Testimonials

As soon as I saw Florence’s red beret among the sea of people at Vannes Station and then met her on the platform, I knew that I was going to spend a really enjoyable week!

Florence and Dawson have thought of everything and one’s every need is satisfied at their very comfortable and attractive Gite, which forms one end of their beautifully renovated Longere, a traditional Breton farm house, built of local stone and with thick walls.

I loved the surroundings, the open meadows, the wide views, the hens in their enclosure. Wonderful to be woken up by an energetic rooster on my first morning! At the end of the day sleep comes easily here. If you look out at night there is not a light to be seen.

Lessons began in earnest on the Monday morning. From around 9 am to midday approximately. Of course I should mention that French is encouraged to be spoken at all times, during meals and when out and about. (Once home I miss being able to practice!). First there was an aptitude test and then each lesson was carefully crafted to fit in with one’s weaknesses and queries. They often had a theme to match where we were going to go that afternoon, eg La Resistance, and the Museum at Malestroit.

One is worked hard, which is what I wanted. Much grammar was covered. Also studying a newspaper article for each lesson is an excellent idea, as it brings one into the realm of current, modern french, which is often a great contrast to what one has learnt in earlier life.

It was lovely to meet Maia, the beautiful dog, who is now leading the best life ever. She would often accompany us for lessons - a delight.

Lessons were not confined to vocabulary and grammar! I also learnt a bit about Breton cuisine; le far and les galettes, (Dawson’s speciality - he made the preparation look easy…..it isn’t!).

And then, the excursions: I chose Carnac, extraordinary and mysterious, la Musee de la Resistance, very moving and interesting, really transported one back to those days, (the song of the Resistance became an ‘ear worm’ for me for a while); and to the Isle au Moines, beautiful walk around the coast of part of the island and then some of the exterior. Quaint streets and beautiful flowers and plants.

In short, I enjoyed every moment - and learnt a lot. Thank you.

As an educator myself, I was deeply impressed with Flo’s organization, attention to details, and flexibility in addressing my language stumbles. Speaking, or at least attempting to communicate in, French from the moment I arrived at the train station told me that this was indeed an immersion experience, even with Flo’s family.  The excursions not only expanded my knowledge of the Morbihan region, its history both recent and pre-historic, but provided further opportunities to chat while driving. The gite is superbly comfortable, well outfitted for a stay as well as great place for study. The experience surpassed all my expectations. Thank you Flo.

Maribeth F.

Recently completed an immersion with Flo. On a scale one to ten the experience was an eleven. She has all the qualities that a good teacher possesses, experience, patience and an understanding of where you are in your French language journey. I absolutely recommend her whether this is your first time doing an immersion, or you have done this before. As a side note, the accommodations could not have been better. A separate complete apartment with all the amenities. During your lessons, just don’t confuse quartier with Cartier   (private joke)

I loved my time in Brittany speaking and learning French with Flo and visiting the historic and beautiful region surrounding the Gulf of Morbihan. I stayed in a comfortable 2 bedroom, fully equipped apartment at one end of a lovely, remodeled farm house that’s been there for hundreds of years. Flo’s morning classes were super well-organized and targeted toward specific difficulties I was having with my French. I was given loads of practice and resources to rapidly improve my French. Best of all, in the informal times at breakfast, lunch, and outings, Flo really supported me in discussing all manner of topics in French with her and her lovely family. I learned much about the history and culture of the area, and was even given a lesson in making true galettes de sarrazin by Flo’s husband! I came away with much more confidence in my French and was able to use that in the rest of my vacation in Brittany and Normandy. I strongly encourage anyone at any level wishing to learn, improve, or master their French to spend a week with Flo!

