mlaffitte

Hi, I'm looking for suggestions/good experiences/bad experiences from people who have rented a house for a week or two during the summer in France. I'm interested in a house in the country, not an apartment, and while my budget is not unlimited, I want something a little nicer than a basic "gite." Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

robjame

You did not say where or for how many but we have had very good experience dealing with
http://www.yourfriendsinfrance.org/
They have an excellent reputation on this forum and their homes are certainly lovely.

StuDudley

>>I want something a little nicer than a basic "gite." <<

Gee - the 90 Sq Meter basic gite we rent in Provence has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, well stocked kitchen, dining room, living room, very large private pool, extensive private grounds, a 10 min walk to town through vineyards & olive trees, and lovely views of Mt Ventoux.

We just returned from a basic gite in Burgundy that has 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, excellent kitchen facilities, & sits on top of a hill with fantastic views out over the vineyards below.

Many of the 25 or so Gites we've stayed in were once the proprietor's home and are anything but "basic".

We normally pay 500-650E per week for these Gites in June & Sept.

Stu Dudley

Gretchen

Thanks Stu. I began to think I hadn't understood about gites.

robjame

>>I want something a little nicer than a basic "gite." <<
I think there is nothing odd about the poster's clarification of what (s)he is looking for. Sometimes we toss around terms on the forum so the original meaning gets lost.
Wikipedia says that <<Gîtes are generally old farmworkers cottages or converted outbuildings and barns within the proximity of the owners' principal residence. This type of holiday accommodation is sometimes regarded as 'basic' in terms of facilities, however most gîtes are generally very well kept and a growing number will have excellent facilities such as fully fitted kitchens, en-suite bathrooms, TV, DVD and access to a swimming pool or other sporting activities. The term gîte nowadays encompasses most forms of holiday cottage and even holiday flats or apartments.>>
She does not want the "basic" gite; she wants the one with the "excellent facilities".
Let's give her some suggestions.

wombat7

If you are a couple and want something in Provence I can recommend
http://www.vrbo.com/26479

Stayed there last Spring and thoroughly enjoyed it. Suberbly stocked kitchen, lovely setting nad high speed internet to boot

nytraveler

I admit I had the smame view of "gites". Have looked at a couple of web sites and the things called gites usually resembled my parents garage (1940's house with one car garage at end of backyard) in a field of weeds. The nicer houses usually seem to be called villas. Or perhaps that depends on the part of the country?

sheila

Can you give us a clue what you would like, where and at what budget?

AnselmAdorne

mlaffite, when you say "a house in the country", are you specifically excluding houses in small villages or towns? If your interest includes small towns, there are a few places I could recommend.

In addition to VRBO, which wombat7 mentioned, there are several other vacation rental sites. We've used these:

www.frenchconnections.co.uk

www.holiday-rentals.co.uk

Anselm

StuDudley

We've stayed in 23 different Gites we've rented through the French Gites-de-France program. None have looked like garages or anything close to that. Most have been stand-alone houses that were very nicely furnished, have dishwasher/washing machine/TV/gardens/etc. The average size has been around 1,100 sq feet

There are over 50,000 gites listed in the Gites-de-France site. They are rated from 1 wheatie to 5 wheaties. The 1 wheaties are most likely converted garages - but all have kitchen facilities. We only stay in 3 wheaties or higher. The one in Provence I described above is a 3 wheatie - and "no" I don't reveal any specifics about the Gites we have rented - we want to return & we don't need any more competition.

Below is a description of renting through Gites-de-France. I've posted this several times before. It's a couple of years old.

The Gites-de-France program was started just after WWII when many people were abandoning their old homes in the country & moving to the cities where there were more/better jobs. The French government started a program where they would provide the infrastructure (advertising, reservation service, rating the Gites) if the owner would fix up the old house & offer it for rental. This program “took off” & there at over 40,000 Gites for rent now. Many of the homes where we have stayed are not old homes, but new ones built near the proprietor’s house as a means of added income. Gites are self-catering homes with kitchens, and amenities like washing machines, pools, dishwasher, etc. Most Gites are not within large towns.

