Has anyone used the official French Gites and what has been your experience. Thanks so much for your input. We are looking online and can`t quite believe the prices - seem too good to be true.

As your question asks there is an official French Gites publication and perhaps website. For the most part they can be believed. This is a countrywide organization which rates ( 1 to 4 ears of corn) and verifies different properties. Most locations are rural and probably require a car for transportation.

I'm probably wrong, but I didn't know there were any "official French Gites." I know of several web sites that advertise gites for rent, but I have never heard of anything official (that is, government-sponsored or classified by the government). I believe any owner of a property for rent can call it a "gite" if he wishes. <BR><BR>Anyway, if you go to a typical web site such as www.gite.com, the prices you see are the real prices. But be sure to notice whether there are damage deposits (almost always) and when they are returned; also note whether linens (towels, bedsheets, etc.) are included. And remember that the pictures are almost always better than the real thing---what else would you expect?

Doug's response is accurate. My answer was based on your use of the words "official French Gites" as if it were a government-monitored or government-established organization. The "gites" group in France is not determined by any government mandates, but is simply a private association of landlords who have property for rent, and who have banded together for purposes of effective advertising. The association does have certain standards that allow the property to be classified by "ears of corn" as mentioned by Doug.

Thanks for the info.

Judy, I have rented a gite, and it was a wonderful experience, and yes, the prices are good. There is a wealth of info on this site about them. Put "gite" in the Text Search box at the top of the page, and you will get about 50 threads re the Gites de France program.

http://www.gites-de-france.fr/eng/index.htm is the site. <BR><BR>Personally I would always go for a proerty with at least 3 ears of corn. Anything less can become a little basic. You also need to book well in advance for high season.

We just rented our 7th gite in 4 years last month, all through Gites de France. Never a problem with this organization. We never have been asked for a dammage deposit, but the landlord has the right to ask for one. Houses range from modest to gorgeous (we've had both). Remember that the "ears of corn" rating system refer to ammenities: washing machine (there's rarely a dryer), dishwasher, amount of kitchen equipment, etc. Not much to do with *taste* in furniture or decor! Prices are very reasonable but can go very high if the house includes a pool or is near a beach. Obviously, July and August are the most expensive. Feel free to write to me if you want more details. Good luck!

Until now, I've never been dissapointed by a "gite de France", and some of them were real gems. Of course, since they're situated in the countryside and in litle villages, you'll need a car...

I love this talk forum. Thanks to all for your great info.

Each department seems to have a slightly different site that is accessed from the gites-de-france.fr main site. The English disappears after the first page or so.<BR><BR>There seems to be a better job in making each sub-site similar to the others, but there are still some differences. On some sites, if you ask for a list and then click on an individual property, you cannot go back to the list, but have to put your search criteria in once again. Very frustating if you want to check out several properties.