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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not leave holiday villa at designated time tomorrow?

371 replies

Nextphonewontbesamsung · 03/08/2019 01:20

We are staying in a rural village in the south of France and are supposed to check out of our villa at 10.00 am. Howver, tonight there is a concert in the village square (our villa overlooks this square) and there is a band that have played a 7 hour set at FULL VOLUME. They have gone from Ed Sheeran and Coldplay covers to full on heavy metal and still going strong at 2.14am local time. Currently we're into about the 10th minute of their homage to Feels Like Teen Spirit. I have my alarm set for 8am so that we can be up early to finish packing and cleaning. Aibu to move my alarm back by at least an hour? We won't be ready to leave by 10 but I have a long drive tomorrow and it is not safe when so sleep deprived! Needless to say I am enormously fucked off!

OP posts:
Undaunted77 · 03/08/2019 10:55

tatianalarina

What DO you do if you inhale bug spray??

PooWillyBumBum · 03/08/2019 10:56

@MorrisZapp presumably because in a big property/one of many, the cleaners will be going round a few properties in one day and it would be v. complicated to give each one a different time slot.

For single properties I imagine it’s because it’s either a professional cleaner who needs to fit it in amongst other jobs so one some days they will only be free afternoons, others morning, or it’s someone doing it for a few extra bob who needs to fit it around their other job/childcare/whatever. If the job is once every other week or so and people arrive on different days it’s probably hard to guarantee a cleaner comes within a one or two hour time slot.

Roussette · 03/08/2019 10:56

Hell yeah. I’ve been asked to advise on what clothes to take, to book tickets to see Elton John, opera tickets, organise yoga and Pilates lessons, cooks, cooking lessons, chauffered vineyard and sightseeing tours (ok we offer those, but guests could book themselves), book taxis, book restaurants, find hotels. I’ve even one guest phoning late at night to say his wife inhaled some bug spray and what should they do

Good grief!

If you are the concierge at The Ritz Hotel... understandable, but apart from that, NO!

AmaryllisNightAndDay · 03/08/2019 10:57

I betch it would've taken me 5 minutes to find the OP's festivities.

Maybe. But it's amazing how incomplete local online information can be, even basic stuff like when and where. It's also amazing how hard it can be to track information down when all you have is a smartphone and a somewhat dodgy 4G/wireless connection - and young kids and better things to do on holiday. Though to be fair DS did a better job of tracking down local pages than I did.

An owner bears absolutely NO responsibility to advise a Rentee of what is going on in the area,

If you say so, but then owners can't be surprised if their properties get get bad reviews. That's business.

don't people plan their holidays any more???

I'm quite a planner, and quite good at searching online, but I still find digging out local information is very hit and miss. And if you don't already know there is anything to find how long are you going to spend looking?

TaxiPlease · 03/08/2019 11:04

If cleaners are clamouring to get in at 10am then why can't you arrive til 4? It's the self catering conundrum I've never understood.

If you had RTFT, you would know why:

  • It can take a lot longer than you may think to get the place turned around. Even if cupboards / crockery / whatever look clean, you need to check every single detail because you can't be sure and people leave or hide dirt / rubbish / broken items in the weirdest places, steal batteries, light bulbs, etc.
  • The cleaner may have to clean more than one property in that time frame.
  • The owner may have arranged an early check-in with the next guests.
  • The cleaner has a life, too, and shouldn't be made to waste their day waiting around just because you're to precious to get up on time.
gregoire · 03/08/2019 11:05

I'd like Betsy to do a compilation of her "Emails For All Occasions"

Literally every MNer would buy this as a stocking stuffer!

LadyPenelope68 · 03/08/2019 11:07

The concert is not the villa owners fault, so yes, you do have to leave on time. Talk about entitled attitude.

midsomermurderess · 03/08/2019 11:08

I read Betty's emails in a Morningside accent, all pinched vowels and desperate refinement. And as for 'whilst'. Has anyone said that since 1965?

Roussette · 03/08/2019 11:17

Maybe. But it's amazing how incomplete local online information can be, even basic stuff like when and where

The OP only had to look out of the window. She would've seen it being set up. She could have gone to a local shop and enquired what the score was.

If you say so, but then owners can't be surprised if their properties get get bad reviews
If the property was great but a Rentee left a bad review because she didn't know about a party locally, I'm hoping that sensible people would ignore that review

And if you don't already know there is anything to find how long are you going to spend looking?

