelques réunions avec la famille et des locaux, et des conversations fascinantes en français et en anglais. Et la météo, aussi ! Bravo, Flo!
Flo est professeur très dédiée et organisée, et le cours était variés et détaillés exactement pour moi. Le premier jour, on a commencé avec l’organisation nécessaire pour le séjour – une discussion générale du programme, la vie quotidienne de la famille, des excursions dans ce coin de Bretagne et des infos sur le petit village de Saint-Jean-Brévelay plus une carte locale. J’ai aussi fait des tests d’évaluation oraux et écrits. Grâce à ces tests et ces conversations, Flo a organisé des activités quotidiennes avec assez d’exercices et de révisions pour développer ma connaissance et pour faire les pratiques orales et écrites pendant les deux semaines. 
Je voudrais absolument recommander une ou deux ou plus (!) semaines « chez Flo » et sa famille pour améliorer le français, bien sûr, mais aussi pour faire des vraies expériences Bretonnes . 

We so enjoyed our week with Florence and Dawson in August! They made us feel like family. The mornings instructions were excellent and perfectly pitched to our level of French. And the afternoon excursions were as enjoyable as they were educational. Also, we left with quite a few of Florence’s recipes and have been cooking them at home. We highly recommend “Chez Flo” and hope to return! Tanya and Stewart

We heartily recommend an immersion with Flo, whose basic approach was to pay close attention to areas where each of us struggled in conversation, and then select exercises to work on those areas. Emphasis was placed on the kinds of errors that are most likely to lead to misunderstanding, with a good mix of written and oral exercises. There were several excursions to choose from, and they often provided opportunities to practice. Meals were lovely, with lots of home-grown produce and terrific support from the family in speaking. Finally, the accommodations are particularly nice. You can’t go wrong here!

First of all, I cannot say enough positive things to describe my week of Immersion Chez Flo. All aspects of my stay were absolutely amazing! I had some pretty specific goals and things I wanted to focus on during my stay. I shared these with Florence beforehand. She is so well organized and is THE most outstanding teacher! She had prepared a wealth of materials to address each of my goals with a ton of exercises to challenge me and practice. No question that my fluency and knowledge improved during the week. We studied together, we laughed, she motivated me and we had fun. I didn’t speak any English the entire week – which was the idea, right? From the moment I arrived, I felt right at home. The gîte is beautiful, spacious, very well equipped and extremely comfortable. The entire family is so welcoming I really felt like a family member, not a guest. I had an enjoyable afternoon spent with Florence’s mother as well, where we just chatted about everything and anything and explored her magnificent garden together. She is an impressive and sweet lady.

I arrived on the day of the European elections and had the unique experience of accompanying Florence and her daughter Leyla to the local polling station where they were officiating the voting and counting the ballots. As we watched the results unfold, live, it was clearly a pivotal moment to be in France!

I really appreciated the relaxing countryside setting of Florence’s home – a true oasis. However, this is no desert! The village of Saint-Jean-Brévelay is only a 2km walk away. This area of Brittany has so much to see and do. It’s hard to say which excursion I enjoyed the most. Vannes was charming, with its colorful market, half-timbered houses, and historical buildings reminiscent of Alsace or Germany. The prehistoric ruins of Carnac which make you wonder how on earth did they do that, and why? And then there was the Golfe du Morbihan. This was truly a highlight for me as I adore the water and sailing. We took a boat excursion throughout this inland sea which has around 40 islands. There was an onboard live commentary to tell us stories about the area and information on the history, geography and oysters farms. Another fantastic opportunity for French comprehension, while taking in the beauty of the surroundings & fresh air. We got off the boat at Île aux Moines, the largest island, where we walked / hiked for almost two hours along coastal paths, beside seclude beaches and up and down narrow winding lanes lined with flowers.

I would absolutely recommend an immersion with Florence, without hesitation. No matter what your level, she will design a program that EXACTLY meets your individual needs and you will thrive.

Thank you, Florence, and your entire family, for an exceptional learning experience and an unforgettable week.

I couldn’t have wished for a better French immersion experience than the week I spent with Flo!  She is a perfect host, and a wonderful French teacher. Each day, Florence devoted herself to my comfort and enjoyment of my stay in France, engaging me all the while in French conversation and formal instruction. Everywhere Florence took me, every recipe we prepared together, she shared her knowledge of French and Breton culture and history. I ate delicious meals, spoke a lot of French and received excellent, systematic teaching where improvement in my oral and written French was needed. I highly recommend an immersion stay with Flo!  