Each Department in France (over 90 – a Department is kind of like a county in the US) has its own listing & reservation service, and its own (sometimes different) method of taking reservations and handling payments. Gites are reserved in 1 of 2 different ways – either directly through the proprietor, or through the central Gite agency for the Department. The listing will indicate which of the two should be used for a specific Gite. Rentals are Saturday to Saturday. For most Gites, the rental rate is much higher in July & August (when the French take their vacations). The place we rent in the Dordogne (the most expensive one listed in the area for 4 or less people) rents for 440E per week in June & Sept & 750E in July & Aug.

The Gites have a rating system – 1 to 4 Wheat Ears (Wheaties). We stay in 3 or higher. There are very few 4’s. These ratings reflect the amenities available.

For Gites rented through “Gite central”, you can select & rent a Gite online, or call, or FAX the reservation office directly. We have always either called or FAXed our request (my wife speaks French). The person at “Gite central” for the Department can probably read a FAX in English.

We have stayed in 20 different Gites over the last several years- many of them multiple times. We have been vacationing in Europe for over 25 years, and once we completed the “once over lightly” touring of Europe, we have been exclusively staying in Gites. We usually spend two months in Europe every year (mostly in France) and we normally stay 2 weeks in each Gite. We have never been disappointed in any of the places where we have stayed – in fact, on our last trip we stayed in 3 Gites that we feel we could live in permanently. Believe me, once you have vacationed in a Gite, you’ll never want to stay in a hotel again. Even if you’re only going to be in an area for 4 days, a Gite is a much better way to enjoy your visit. If you get tired if dining out each night, you can go to the local farmer’s market (there’s almost always one close by), and pick up salad greens, roasted chicken, cheeses, olives, pates, magrets, wine, cherries, nuts, or anything you want for dinner at the Gite. At one of our Gites in the Riveria, we almost never eat out because the view over the countryside from our private deck next to the pool, is captivating and better than any restaurant’s view.

The URL for the Gites-de-France is

http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/rural_gites

At this site, you can find and reserve a Gite on-line, or you can order a book for the department(s) you are interested in, and select from the entries in the book. Not all departments have on-line reservation services. The ones that do use 1 of two “general” reservation systems available through a 3rd party, or the Department developed their own. I suspect that for the “RESINFRANCE” system (1 of the 2 “general” 3rd party systems), they only list the properties that can be rented on-line, and omit the ones rented directly from the proprietor.

Here is how I find a Gite:
I first select the area I want to stay in (ie, Luberon in Provence, around Sarlat in the Dordogne, Pays Basque in Pyreneese Atlantic, etc). I then use either the book or the on-line service to find all the 3 “wheatie” Gites (sometimes referred to as “ears of corn”) in the area. Four “wheatie” Gites will also be listed, if there are any in the area. I then rank them according to price – I figure that the higher the price, the better the Gite if I’m picking cold. However, I only use the price in the off-season (April, Oct). If the place has a pool, the price will really be skewed in the summer months. I then look for the square footage of the Gite. My threshold is about 85 sq meters (850 sq ft) for a 2 bedroom place. Additional bedrooms are about 14 sq. meters, so I subtract additional bedrooms over 2, to get an idea of the size of the space I’m likely to use. I then make sure that all the amenities I want are there. One 4 wheatie place we stayed at didn’t have an oven, another no dishwasher, and a few did not have phones. I also make sure that there is a private garden or grounds (hopefully with a view). I like stand-alone Gites that are not part of a complex with many other Gites. I then find the location on a Michelin map of the area. The book & on-line service usually indicates the distance to towns with grocery stores, shops, railroad station, medical facilities, etc. I then get the Michelin Red Guide (restaurants) and try to find out how many restaurants are within 30 kilometers of the Gite. Towns with Michlein-recommended restaurants are underlined in red on the Michelin maps. I also check the Michelin green guide (sites) to see how close the Gite is to places I want to visit. In driving around, I have seen some Gites that are in the middle of nowhere – make sure your Gite is close to several towns & not in an area where you will have to drive 40 mins to get to the closest restaurant, grocery, or patisserie (unless you want a very remote location).

If you rent your Gite through “Gite Central”, you can usually use your credit card for deposits and final payments, and the person will probably be able to read a FAX in English. Renting from the proprietor directly is a little more difficult, since most of them do not speak English and want checks in Euros or cash as a deposit. We always send cash through the mail. We once had to help a friend cancel a reservation and get their deposit back 1 month before departure, when they had a medical emergency. They got their entire deposit back. A rental contract for the Gite will be in French.