See above. It would've been pretty obvious

KatharinaRosalie · 03/08/2019 11:18

The previous guests might have made such a mess and broken things so it takes a long time to get the house in order. The cleaners might have several houses to clean, not necessarily next door to each other, so if they planned to start with house A, they can't wait around for 2 hours, and they will not have time to drive back and forth between houses miles away (where guests also decided to stay late).

Check out time is clearly specified. How would you like it, if you show up at 4 as agreed, and owner says that sorry, they didn't sleep well so house is not ready - but surely you understand that it was dangerous for them to drive while sleepy?

Tartyflette · 03/08/2019 11:25

This is indeed a regular occurrence in rural France in August and I would have thought it's quite reasonable for the owner to put this information in the 'gîte/villa/house book' that is provided in nearly all holiday accommodation. With the finish time highlighted!
Especially since there is likely to be another major festival for the Aug 15 Feast of the Assumption, a national holiday in France. Fireworks are a big thing for that.
I'd be putting a warning note in the guest comments book, as a courtesy to the next guests.
(On a side note I've also had to clean nearly every French villa I have stayed in before our departure. One owner even charged me an extra 25 quid because I hadn't cleaned the leather furniture with the special leather cleaner provided..... )

SoupDragon · 03/08/2019 11:29

What DO you do if you inhale bug spray??

Be grateful that you've found a solution to the "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly" problem?

Lilyannarose · 03/08/2019 11:30

It's just one of those things unfortunately.
We had a similar experience while staying on a family UK holiday park.
Our caravan was situated near the club, and not only did the music continue into the early hours of the last night of our stay, we also had the drunks banging on the kids bedroom walls.
Never even occurred to me to ask to stay over the designated time though! Rules are rules etc.

TatianaLarina · 03/08/2019 11:34

What DO you do if you inhale bug spray??

Call the owner Wink

I told him to take her to A&E, that shut him up.

thisnamechanger · 03/08/2019 11:39

viques that made me fall about laughing

thisnamechanger · 03/08/2019 11:41

It would feel good to hold someone accountable and I think in this case, I'd find it cathartic (once I was safely home – or I’d dictate it to DH to help me stay awake as I drove!) to find the email address of the concert organiser and let them know how disappointed I was with their lack of consideration towards people who had travelled to visit their area, only to be aurally assaulted until 2:30am, without any prior warning. I'd also leave shitty reviews all over the internet for anything or anyone connected to it - but then I can be really petty!

God you sound AWFUL

ShirleyPhallus · 03/08/2019 11:47

the email address of the concert organiser and let them know how disappointed I was with their lack of consideration towards people who had travelled to visit their area, only to be aurally assaulted until 2:30am, without any prior warning. I'd also leave shitty reviews all over the internet for anything or anyone connected to it - but then I can be really petty!

Fucking hell.

Just out of interest, how would the concert organiser go about informing every single person that may be travelling in to the area that this event was going on?

mumderland · 03/08/2019 11:49

How do you know the next guests are checking in at 4? Some people pay extra to check in early meaning actually the cleaners don't get 6 hours and you don't know how many other properties they have to clean
Just leave at 10 then take regular breaks on the drive back

Roussette · 03/08/2019 11:54

Just out of interest, how would the concert organiser go about informing every single person that may be travelling in to the area that this event was going on?

A petty detail Grin

They should obviously take out full page adverts in all the leading British newspapers telling them all about the event!

LolaSmiles · 03/08/2019 11:54

Some of these replies are excellent. Grin

I hope the OP Checked out on time and wasn't rude and didn't send any if the hilarious email suggestions or leave bad reviews.

On a side note, surely you don't pack the morning of departure? Pack most things the night before and then it's just nightwear, wash stuff and chargers in the morning plus a quick once round to double check. misses point of thread entirely

tenterden · 03/08/2019 11:57

YABVU

This would be the equivalent of kicking the cat because you stubbed your toe.

Dotty1970 · 03/08/2019 12:04
Biscuit
merlotqueen · 03/08/2019 12:06

Pretty standard, the cleaners will have to wait while you pack up - not on.

Putyourdamnshoeson · 03/08/2019 12:15

I'm not usually so desperate to know what the outcome was, but I'm waiting...

Toddlerteaplease · 03/08/2019 12:21

I was going to mention the Feast if the assumption on 15th August.....