Staying with Florence and her family was a very special experience, the gite is comfortable and well equipped, the home-cooked meals delicious and the trips and activities enabled us to learn much more about Breton and French culture. Set just outside the village, Florence’s home is surrounded by trees and fields and the lovely Breton long house has its own kitchen garden, which adds to the homely feel. Picking fresh cherries from the trees was a real treat.Any nervousness we had about immersing ourselves in the French language and culture were quickly dispelled by the warm welcome we received from Florence and her family. We felt immediately at home and therefore more able to chat in French even though we were aware that we were making mistakes. Florence noted several points as we spoke and these became the basis for the lessons the following day. This was really useful for us as we had developed some bad habits and we were able to work on these throughout the week. Florence helped us enormously, she is as mentioned below an excellent teacher, and by the end of the week we felt much more confident and full of enthusiasm for improving our French at home. On one of my free afternoons Florence organised a masseuse to come over and give me a massage. It was exceptional, and I couldn’t believe how relaxed I felt afterwards. I was so glad I was able to the have the chance to try it. Really one of the nicest I’ve ever had. Merci à Anne et merci Florence! We were so delighted with the immersion that we fully intend return as soon as we can. All in all a super week and we would thoroughly recommend staying Chez Flo.

My week of French immersion chez Flo far exceeded my expectations. I would return in a heartbeat. Everything about the experience was exceptional — the learning, the setting, the family atmosphere, and above all, Flo herself.

Flo is an outstanding tutor: enthusiastic, creative, well prepared, endlessly patient, and genuinely fun to learn from. I was initially worried that three hours of lessons each morning might feel overwhelming, but the time flew by. Flo has a remarkable gift for keeping the lessons engaging, varied, and relaxed, and I learned far more French than I expected in just one week.

What made the experience even more special was the warmth and care shown by Flo and her family. From the moment I arrived, they made me feel completely at home. My living quarters in their ‘gite’ were spacious, clean, private, and fully equipped. I discovered that everything described in Flo’s immersion program was thoughtfully carried out and personalized to my interests. Highlights included excursions to picturesque towns, to a quirky arts and crafts village, to market days in nearby towns. Also I made galettes with Flo’s delightful husband, collected fresh eggs from the chicken coop, and practiced my French at the local outdoor market. Every activity felt authentic, enjoyable, and intentionally designed to build confidence in speaking French.

And I cannot fail to mention Flo’s cooking — absolutely delicious. I ended up asking for several of her recipes before I left! She could easily offer cooking classes as well.

I could honestly go on and on about this experience. I left Brittany with wonderful memories, greater confidence in my French, and enormous gratitude for Flo’s generosity and talent.

Merci beaucoup, Flo!!!

My husband and I spent a wonderful week chez Flo in May. My goal was to improve my French in everyday conversation and for use at work. Flo’s teaching was pitched at just the right level to push me and improve where I needed it without it feeling overwhelming. She tailored the content to my areas of interest so I could gain some domain-specific vocabulary to use at work in the future, and she varied the content and lessons so we were addressing everything from reading comprehension to pronunciation to sharpening my conversation and presentation skills. She also gave me ideas for how I can continue to improve when I get home. I’m looking forward to it!

It really helps to speak in French in an immersive environment and while it is hard to think in French for most of the day, it does get easier over time. We travelled in France for a couple of weeks after our stay with Florence and I felt much more confident and comfortable speaking the language with real live French people - and I was also able to communicate everything I needed to.

And the week was fun! The excursions were a wonderful peek into the culture and history of Bretagne, which is beautiful and full of surprises. Flo is an enthusiastic ambassador for everything the area has to offer, and it was simply delightful to be pulled into her day-to-day life there, even just for a short time. We loved walking around the area, going to the market, and seeing what life is like in this part of the world.

Florence and her family are incredibly lovely, warm, and welcoming - it felt like staying with family. (And I would be thrilled if I could have her homemade meals back home!) The gîte is spacious and comfortable, and the surrounding area is peaceful and easy to get around.

The week was relaxing, educational, and deeply worthwhile. I can’t recommend this experience more highly. We had a fabulous stay and are already planning when we can return!