The best Gites are usually reserved 12-18 months in advance, if they are rented from the proprietor. Often, the same vacationer will reserve a Gite the first 2 weeks in June every year for the next 3 years. Gites booked through “Gite Central” are normally reserved starting in the Fall (each department is slightly different). It’s best to FAX or e-mail the reservation request (make sure you have several options) as early as possible. We found out that they handle FAXs & e-mail requests before they open up next year’s bookings to on-line reservations or phone reservations.

A Gite may offer sheets & towels & household linens as part of the rental price, or you must arrange with the proprietor or “Gite Central” to have the sheets, towels, & linens provided at an added cost. We have seen this cost anywhere from 20E to 65E (we could have purchased the stuff for less than 65E). Also, someone must clean the Gite when you depart. It can be done by the proprietor at no cost (very rare), at a fee of 25 to 60E, or by you (most common). There are usually cleaning supplies at the Gite (but not always). Many Gites have staples already supplied – salt, pepper, coffee filters, about 5 days supply of TP, soap, or whatever the previous guests may have left behind. Our favorite Gite had nothing supplied, so the first day we get there we dash to the store & buy what we needed. Remember, check-in is usually no sooner than 4:00 Saturday, and most stores are closed on Sunday.

Reserving on-line has some tricks. When you go to the home page for Gites de France (URL above), you will see a map of France. Click anywhere on the map. Also make sure you have English instructions (click on the flag if necessary). You will then get a map of France displayed, and all 90 or so departments will be indicated. You have to know what department you want, because each department is handled independently. Click on the Department you want. One of two different reservation menus will then probably be displayed. One is called RESINFRANCE, and the other is ITEA. The ITEA works better, so I’ll explain how it works. On the main ITEA menu for the Department, place the arrow on “to choose your accommodation on line” and a pull down list will appear. Select the “Self-catering gite” and click on it. Another menu will appear where you can enter some search criteria. All I would enter is “more than three” in the “ears of corn” (wheatie) box, enter any other selection riteria you want (ex, Luberon region for the Vaucluse Dept) and then hit “confirm” (“more than three” really means 3 or more). A list of properties meeting your criteria will appear, and you can click on them to get all the details (sometimes written in English). I’ve also entered some other search criteria, like “Pays Basque” when I want to be near a specific town or area. The RESINFRANCE reservation system is full of bugs and not nearly as usable. It takes more perseverance and creativity on your part. You can not look at all the properties available – you must designate the specific date you want, to find the properties available. When I tried this in October, they had not loaded any of next years properties in the system, and a date later than 2/1/04 did not work (remember, in France they use the convention DD/MM/YY). Also, any properties already reserved through 2/1/04 would not be listed either. Our favorite Gite closes in November, so it would not be listed either. The primary selection criteria for “wheaties” was hosed up, so it did not work – only the secondary selection criteria worked.

Here is a brief description of the Gites we’ve stayed in:
All rental rates are per week

Riveria – just in the hills back of Nice. Fantastic views of the Mediterranean. There are two gites in this complex, both very large with 2 bedrooms each. The larger of the two was the proprietor’s home before their kids grew up & went off. It has a very big sunken living room, separate dining room, large kitchen, & bath/shower with double sinks. The two gites share beautifully landscaped grounds with olive trees, and a very large “horizonless” swimming pool. Nice is only about 5 miles away, but it takes about 30 mins to drive there. St Paul (probably the most popular perched village on the Riveria) is 20 mins away. In June ’01 we rented the larger Gite for 650E, and the smaller one for 500E per week. We stayed there for 2 weeks in both ’00 and ’01.

Riveria – 45 mins from St Tropez and 40 mins from Aix-en-Provence. This is a 2 story, 3 bedroom, 4 “wheatie” stand alone Gite surrounded by vineyards in a lovely setting. It has a private swimming pool with fantastic views of a perched village (lit up at night) and the mountains. We paid 550E in June of ’03. We stayed there for 2 weeks in both ’00 and ’03.

Provence – near Gordes in Peter Mayle territory. Two bedroom stand along gite with a very large private swimming pool with cabana and nice views of the Luberon mountains. Extensive grounds & ideal location in the Luberon. We paid 900E per week (cleaning & linens included) in ’03 and we’ve stayed there 2 weeks in both ’99 and ’03 (the Luberon is expensive).

