Sainte Mégrine, an eco-friendly accommodation labelled “Valeurs Parc Naturel Régional” in the heart of the Marais poitevin

19 August 2019

Created in 2016 by the Federation of the Regional Natural Parks of France, the label “Valeurs Parc Naturel Régional” is part of an overall promotion of responsible and sensible tourism. It was thus obvious for Sophie and Ronan Saint-Jalmes, the owners of the Sainte Mégrine accommodations in the heart of the Marais poitevin in Coulon, Deux-Sèvres, to adhere and promote its values.

Cottages and ecological bed and breakfast in Coulon

 Located in the hamlet of Sainte Mégrine in the heart of the Green Venice, the accommodations provide a complete change of scenery for all nature lovers. Carefully renovated with environmentally-friendly materials and in the tradition of ancient techniques, they enjoy an exceptional natural environment which favours bike rides and hikes to the discovery of this magical place called the Marais poitevin.

Interior of the lodging of Sainte Mégrine.

Ronan and Sophie Saint-Jalmes are true and passionate lovers of the Marsh

“We bought Sainte-Mégrine in 2006. As a former 11^th-century priory, it welcomed monks who did the first ground-drainage works in the Marsh. We were immediately attracted by this old building, with its history and its quiet and peaceful environment.

We did all the restoration work by ourselves in a full ecological way (lime, linseed oil, casein, etc.). The old pieces of furniture which decorate our beds and breakfast and cottages, the garden cared according to the principles of permaculture and the different developments keep up very busy today! By sharing with the people we welcome here, we also explain our way to work and we always hope to convince about the validity of living in a more environmentally aware way and the fact that we get visible results on the biodiversity of our 5 hectares. We try to spread the word. And it usually works! That is what makes us happy, to share what we have learned so far. Through our explanations, we try to share our dedication to this respect of nature and environment.

The natural pond of Sainte Mégrine.

That is why our adherence to the label “Valeurs Parc Naturel Régional” was so evident for us! Our deep commitment for the environment (Clef Verte-labelled accommodations) and our love for the Marais poitevin have pushed us to quickly fill in the application, since we fully adhere to the values of the label.

We are proud to show the label “Valeurs Parc”, it is a token of appreciation of our eco-friendly work by an institution, the Marais poitevin Regional Natural park which allows us to go further in our approach and to support it.

We are thus the first ambassadors of the Marais poitevin: we provide bike rental in situ and we encourage our guests to spend a day without the car, we share touristic information so that they can have a lunch or picnic break (with information on the restaurants and shops), find the jetties on their way, the cultural sites, the local specialties and we invite them to shop at local producers.”

Whether by foot, by bike or by boat, there are numerous ways to discover the Marais poitevin. Located in the heart of the Green Venice, in Coulon, the owners of the cottages and beds and breakfast of Sainte Mégrine provide a personalised and warm welcome to each visitor. You can also find other accommodations, as well as visitation sites, jetties or local products with the label “Valeurs Parc naturel régional”…