Karen

You all have been very helpful with naming several rental agencies that you have used to rent gites and/or farmhouses in Provence, Tuscany and Paris. I am wondering however, are there specific properties that any of you have stayed at that were particularly nice, clean and well located. I am feeling rather lost looking at all of the websites and not knowing what the properties are really like. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Tom

Karen - Have you seen the reviews at www.slowtrav.com?

Rex

Of my five rental experiences in France and Italy, I would only call one of them a &quot;farmhouse&quot;, and it slept fourteen people (that's how many we had).<BR><BR>I have never rented a gite per se.<BR><BR>I might be willing to help you comb through properties, but you need to spell out how many bedrooms, beds, baths, dates, budget, etc.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Karen, Yes, it can be intimidating just to look at the many and varied web sites and try to pick. You may know this, but I always send people to slowtrav.com first. Read their advice about how to rent, and then look at specific referrals by the people who post on that site. I have said this before, but do not confuse yourself looking at properties until you have set your criteria of LOCATION--PRICE--BED TO BATH RATIO That will narrow the search and keep you focused. I have only rented twice, but there are so many good options. Many are overpriced.<BR>Another good reason to hit slowtrav.com

Karen

Thanks guys. Yes, I have been looking at slowtrav.com and will continue. It just seems that I somewhat know you guys from some of your prior posts and recommendations and felt a little more comfortable with your personal recommendations if you had any.<BR><BR>We are looking for properties that can sleep 6 people (4 adults, 2 small children) so we need 2 bedrooms and preferrably 2 bathrooms. We would like something centrally located in each of the three area I mentioned that are close to restaurants. We do not want to feel stranded out at the end of a dirt country road. We are planning a 3.5 month trip, and have never tried renting any of the gites or apartments before. We have historically used Karen Brown (or Bob) because we have liked Karen's recommendations when available. Our budget is somewhat open. I did see Rex in Paris why you laughed when I said $250-$300 per night. But, that is what we were hoping for. However, since we are rather specific in how clean and nice we would want, we may not be able to find it. <BR><BR>Thank you anyway for your help. I will continue to peruse slovtrav.com and see what I find.

Rex

I don't recall ever commenting on any rental rates you might have been seeking for Paris, Karen. Maybe you are thinking of a post from Patrick.<BR><BR>I can't find a post from me to you ever before!<BR>

Rich

Hi Karen,<BR>I have stayed in various Gites in France.<BR>The price really depends upon whether you need a swimming pool and which time of year you want to visit.<BR>Some Gites are as little as &pound;300-500/week.<BR>We (13 of us )stayed in a fantastic Gite in Normandy last summer but the owners were a real nuisance and spoilt the holiday for us so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.<BR>So if you get a Gite in the Gites de France websitesite they are very good and cover most areas and sizes, however my advice to you would be to go direct with the owner if possible as they can rent for quite a lot cheaper than the brochures say.<BR>So try www.gites-de-france.fr/eng or a UK site www.frenchconnections.co.uk<BR>They are quite good and you can usually get the owners address from the Gite advert on line.<BR>Good luck<BR><BR>Rich<BR>

John

Also have a look under the France listings at http://www.cottages4you.co.uk/uce/c4y

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Karen, If you would consider a B&amp;B farm house 3 miles south of San Gim. then search and find CASANOVA PESCILLE. It is not self-catering, but sure is a great location on a working farm. We had 6 couples there in 1996.

Karen

Rex, you are right. I am sorry for confusing Patrick's post with yours. Thank you. Karen

Karen

Bob - <BR><BR>CASANOVA PESCILLE looks very nice. Thank you for the recommendation.

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jules

Karen,<BR><BR>The term &quot;gites&quot; can be confusing.<BR><BR>Originally &quot;gites&quot; were rural rest stops, often in farms. They gave the farmer some extra income, and the traveller - especially families - an affordable alternative to the traditional hotel. <BR>French fiscal law allows individuals to rent up to 6 rooms without having to comply with hotel regulations, professional registration and fiscal reporting standards.<BR>Thus the &quot;gite&quot; principle has developped into a booming industry, ranging from rooms on a farm to five star rooms in castles, and it certainly helped to create enough beds for the 75 odd million yearly tourists. <BR><BR>Normally the following terms are applied:<BR>A gite implies cooking facilities and weekly rental (mostly Sat to Sat)<BR>A chambre d'h&ocirc;te can be rented per night, usually with breakfast<BR>A table d'h&ocirc;te means the owners provide other meals (for their guests only, hence without the need for a restaurant permit).<BR><BR>But the terminology gets mixed up, especially when translated. And many properties have both gites and chambres d'h&ocirc;tes.<BR><BR>Many properties still join the &quot;G&icirc;tes de France&quot; network for their bookings and for their ratings (&eacute;pis instead of stars), although their rooms look more like the Ritz than a converted barn.<BR><BR>Thanks to the internet, more and more owners now advertise directly or via web portals. <BR>www.pour-les-vacances.com is a good example of a direct from owner directory. Note though that their English version does not list all the properties, so if possible search through the French version. When you see a place that appeals, contact the owners, ask all your questions, ask for extra pictures if necessary. Some may be slow in responding, but others will be very co-operative, and assist you more than you would expect.<BR><BR>For the 6 of you, except for Paris, I would suggest a property where you can rent an apartment, so you have your own kitchen and common area, plus one or two rooms, so you have your 2 or even 3 bathrooms. The total may come out to less or the same than an independent house for 6, which often has only one bathroom.<BR><BR>Hope this helped &amp; bon voyage !

Tina

Hi Karen,<BR>I stayed in a gite in October that I thought was just great. It was called &quot;La Nesquiere&quot; and it was located outside of Pernes les Fontaines and close to Carpentras. We found it to be a great location, close to Avignon, Gordes, St. Remy, etc.<BR>There were 4 of us and we each ended up having our own rooms (we had the Maison Jaune). All but 1 room had its own bathrooms in the rooms. The one that did not used the hall bath. One bedroom has a double bed with 2 bunks in an attached room, which would work out for the kids. Isabelle, the owner, could not be any nicer and she speaks fluent English. Her mother is also a wonderful cook, as we had dinner at the main house on one night. There is also a fully kitchen stocked with dishes and pans.<BR>The house is on a wonderful property, with a small river running behind it and also has a small orchard and vineyard, dogs, cats, horses &amp; chickens too! oh my! LOL I'm just sorry we didn't spend more time lounging around outside. Oh, btw, they do not have a pool, if that's important to you.<BR>here's her site. if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.<BR>Tina<BR>http://www.lanesquiere.com/indexa.html

Tina

oh, I forgot to mention that when we originally booked the house, I thought it was completely self-catered, meaning, no room service, etc. But every day, someone came in and cleaned our rooms and made the beds. It was a pleasant surprise. You can arrange to have meals at the main house too, but you need to give her notice. <BR>sorry for my long winded reply...