Provence – just outside of St Remy. An old Mas, which has been turned into about 5 stand-alone Gites. Two bedrooms, enclosed grounds (no view), and a shared pool. We paid 460E per week in ’99 & we stayed there 2 weeks.

Provence - near Vaison-la-Romaine. Two bedroom stand alone Gite with a very large kitchen. Extensive grounds with a nice deck. We paid 300E in Sept ’99.

Provence - near Uzes. Very nice 4 “wheatie”, 2 story Gite with a luxurious bathroom, 3 bedrooms, in a small farming village just 15 mins from Uzes (one of my favorite villages in Provence). Lots of sunflowers in bloom when we were there in June ‘03 for 1 week and paid 460E. We stayed there for 1 week in June ’04 also.

Provence – Near Vaison. A large three bedroom house, with two bathrooms, living room, separate dining room, fully equipped kitchen, large private yard with a huge pool. The property is surrounded by vineyards & olive trees, and it’s a 10 min walk to a very cute town with a great weekly farmer’s market, many café’s, bakeries, and a grocery. It rented for 675E in June of ’05.

Dordogne – near Domme. Very nice 500 year old building converted into 2 Gites. Perfect location in the Dordogne. Two bedrooms, large open kitchen/living room/dining room. Beautiful surroundings. Castles everywhere. We stayed there for 1 week in ’97, 2 weeks in ’00, and 1 week in ’03 when we paid 440E in June. We will return to the Dordogne and this gite frequently.

Quercy (just south of Dordogne). Probably the nicest gite we’ve stayed in . Four “wheaties”, stand alone gite in a farming area. Two beautiful bedrooms, large kitchen, large living room, and very pretty bath and wonderful grounds. You can hear the cows mooing in the far-off fields. This is located in a very beautiful but non-touristy area. It’s probably better suited for someone who has traveled to different areas in France on quite a few occasions, and now wants to experience the real France. We stayed here for 1 week in ’02 and 1 week in June of ’03 when we paid 400E.

Pays Basque – about 40 minutes from Biarritz at the base of the Pyreneese mountains. Very large, sunny Gite in an ideal location for visiting the beach and the mountains. The Gite was formerly an old mill that was converted into a 2 story, 2 bedroom, 2 bath Gite with an “American” kitchen. Nice views & large covered porch. We stayed there for 2 weeks in June ’03 & paid 430E per week. This is a very relaxing gite.

Loire – 20 minutes from the Chenonceaux chateau. Very large home in a farm complex. This place is probably 3,000 sq ft. It was the owner’s ancestral home, where they lived until their 2 daughters moved out. They now live close by in Tours, but still use the home for holidays & family get-togethers. There are about 4 bedrooms filled with antiques, 3 large bathrooms, 2 living rooms, probably the best equipped kitchen we’ve experienced at a Gite, and extensive grounds. We stayed there for 1 week in ’01 and paid 490E. This is a perfect Gite for touring the Chateaux of the Loire.

Brittany - near Dinan. An old farm that has been in the owner’s family for over 300 years. The setting is lovely – a horseshoe shaped complex, which is next to a beautiful lake that’s part of the property. There are about 4 gites in this complex. Ours had 2 bedrooms, 2 baths (1 very small), nice kitchen. A vacationer at one of the other gites kept us well supplied with trout he caught in the lake. We stayed there 2 weeks in ’01 and paid 440E per week.

Brittany – near Pont Aven. Newly constructed gite that has a large open kitchen/living/dining room. Two Bedrooms & 2 baths. Pretty surroundings, out in the countryside. We stayed there 1 week in ’01 & paid 410E.

Alsace – near Riquewihr in the heart of the Alsace wine growing region. This is an old wine estate that is surrounded by vineyards. Very pretty setting. The estate has about 4 gites, and we stayed in the largest. Three bedrooms, very large living room/dining room, and nice kitchen. Open patio with views. We stayed there 1 week in ’02 and paid 412E.

Languedoc – near Ganges. New Gite next to the proprietor’s home on a farm with fantastic views. Excellent location for exploring this beautiful (but non-touristy) section of southern France. We stayed there 1 week in ’02 & paid 400E.

Roussillon – 2 story spacious 4 bedroon/2 bath house in a village close to Ceret and the Spanish border. Less than 30 minutes from Collioure on the Mediterranean. Ideal for touring the coast, Carcassone, western Pyreenes, and even Spain. It rented for 470 Euros when we stayed there for 2 weeks in June ’04.

