Cut ties, cast off the moorings, in the first floating village in France located in Pressac, 1 hour from Poitiers and Futuroscope, in the south of Vienne. This brand new ecotourism site, whose official opening is scheduled for July 12, consists of around twenty different cabins, which can accommodate from 2 to 5 people. Here we are (a bit) like on a boat:each cabin has its own navigation title, the reception of "sailors and cabin boys" (customers) is at the "Capitainerie", we dine at the quay at "the Marina" , and we reach his cabin by boat (motorized or not) life jacket on the back...
D-15 before the official opening, so I'm volunteering to live "an unusual experience closer to nature". If the cabins are not all afloat yet, the site already reveals its promises:we are really in the heart of a preserved countryside, in the middle of fields as far as the eye can see and at the foot of a famous 6.5 hectare pond. ultra fishy, between carp, pike, roach and small frying (catfish…).
Arrived at the harbor master's office, I was given a backpack with toilet paper, a small towel, a bottle of water and a headlamp. The adventure begin ! The cabins are equipped with dry toilets and a small water tank for a "cat toilet". Fortunately, the Harbor Master's Office has all the comforts necessary for sailors and cabin crew:toilets, hot showers... Not all the boats have been delivered yet, so it's by motor boat and not by the strength of my arms (so much the better!) I discover the Floating Village before returning to the mainland for dinner at the Marina.
When embarking for the night, it chuckles a little stupidly on the pontoon. We play among sailors to blind each other with our headlamps, we look for the Big Dipper in the starry sky and we get scared of nothing... Everyone falls back into childhood and that's very good! Head to "Bali", the hut assigned to me for this night. Despite the small size of the place once the door is closed, I do not feel cramped at all. A bit as if I could breathe, listen, see through the boards and become one with nature. It sways a little when I move, but not at all when I go to bed. The storage bed is as soft as you want, the silence almost golden. Here, the slightest noise seems increased tenfold:the cry of the toad, the rustling of the trees, the knocking of a large insect at my window….
The next day, up with the day after a short but deep sleep, I await the delivery of my breakfast basket. Melting mini pastries, apple juice and jelly from a small local producer, steaming coffee… I savor the moment alone with the still misty pond. A tranquility disturbed by a few fish that jump out of the water before falling in a big splash. Go ahead little ones, swim quietly, the fishing is not (yet) open!
I slept like a fish in water, but little (without a curtain on the window, you wake up with the sun…), without getting seasick or feeling cramped despite my claustrophobia. For fishing, I will have to come back... But that's fine because I don't know if I would have had the courage to hook the bait! If the floating village is still running in, its golden team compensates for the small defects. Special mention for Laurent Debiais, the very friendly and no less efficient director, sorry "Captain", of the village. I would definitely stack up again for a future "cruise"!
€130 per night in a duo cabin, €195 in a family cabin, boat rental, breakfasts, sheets, WiFi access and access to the swimming pool and sanitary facilities at the Harbor Master's Office included. Decreasing rates from the 2nd night. Fishing equipment and bikes for hire on site. Floating Village Etang du Ponteil, 86460 Pressac, www.village-flottant-pressac.com.
