What is a gite?
 

Well, I've just booked a hotel in Paris (Henri IV Rive Gauche) and I'm now looking at various kinds of lodging in Provence. Can someone explain to me what a gite is? And how do you pronounce it?

Merci!

It's a self catering cottage in a rural area.

So basically it's renting a house in the country where you do your own cooking/cleaning, etc. As you would, for example, if you rented an apartment in Paris instead of staying in a hotel.

Is that right?

The pronounciaton police will probably be on my doorstep, but here goes: "Zheet."

The Gite de France program rates the gites by "ears of corn" icons instead of stars. Unless you really like primitive, I would not stay in anything below a 3 ear of corn rating. I'm sure there are exceptions but that's the rule of thumb I use. We stayed in a wonderful gite outside Gordes.

A Gite is a self-catering "house". We've rented over 25 different Gites through the French Gites-de-France program. They have all had multiple bedrooms, kitchens with dishwashers (all but 1), stoves, ovens, refrig, microwaves, dining/living rooms (sometimes multiple living rooms), 1 or 2 baths, gardens, and several have had private or shared pools. Most of the Gites we've stayed in have sheets & linens you can rent - a few "come with", or you can provide your own. You are responsible for the cleaning of the Gite when you leave - you can either do it yourself or hire the proprietor to do it (usually around 35 to 60E). A few had cleaning included. You may have to pay for a little electricity or heat. None have had air conditioners. Many are independent houses on very private grounds. The two of us have stayed in Gites that sleep 10 - the price is the same. Gites are independently rated from 1 to 5 "wheaties". We've only stayed in "higher end" gites & they rent for about 550E (average) per week in June & Sept and are rented from Sat to Sat. Prices go up 50 to 100% in July & August in popular vacation areas. Very few are in cities or villages - but they may be only a 10 walk away from a village.

Like I stated earlier, we've only rented through the Gites-de-France program. For about 70% of the places we've stayed in, you can reserve & pay (via Visa/MC) on-line. For the remaining 30%, we've have had to contact the proprietor directly & rented from them (more difficult - all but 1 have only spoken French). We've seen some of "our" gites offered by middle-men at 50% higher rents.


Stu Dudley

Gîte is pronouced simply as "(un) jit" (masculine noun). A good description in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%AEte

Thanks, everyone. And zheet sounds right to me.

There will just be the two of us travelling. Stu and grandmere, can you be a little more specific about the ones you've stayed at? I'd love to check out the pictures.

And what's the advantage of staying in a gite over a house or apartment in town?

>> Stu and grandmere, can you be a little more specific about the ones you've stayed at? I'd love to check out the pictures.<<

I get requests for specifics on the Gites we've stay in all the time. It's getting harder & harder to rent our favorites, as more Americans discover the advantages of Gites. Therefore, I don't divulge info on the Gites we have stayed in.

>>And what's the advantage of staying in a gite over a house or apartment in town?<,

A Gite is a house - but ones offered by Gites de France are almost always in the countryside. Do a search on "stu gites" and you will find another thread covering the same subject. If you stay in town, you might have walking access to restaurants & cafes. In the countryside, you'll have a garden where you can lounge & have meals outside.

We already have 4 gites rented for '07 (one for 4 weeks in Provence), and "inquiries" on one of our favorites for '08. You should reserve now for '07 in Provence

Stu Dudley

There was a thread quite recently on this very subject

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34906836

I absolutely understand, Stu. I'm tempted by the gites but knowing us, I think we'd probably be happier in town. Still, I generally like a variety of lodging types, so we may give it a try in one place.

Julie, that thread just takes me back to this thread.

WOW, I'm glad someone explained this. I thought it was a gate in England!

Hdm, I *think* the gite we stayed in near Gordes is #673; it has been several years since we were there. At the time it was rented directly from the owner, and that no longer seems to be the case. The site says it was renovated in 2003, so that may be why the pictures of the interior don't look familiar. The outside looks as though it is the same place. It was a comfortable, good-sized dwelling in a very pretty setting, overlooking a poppy field, with herbs growing near the kitchen that you could smell as soon as you stepped outside. Olive trees also surrounded the property. It was definitely "en nature", as they say, with nothing around to walk to but only 2 km or so from the village of Gordes.

Thanks, grandmere -- I'll take a look at it.

Is there any difference between a gite and a modest rental house, other than the fact that the gites may be part of the Gites de France program? I have long wanted to ask this question....

Sorry - got my pastes mixed up! This should be the correct link

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34893709

Thanks, Julia -- it looks like a good thread. I'll read it more thoroughly when I get a minute.

And thanks again, Stu, for that fabulous itinerary!

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