My four days with Florence and her family in May were more than I had hoped for. She is a wonderful host, very thoughtful and generous and it was an unforgettable experience to be part of her family life for this short time. She was very quick to pick up my ‘weaknesses’ in French and guide me through a range of exercises and explanations that were easy to understand and follow. My French definitely improved even in this short time. We explored some lovely regions of Brittany and she was very knowledgeable about the area and obviously very passionate about the history. I highly recommend Flo’s homestay immersion and I will definitely be going back when I have the chance. Suzette,

Nous avons passé un excellent séjour chez Flo. La réservation a été simple a effectuer, le logement était très confortable et nous avions tout ce dont nous avions besoin.

Florence a très bien compris, et très vite, les domaines linguistiques sur lesquels nous devions travailler, les cours étaient intenses mais aussi très amusants.

Les excursions on été très bien choisies et bien expliquées, nous avons beaucoup appris sur la culture bretonne, l’histoire et la vie quotidienne de la famille de Florence et des habitants.

Les repas étaient merveilleux, simples et goûteux, cela nous a donné un goût de la culture gastronomique bretonne.

Merci beaucoup Florence, c’était une expérience merveilleuse, tu es une personne chaleureuse et amusante. C’était un plaisir.

Être chez Flo est comme si on est en famille. Nous nous sentions comme si nous étions de vieux amis, et chaque détail a été soigné, y compris mon besoin de manger sans gluten.

J’ai fait plusieurs immersions avec French Today et la dernière était il y a 4 ans.  Cette fois-ci, je suis allée chez Florence pendant 2 semaines  à Saint Jean Brévelay en Bretagne,  Une semaine ma sœur m’a rejoint, l’autre semaine, mon amie. C’était dans les meilleures 2 semaines en France qu’on a passées. On a de la chance !

Merci beaucoup Florence, c’était une excellente immersion, C’était harmonieux, riche et profond avec beaucoup de qualité et de variété. Pendant les 2 semaines, j’ai travaillé dur, donc j’ai beaucoup appris. C’était assez épanouissant, fatigant et aussi satisfaisant, mais c’était l’objectif! Bravo !

En plus, il y avait des activités en dehors des cours. Florence nous a emmenées à Auray, Carnac, visiter un Château, un musée, et surtout au marché de Vannes, où on a acheté des saucissons, des fruits, des légumes, des fruits des mer, comme des huîtres, des saint- Jacques, et un gros crabe de 2 Kg.  On a eu beaucoup d’opportunités de parler en français avec  les gens locaux, dans des vrais situations. C’était les meilleures expériences!

Grâce à l’hospitalité de Florence, j’ai rencontré ses parents, Annick  et Guy, un couple charmant et très gentil, et ses  amies, Liliane , Véronique et Viviane, des femmes adorables et charmantes !

Quand on prenait des apéritifs, ou en partageant les repas, j’ai beaucoup appris sur toutes les histoires de 14-18, 39-45, et ce qui s’était vraiment passé dans les environs du village et dans leur pays. Nous avons passé ensemble des moments précieux.

Quelle ambiance, quelle chance et quelle joie pour être accompagné par tant de gens, qui sont aimables, sincères et encourageants quand on s’entraîne à parler une nouvelle langue.
Et ça marche, ça marche très bien. En fait, j’ai commencé à parler en français avec plus de fluidité ! C’était comme un rêve devenant réalité.

Merci encore Florence et Dawson, c’était  un séjour exceptionnel.
Le logement était calme,  les repas copieux, l’accueil chaleureux, les cours dynamiques , et bien adaptés à moi…

Florence et Dawson, Je vous remercie encore et à bientôt,  j’attends notre prochaine avec l’impatience !!

Je voulais progresser en français et passer du temps en France, donc j’ai choisi de faire une immersion. C’était une expérience absolument incroyable ! Le logement était parfait et j’ai beaucoup aimé le village de Saint-Jean-Brévelay. La vue du gite était magnifique !

Pour les cours, j’ai beaucoup appris en une semaine. Avant l’immersion, j’avais toujours ce sentiment de stagner en français, et Florence m’ai aidé de comprendre mes points de faiblesse pour que je puisse améliorer mon français. C’était génial d’utiliser le français dans la vie quotidienne pour progresser. Avec les cours et toutes les conversations, juste après une journée, j’ai pensé et j’ai rêvé en français !