My daughter and I just returned from a late spring sojourn (classes for her, relaxation for me)  courtesy of Chez Flo in the beautiful and historic Brittany region of France. My daughter learned so much that she has already reserved a two-week stay for next year! Flo and her family could not have been more welcoming. Our stay was a perfect blend of privacy and comfort in the beautiful “gîte”, with family time and cultural trips of our choosing in the area  (the Resistance Museum for her, Carnac and its neolithic relics for me). We could not have been more pleased.

We arrived at Chez Flo as strangers and left feeling we had made lasting friendships. Flo is a wonderful teacher and she and Dawson are generous and kind hosts – we had a very special time with them. We loved staying in their beautifully renovated and very peaceful gite and walking around the Brittany countryside.

Flo is a deeply intuitive teacher, she quickly assessed my level and responded perfectly to the goals I had set; she extended me when I understood a facet of grammar, yet was patient when I struggled to master a point. Classes seemed to whiz by, and they were a wonderful mixture of grammar lessons, local history, current events, debates, poems - everything felt personally chosen to reflect my interests.  Although we stayed with Flo so I could strengthen the many weak points in my French, the lessons were just one part of the incredible experience we had. We feel so lucky to have stayed with a “real” Breton! Flo’s knowledge of local events (from her experience as a councillor), her understanding of the village history, and her family’s deep roots in St Jean Brevelay meant we had personal insights into local French history that we would never otherwise have had. The excursions to Carnac, the château de Suscinio and the Musee de la Resistance were exactly what we wanted to do, and we got so much more from the visits because of Flo’s knowledge.

For the time we stayed with Flo, we felt part of the family – Flo is an extraordinary cook, and our shared meals were special experiences. Our final meal together was especially memorable: galettes prepared by Dawson, Flo’s entertaining husband, shared with her parents (who had brought their home-made cider (made from apples from their orchard!) to drink with the meal) and followed by far Breton we had prepared with Flo. Dawson’s galettes were excellent and, after the meal, he gave us lessons - we are on the lookout for a Billig! Thank you for a wonderful experience, Flo and Dawson; we hope to see you again in the future (and if you are ever in New Zealand, please let us know).

Thanks Florence for the amazing, fun, informative and well organized immersion week. I enjoyed many delicious meals, lessons in the mornings and excursions in the afternoons. The farm was very quiet and beautiful. By the end of the immersion I had more clarity and direction. I hope to do another immersion with you in the near future. The experience deepened my understanding of french language, culture and politics. Thanks again Florence, Dawson and Luca for your warm welcome and hospitality. I loved your gorgeous farmhouse, making galettes on the final evening and my apartment was perfect.

We stayed with Flo and her family for a one week immersion course in March. We improved tremendously in our confidence in speaking and in our listening comprehension in just that one week. We had lessons every day with homework each evening. The lessons included very useful tools to understand and converse in everyday French.

Flo prepared fantastic meals for breakfast and lunch every day, and two evening meals were included with her husband Dawson preparing traditional galettes for one of them (and teaching us how to make them as well). The meals included traditional French dishes made with local products and were delicious.

The immersion also included several excursions the Suscinio chateau, the beach near Vannes, Carnac, and market day in Vannes.

We stayed in Flo’s comfortable gite in a renovated longere. We would highly recommend the course, and we hope to return in the future.

I just returned from my immersion week Chez Flo.  It was an exceptional experience from beginning to end.  Flo’s lessons are incredibly well-planned, engaging and fun.  I always felt challenged (exactly what I asked for) and encouraged – so I learned a lot.

Flo and Dawson are so welcoming and kind;  it was a pleasure to stay in their modern, comfy “Gîte” for the week.  I was totally spoiled by their home-grown produce and delicious meals.

Our excursions could not have been better – everything from sandy beaches to medieval castles, exploring quaint villages and gathering mushrooms in the forest!  Even more fun, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with some of the locals during my free time.  I’ve already reserved to come back next year, it will be my third immersion Chez Flo I can’t wait!!

