Do you have a favorite GITE . . .
 

Hi:
We're starting to research gite rentals for 2008 - interested in either a one bedroom/one bath or two bedroom/two bath.

At this point, we're open to any part of France.

Do you have a favorite gite??? If so, I'd love to hear.

Thanks in advance,
Carol

we've done 6 in the last 3 years or so - 4 I would recommend are:

www.les-trois-chats.com in the Dorgogne near Sarlat we are going back for another week next May - fabulous -great people as host and hostess

www.le-guide.com in the Languedoc - neat setting the a nice area

both are written up as well in SlowTrav which is where I got the idea for both

www.bnb-gite-leclos. com in the Burgundy near Beaune - great people, beautifully done - great location.

//lavauguyon.free.fr - pigioneer near a chateau near Chinon in the Loire for castles etc - great owner

I think all would really fill the bill depending on what area (s) you want to see - we usually do a week in say the Burgundy and then Provence or Loire and then Normandy etc..

there are some 40,000+ gites in France so good luck - hollar if I didnt get the web site right - Dale

for le guide, the place is Le Chai so the web site is www.le-guide.com/lechai/ - hope this is right

hi, clehman,

have you tried www.gites-de-france.fr? - they have a very comprehensive selection.

regards, ann

We've rented over 27 diifferent Gites and several of them multiple times.

Get at least a 2 bedroom Gite. We use the second bedroom to store suitcases, stuff my wife has purchased, and I usually put my clothes in there. We rent from Gites-de-France and one bedrooms are a little rare for 3 "wheatie" & above Gites. Get one with at least 75 Sq meters for 2 bedroom & 1 bath. Two baths are better.

There are over 60,000 gites you can rent through Gites-de-france. I would definitely suggest that you choose a location first, and then select a Gite in the area. Make sure it is at least 15K from a city that has a grocery, bakery, & other necessary commerces. I also consult the Michelin Red Guide to make sure there are restaurants in the area within 35K.

There are scads of Gites in Brittany. There seem to be more there than in other regions of France.

I don't divulge specifics about the gites we stay in - it's getting harder & harder to reserve our favorites each year.

Stu Dudley

dsevig,

This is interesting...I rented the gite attached to the house at les.trois.chats in 2004 (aren't the owners wonderful hosts?) and Le Chai in Montperoux in 2006. Great experience both times.

Carol, I think you need to narrow down your search to a specific region in France and list the amenities you want in order to get more helpful responses. We have stayed at a number of gites but they may not be in a location that interests you. Our last one was in Brittany near Roscoff. We loved the location but it might not suit others. Enjoy the search, Deborah

Sorry if I overlooked this in the thread, but what does GITE mean?

not to worry about missing what wasn't given, cdgirl a gite is a rental home in France usually in a rural community which can have a variety of amenities and is rented most often by the week and sometimes for shorter periods.

These homes can be single detatched houses or combinations of structures with several gites on a working farm or vineyard. The possibilities are endless and the prices vary depending upon amenities, time of year and size of home.

Go to www.gites-de-france.com which works well except with aol. I have to use firefox to access the site. You will also find B&B's on the same site.

Feel free to ask any other questions. A gite stay is a favorite choice for many of us. Deborah

>>Go to www.gites-de-france.com which works well except with aol.<<

Doesn't work with Internet Explorer either. There may be some others. Use Firefox, like DeborahAnn said.

Once you have done the once-over-lightly tour of France, if you stay in a Gite for 1 or 2 weeks (or more), you'll most likely never travel any other way.

Stu Dudley

thank you Ginny for your writeups - your recommendations are what I followed and you were right on!!

I think these write ups certainly help fellow travelers get through the 60000 gites available and a good provider - host-hostess deserve to be recognized publicly to help them

I forgot that the Burgundy gite was written up in SlowTrav by me and another quest!! check it out - LeClos

DeborahAnn, thanks for the explanation. Very cool.

dseving: I'm glad you liked those two gites as much as we did. I also wrote a positive review for one in Brittany. It was well located for visiting Dinan, Dinard, Cap Fréhel, Fort la Latte, Cancale, St-Malo (Côte d'Émeraude) and Mont St-Michel.

StuDudley: You're so right. Once you've lived the "gite experience", you don't want to do it any other way. We went to Greece this past September (instead of France). We really enjoyed visiting the different islands. However, as nice as it was, we missed the "gite experience".

clehrman: I would add one item to Stu's excellent advice. Rent a gite where the owner lives nearby. Even if you're well documented, they can provide a wealth of information and usually make sure you're comfortable. It's also interesting to share views with them over a glass of wine.

travginny, we have had so many positive experiences with gites.

During our most recent stay this September the owner of the gite was so proud of the Roscoff (Brittany) produce that she left at our doorstep some onions, potatoes and artichokes along with a recipe for making onion soup.

Our gite was close to other homes but it was also in the midst of a cauliflower field with artichokes growing just down the road.

When we left at the end of the week she brought her young grandsons over to meet us and practice their English.

Those kind of memories---priceless. Deborah

DeborahAnn: That's one of the reasons renting a gite is a wonderful experience.

We rented one in Bielle, in the high Pyrénées, a few years ago. Every morning, a gift from the owner was left at our door: 6 eggs, apples, then a dozen eggs (lots of eggs!). This was followed by an invitation to his house where he served us some Pernod and played an ancient musical instrument for us.

Precious memories.

A person has to keep in mind that a gite stay is not for everyone. We rented a gite in a small (very small) village with another couple that we travel with often. They did not enjoy the stay as much as we did because there wasn't anything to do in the evening in the village. Ron and I loved the place and didn't mind the solitude. It was so small it didn't have a bakery, but someone delivered bread everyother day ;;)

travginny,You make a good point about finding a gite where the owner lives near. In thinking back that has also been when we have had some of our best visits.

Deborah

Here's the information for a gite we stayed in this past September. We loved it there!

Gîte n°AYG3017 - à BELCASTEL (l'Aveyron)


3 chambres • 6 personnes • 84 m²

Tarifs par semaine : 300 à 730 €

Photos of the gite:

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbtG7Jk2bNGTI

Photos of Belcastel village.

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbtG7Jk2bNGTZ

bookmarking.

thank you

I have a question about Gites.

Last fall a few friends rented a house (not a gite) in the Dordogne for one week. We were surprised that there were absolutely no supplies left for us in the kitchen. No salt, no pepper, no olive oil, no napkins, no garbage bags, no dish soap, etc.

I have since wondered about this set-up. When we left after a week, we left behind loads and loads of stuff: Olive and walnut oils, salt, dried herbs, lav paper, dried pastas and grains, and on and on...not to mention the wines and aperitifs.

Do the owners usually clean the place out so that each renter has to stock the basics? Or does it vary from place to place?

Thanks for clarifying!