Les excursions étaient magnifiques ! Florence connait tellement de choses sur l’histoire et elle nous a raconté l’histoire pendant les excursions. J’ai adoré visiter le château de Suscinio et c’était la première fois pour ma mère de voir un château. J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé Vannes. C’était très cool de voir le marché et j’ai pratiqué le français en achetant des choses au marché. Le pique-nique à Arzon avec la vue époustouflante était une journée parfaite. A la fin de la semaine, on a eu la chance de diner avec la famille de Florence. C’était une bonne façon de pratiquer parler français avec d’autres personnes.

Merci Florence et Dawson pour cette immersion inoubliable !

I decided to try a week of immersion with Florence to accelerate my language learning and to evaluate my true level of ability. Florence and her family provided activities, constant exposure to spoken French, wonderful food, and comfortable, quiet accommodations. Her classes are completely tailored to your desires and she will expose weaknesses that you probably didn’t even know were there. If you are hesitant to speak due to a lack of experience, confidence, or base of grammar, she will make you feel comfortable. I would highly recommend the experience to any ability level, especially if you are interested in the beautiful countryside and small towns of western France.

A week with Florence will amaze you. Somehow, you’re able to spend six days conversing only in French and not feel completely overwhelmed. You’ll begin to really enjoy speaking with Flo, her family, her friends, and her neighbors as they make you part of their world.

The daily lessons are challenging, but that’s what you’re here for and you see yourself progressing daily. In addition, Flo has an uncanny way of quickly pinpointing your needs and gently helping you overcome your blockages. She’ll make you impressed with yourself!

Then there are the meals . . . yes, I ate very well but also learned to cook some traditional Breton foods so I brought back a little of Chez Flo to share with family and friends. Foods are local and fresh and in season there are eggs and vegetables from the home (not to mention Flo’s father’s cider).

The village is an easy walk away via paths and fields and lovely rural countryside. It was a lovely time to reflect and enjoy and breathe the non-polluted air (this from a city-dweller who noticed the difference immediately).

There were excursions as well to a nearby city and the beautiful Gulf of Morbihan, but my favorite was to the Carnac alignments. It was beyond my imaginings and since it was winter, we could go amidst the standing stones and appreciate the Neolithic society that created this intensely magical place. Since Flo is from the region, we went to a “Tumulus” she knew where we were alone inside. Never in my life could I have expected something so special. I loved that we escaped the tourists. And to add to the authenticity, on the way there we ran into a farmers’ tractor blockage of the route and you can’t get more authentic French than that.

I loved it all.

Spending an immersion week with Florence in Brittany has all the ingredients you need for a fabulous time. Florence and Dawson live in a beautifully renovated farm building attached to a two bedroomed Gite that’s equally well designed. Both Florence and Dawson are welcoming, friendly and generous and go out of their way to make guests feel at ease and at home.

Alan and I had different levels of French but despite this Florence managed our lessons making sure that each of our needs were catered for. We shared most of our meals with Florence, Dawson and occasionally their busy son Luca, along with the additional daily entertainment from Maya their boxer dog. Despite being a somewhat complex dog she soon relaxes, greets you with enthusiasm! She is a real sweetie and we both fell in love with her. Florence’s cooking is delicious, mainly vegetarian and a lot of the produce comes from their own kitchen garden plus their 13 or so chickens. On one evening we had a go at making Galettes on a special hot plate under the close supervision of Dawson, who was clearly an expert.

During our stay we went on three outings that we had chosen, the local ‘Musee de la Resistance’, Carnac’ – the famous world Heritage site and ‘Vannes’ on market day. Each one of these offered extra opportunity to listen and talk French on the journeys there and back, and Florence gave us plenty of expert information

We were also very fortunate with the weather in our early October week. The sunsets were beautiful, and we were able to spend time relaxing or doing our French exercises outside sitting on our Terrace surrounded by fields of maize.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our stay with Florence and Dawson and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them. I’m certainly hoping to revisit them if possible for a longer period next year.  Phoebe

Thanks for a brillant holiday, your hospitality, delicious meals, your teaching and showing us very  interesting historic places.It was also a privilege and a pleasure to meet your family and friends.

I’m sure my very rusty French has improved, as a result of your efforts.

I would definitely recommend your place to family and friends for an immersion course. Alan.

I have just spent the most wonderful week at Chez Flo. Flo went above and beyond to make my stay an incredible experience. She is passionate about both teaching and her beautiful region and that passion showed in the really well-thought-out lessons and activities. Flo’s patience in revising what I should remember and ability to explain what was new and difficult, were both remarkable. And each outing we did came with either a detailed, colourful explanation of the history or simply local treats! Flo’s home/family are warm and welcoming and my accomodation was extremely comfortable and private with its own kitchen and living area. It was a truly special week and not just because of the huge leap forward I made in French. I am already planning when I can return!