It’s hard to describe how much fun it was to spend a week with Flo! She’s a delightful, energetic teacher with a passion for Breton history, culture and cuisine. I enjoyed meeting her family and dog Maia (the cat was asleep elsewhere), and the crepe-making lesson was wonderful! Her parents, who live very close, were also welcoming. The gite next door, where I stayed, was beautiful and comfortable.

Flo is a very organized teacher, who gave me a mix of grammar exercises (in class and for homework), reading from books, watching videos and exposure to cultural landmarks. I feel so much more competent in French and confident in my speaking abilities. I am also more tuned in to exploring cultural aspects of the country I am visiting.

For immersion lessons, I cannot recommend her highly enough. Merci, Flo!

I spent a wonderful week with Flo and Dawson in Saint Jean Brévelay, exploring beautiful Brittany and the surrounding countryside. From the moment I arrived, Flo made me feel completely at ease. She has such a warm, welcoming nature and a real passion for food and cooking that comes through in everything she does.

The week was full of laughter, great food, and lots of learning. I loved the focus on local produce and traditional dishes, and Flo’s patience and encouragement made the whole experience so enjoyable. My first attempt at galettes wasn’t too bad, with the expert guidance of Dawson, and I picked up so many useful tips along the way.

The gîte is gorgeous and the perfect place to stay, peaceful, comfortable, and full of charm. I also had plenty of laughs trying to perfect my French pronunciation, which became a fun part of the week.

It was such a special experience, and I left feeling inspired and grateful. Flo is a wonderful host and teacher, and I can’t recommend this enough.

We spent a delightful week in Brittany Chez Flo. Our daily lessons improved our French in such a fun way that we never forgot that we were on vacation. Florence designed our program to match our skill level, devising grammatical lessons to strengthen our weak points. She included books, pamphlets and videos to help us learn more about French government, culture and history. A brilliant daily assignment was for each of us to chose an article from the local newspaper, prepare a presentation, and then discuss the article.

Florence led us on three excursions (prehistoric stones of Carnac, boat tour of Gulf of Morbihan and exploration of the old city of Vannes on market day) that extended the classes into Brittany itself. Along the way she explained the history of the places we visited, and occasionally reminded us of a point of grammar we had worked on that morning.

The refurbished traditional stone house is set amid rolling fields of corn and wheat. The gite,– the part of the refurbished long house where we stayed – was comfortable and spacious. Views across the fields toward the river encourage deep breaths! Fruit trees, full of plums, apples, and pears, dot the garden. Chickens in their pen, and a lusty rooster, started our day with energy. Flowers were everywhere.

Meals were wonderful. Flo is a great cook; she makes her own confiture from the fruits in the garden, and she delighted us our first evening with vegetable lasagne and plum clafoutis. For breakfast we enjoyed amazing breads and croissants from the local boulangerie; lunch featured fruit and vegetables from the garden, and we shared a couple of delicious dinners, the finale a lesson in making galettes from Dawson.

We felt very much en famille. The household included Flo’s irrepressible Australian husband Dawson, who was generous with much-needed IT advice, shopped for bread each morning, gathered the eggs and vegetables, and generally kept us laughing; their large friendly rescue dog named Maïa who kept us company during the lessons and under the table at dinner; lovely daughter Leyla who had a summer job in town, and, nearby, Florence’s parents, who live just across the fields, with their magnificent garden.

Florence is full of energy and exudes pride in her language, her region and her village. She loves to share these enthusiasms, and we recommend her to anyone who wants to learn more about the language and culture of France.

Florence was on point. For us, this week at Chez Flo became a lot more than strengthening our French.

La Professeur

Florence worked out our level of French well, in advance, and managed the difference in our levels and we both came out feeling like we’d learned a significant amount. Some things that/which/who we had struggled with for years, she resolved in minutes. Brilliant. She had a great sense of humour in class and on many occasions we found ourselves in French stitches we laughed so hard.

