Valerie's house is great. The pool is lovely - big enough for a good swim and really clean. It was a little chilly but the weather was so hot we got used to it! Lots of space inside for relaxing and good kitchen facilities.
The garden is completely quiet and private - big trees, a vineyard next door - it was the perfect spot for unwinding.
Artigues is a residential neighbourhood - there aren't any bars or cafes in walking distance from the house and local shops weren't very interesting. But it was only half an hour from St Emilion village which was a lovely day trip, and an hour from Arcachon on the coast. We went there and took a boat out to Cap Ferret - a great day trip. To get into Bordeaux we drove to the Park & Ride and took the tram - took an hour all in, but was relatively straightforward.
Great opportunity to get to know this lovely part of France.