Lot River, near Espalion - A large stone house in a small hamlet with about 5 other similar houses. It’s in a farming area. It was renovated and “modernized” in ’01, and it has 4 bedrooms, 2 ˝ baths with “American” showers, a living room with a fireplace, a family room/dining room with a fireplace, and a large kitchen with lots of cookware & a dishwasher. There are two outside garden areas where you could eat or relax. It is within 15 mins of many cute villages – three of them classified as “The Most Beautiful Villages of France”. The surrounding area is very scenic and some of the best “value” restaurants we’ve encountered in France are close by. This Gite rented for about 500 Euros per week in Sept ’04. We stayed there for 2 weeks

Orb River near Lamalou les Bains – a recently renovated Gite next to a large chateau. There are about 4 other Gites in the chateau. This was a very light & airy place, large living area, and a nice garden just outside the kitchen, where you could dine or just relax. A large pool was shared with the other guests. This place rented for 850 Euros in Sept 04 – more expensive than most places we’ve rented, and we could not figure our why. It was very recently restored, so perhaps they are trying to recover some costs quickly

Stu Dudley

mlaffitte

Stu, thank you -- this is fantastic! I, too, will never think of gites in the same way again. I am planning to write an article on the subject and wondered if you would be willing to discuss further by e-mail. Here's my address: [email protected] .
Thanks again for an amazingly helpful post.

robjame

... so you aren't "interested in a house in the country"?
... and is your post "I am planning a trip to Sicily with an 11-year-old in early spring, would be interested in any suggestions. Thanks" simply more research?
I feel violated and apologize to the other posters for saying "Let's give her some suggestions."
Please in future declare your motives so I (and others) won't waste my time doing your homework. Geesh.

mlaffitte

I'm terribly sorry if anyone feels I have abused this forum. In fact I am planning a trip to Sicily, and in fact I am looking for a country house to rent. It's just that in addition to that, I've been asked to write something about how to find country house rentals, and I thought this would be a good place to ask. Apologies if you were offended.

robjame

Come on. Don't carry the ruse any further.If you were truly interested you would answer the all important questions by me, nytraveler, sheila, Anselm, of where, how many, how much. You still haven't addressed them. Fess up.
I said nothing about abusing the forum.., I accused you odf using people. Enough.

surfmom

While I will stay out of the politics of the OP's motives, I would like to commend Stu for an excellent post!

I have cut and pasted Stu's post into a word document to save. Good information about how you narrow down where to stay. Thanks!

StuDudley

Thanks, surfmom

Stu Dudley

moolyn

Stu, I also have copied and saved your advice about gites-de-France for future reference. your kind effort has not been wasted. Thanks yet again for your help!

robjame

Yes Stu... thanks for the post. Now I am left with the challenge of figuring out where some of these are so I can make arrangements in the future. LOL

AnselmAdorne

Stu, wonderful material, as always. I've also saved a copy.

mlafitte, I don't really know what to say to you. Many of us here are experienced travellers (my wife and I have rented over 15 houses and apartments in France since 2000) and most share their experiences freely and generously. I, for one, wouldn't mind helping someone who is planning to write an article, but I wish you'd put your cards on the table in your first post.

Here's something anyone can do if they are prepared to invest a few hours of their life: put "renting houses in France" or a similar phrase in the search box and you'll unearth hundreds of posts. You can also find a person's other posts by clicking on their name. Some of us have written extensively on the ins and outs of rentals.

Anselm

mlaffitte

Hello, once again I am sorry if people feel I mis-used the board. I agree, I should have done a more thorough search of existing threads before starting a new one. I will know better next time. Also I will make clear in the future if I am doing research for anything other than my own family.

Now, to answer your question on what kind of house we are looking for: This would be for 5 people (1 couple, 1 single adult, 2 kids)It doesn't have to be near the ocean, but would be great if it had a pool, as well as a washing machine. My ideal would be something out in the country, but if it were in a very small village, that would be OK. I just don't want an apartment or something in a big town. The reason I mentioned wanting to avoid 'basic gites' is that I have seen some of the one-or-two wheatie variety, and they were not very appealing. I hope that clarifies a bit.

Could I also make a gentle request for a bit of patience with people who are new to this board or post very rarely? Please don't immediately assume that we are dishonest or lazy ... sometimes (as in my case) we are just inept. Thank you.