L’Hôte

Florence provided excellent accommodation both in Le Gîte, in the dining room and upstairs in the classroom, outdoor cooking and eating.

La Cuisinière et Le Cuisinier

Vegetables which came from the garden were absolutely delicious and indeed the courgettes we took with us survived a miraculous 2 weeks, as fresh as the day they were picked. All dishes, whether the simplicity of le petit dej, le dej having exhausted our brains in class or le dîner were très très très délicieux. Dawson’s galette lessons were both very tasty and a delight to participate in; thank you.

La Guide Touristique

As a tour guide, it was like going with a friend but Florence never dropped her guard, insisting we spoke French all the time. We visited Carnac where not only did we see the sites but she made it educational. We visited Rochefort-en-Terre and also Vannes, the latter giving us a wonderful entree for our following two week stay.

Florence and family including Maya and chickens were simply delightful and Le Gîte was much more than one could hope for. A very comfortable and memorable week. Send our regards to the local farmer Gilbert.

It has been a great pleasure to take a 2-week immersion course with Florence. The 2-storey self-contained gîte is very clean and proper, with everything necessary for a comfortable stay. It is connected to Florence’s and therefore easily accessible for meals and lessons.

Florence is very cheerful and energetic. She manages to cook tasty meals, bring us out for half a day, and then still gives us very good one-on-one lessons. In the first lesson, she asked us to do a quick test to find out areas for improvement, explained the grammar and usage, and then gave us exercises to practise what we learned.

We enjoy the outings with Florence because we can learn more about the history and culture of Brittany. During the half-day trips, we practise our oral French and have many of our questions about the daily life of the French people answered.

Florence’s family members are also very welcoming. Her husband Dawson showed us his hen den, the well in garden and the farmland. Her parents Guy and Annick enthusiastically shared their passion for gardening with us. We are honoured to have a ride in Leyla’s (Flo’s daughter) first car the very day it was bought. And we were so lucky to have attended Annick’s 80th birthday party with all her children’s families and some good friends.

My husband, who has only learned French through Duolingo, joined me on this stay and also took lessons from Flo. He finds Flo’a lessons very useful and he thoroughly enjoyed the stay.

All in all, our stay in chez Flo is very enjoyable and the unique experience is certainly unforgettable.

Our stay at Chez Flo surpassed our expectations! Flo is a perceptive teacher and an engaging host. As a teacher, she quickly identified ways we could build on our basic French conversation skills. We asked for grammar homework and we got it, which helped us review principles we’d discussed with her earlier in the day. But Flo has so much more to offer as a teacher than mere homework assignments! She uses a variety of teaching strategies, like doing targeted exercises together and reading short passages aloud then discussing them. Even outside of the formal lessons, Flo is always in teaching mode. She emphasizes developing conversational fluency, and she gave us plenty of opportunities to practice. We interacted with her family and friends throughout the week, who generously spoke with us clearly and simply so we could participate in the conversations. Flo brings the grammar lessons into these conversations, occasionally correcting us to reinforce what we’ve studied during lessons. During outings, Flo gave us a deeper understanding of French culture than we could have gotten on our own. Flo puts her all into every aspect of this language and culture learning experience, and we are deeply appreciative!

We spent 2 wonderful weeks at Chez Flo & would do it all over again in an instant. As the weakest of my French immersion group of three, I was able to engage fully in the daily lessons & improve my French fluency & comprehension. From Day 1 the lessons were tailored to meet each of our specific learning needs but also to appeal to each of our individual interests. You will notice that Flo observes & takes notes of conversations/discussions outside of lesson times & incorporates them into the next lesson, personalizing your learning experience & making it meaningful.

We loved the cooking lessons (in French, of course), eating/sharing the delicious things we made, the daily field trips around the beautiful département of Morbihan & learning about the history of the region & its significance during WWII, all coordinated and delivered by Flo!

Flo & her family are warm, welcoming & full of fun. They made learning the French language fun & we truly felt like part of their family. We would also note that they went above & beyond the call of duty in more ways than one to make it a very memorable experience. It was really one of the very best holidays we have had.

Chère Florence,

Merci pour cette semaine fantastique! C’était merveilleux de découvrir Carnac, le centre historique de Vannes, et l’émouvant musée de la résistance.

Votre enseignement dynamique et votre passion pour partager l’histoire et la culture bretonne nous ont offert une expérience inoubliable.

C’était un privilège de partager votre vie de famille, les discussions animées avec Dawson et la rencontre avec vos parents, sans oublier votre cuisine fabuleuse!

Merci beaucoup!

Fran et David.

Dear Flo,

Waouh! Quelle semaine inoubliable! En plus de m’apprendre à améliorer mon français, tu m’as tout appris sur la Bretagne! Merci pour tes excellentes compétences pédagogiques, pour ta patience, pour ton humour et pour ta nature positive. Merci de m’avoir laissé passer du temps avec ton chien parfait. J’adorerais vous accueillir (et ta famille) aux États-Unis, comme tu m’as accueillie. Avec toute ma gratitude, Jane.

Chère Flo,

Je suis d’accord avec Jane! Je n’ai pas les mots en français ni en anglais pour décrire combien j’ai apprécié tout ce que tu as partagé avec nous ces deux dernières semaines. Tu es vraiment spéciale, “one in a million”.

Merci du fond du cœur pour une expérience en Bretagne que je n’oublierai jamais!

Janine.

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

Ps.  Please do especially thank your mother for opening her garden to us.  Her garden is incredible and would compare favorably to many on garden tours where the owner has a great deal of professional help.  Her skill, knowledge of the plants, and artistic arrangement will stay with me a long time.  I have extensive notes from the catalog she loaned me (thank you!) and plan to place an order in early winter for this spring, when I hope I can get back.

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. I enjoyed watching spectacular sunsets from our private patio as well as walking on their lovely property and nearby, including by a little stream. 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!

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 français), je suis restée pendant deux semaines pour faire une immersion française Chez Flo. Le dimanche, nous avons rencontré Flo et son mari australien Dawson à la gare de Vannes et après, nous avons partagé un apéro (Kir) avant le dîner - une introduction très sympa à « Chez Flo ».

Pendant les 2 semaines, nous avons été 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 !

Flo est un professeur très dédiée et organisée, et le cours était varié et détaillé exactement pour moi. Le premier jour, on a commencé avec l’organisation du 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. J’ai aussi fait des tests d’évaluation orale et écrite. 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 pratiquer l’oral et l’écrit 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.

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 accommodation. 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.

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!

Brittany is such a beautiful part of France, far from the more worn tourist route normally taken. Here is a chance to experience ‘real’ France and the French way of life. Flo is a warm, generous and accommodating host and a great teacher of the French language and French culture. She is especially passionate about Brittany and its history and I learnt so much in the short time I spent with her and her wonderful family. I highly recommend staying in their lovely gite which is adjacent to the family home. I was so struck by this location. It is surrounded by serene and beautiful countryside and just a short way from the gorgeous village of St Jean- Brevelay (don’t miss the épicerie fine) and from Vannes. I really loved Vannes - the old Bretagne centre, the canals, art galleries, food and flea markets, a chocolate exposition (wow!) And its nearby oyster/seafood cabanes. We also took a boat out from there to the islands in the Gulf de Morbihan which I enjoyed immensely. Above all though, my French language certainly improved and yes, it is true, after only a few days I was thinking and dreaming in French! Thank you Flo

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.

J’ai vraiment profité de rester avec Florence et sa famille. Je suis une étudiante médicale en Angleterre et je vais faire des stages en France dans les prochaines années. Les visites étaient très personnalisées, et j’ai visité les endroits qui m’intéressaient tels que le musée de la résistance. Florence a expliqué la grammaire compliquée d’une manière très simple et je me sens beaucoup plus confiante avec mon niveau de français après mon séjour. Sa famille était très bienveillante aussi - merci Florence!

Nous avons passé un incroyable séjour chez Florence et sa famille en Bretagne.

Florence sait transmettre l’amour de la langue française à travers des cours divertissants, les jeux, et la conversation. Elle est toujours souriante, patiente, et très bien organisée, ce qui nous a permis de bien profiter de notre semaine en Bretagne pour visiter la belle ville médiévale de Vannes, les alignées de Carnac, la plage, un joli château non loin de sa maison, une fête médiévale à Josselin, et le marché. Nous sommes ravies de notre séjour, nous avons adoré participer au ‘fest-noz’ et je rêve déjà de pouvoir retourner un jour revivre l’expérience!

Je recommande vivement un séjour chez Flo pour vous immerser dans un milieu authentique et conviviale pour apprendre le français (ou l’anglais!).

J’ai assisté au cours d’immersion avec Flo cette année et c’était super. Flo est un excellent professeur et j’aimais beaucoup son style et comment j’étais immédiatement à l’aise avec elle et sa famille, y compris ses parents. J’ai eu des expériences très spéciales et on a bien mangé ! Le gîte est très confortable et bien aménage avec une ambiance très calme. À la fin du cours, j’étais bien préparée pour voyager en France avec plus de la confiance en moi. Je continue mes leçons avec Flo en Australie sur Skype et j’ai hâte de retourner chez Flo l’année prochaine pour un autre cours d’immersion. Évidemment, je peux recommander Flo comme professeur de français sans réservation.

Suzanne

Le cours d’immersion que j’ai fait pendant 5 jours chez Flo était inoubliable. C’était l’une des meilleures expériences de ma vie. Etant prof de langues moi-même, je comprends ce qui fait un bon professeur et Flo a certainement ces qualités. Maintenant, grâce à Flo, j’ai plus de confiance en moi pour parler sur n’importe quel sujet en français. J’ai adoré faire partie de la famille pour les repas, les excursions aux alentours, les papotages (en français bien sûr), et même des conversations avec la mère de Flo au sujet des jolies fleurs dans son jardin. Sue

Alvan

I spent a wonderful 5 days at Flo and Dawson’s place while Sue, my partner, attended the immersion course. I spent the mornings flying my drone around the expansive property and sharing my knowledge of drones with Dawson and Luca (in English). Every day was packed full of things for me to do. I was included in all the activities and excursions, except for the morning French lessons.

Thank you so much for a fantastic week chez vous.

We have loved being part of your family and have enjoyed the whole French experience. The galette night was fun, the cidre was fun, everything was fun!

Flo, your French lessons were great, your program for the week was well thought out, just perfect for me.

The last night at the community music festival was a grand finale of an excellent week.

I cannot recommend Florence highly enough. Apart from being a genuinely nice person with a good sense of humour, she is also a fantastic language teacher. Florence is able to quickly and almost intuitively find your current skill level and devises a course to suit your needs and abilities. Her lessons are always fun, interesting with just the right amount of challenge. Anyone contemplating her immersion course would not be disappointed in any aspect - the improvement in their French language skills, the accommodation, the local area and interacting with Florence’s delightful children Leyla and Luca. Both children are also fluent English & French speakers who are great at helping you with your language skill

Quelle prof superbe! on s’est plu énormément chez toi et les cours étaient parfaits! Merci pour tout ce que tu as fait pour nous, pour ton accueil et ta gentillesse.

I have been working with Flo for several years. I have worked with her on Skype , lessons in her house and two immersion courses where she hosted a group of six of us from Guernsey. I can honestly say she is the best French teacher I have ever had. She has shown great patience in her teaching . Her style is always designed to the needs and level of her student and because her English is so fluent is able to explain the grammar and nuances of the French language very clearly . I highly recommend Florence as a tutor , hostess and someone who will enhance your visit to France with her love and knowledge of Brittany. Cordialement Tilly