Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Can you recommend a good company for gites in France?

31 replies

cupcakesbakingonanopenfire · 27/12/2005 18:12

I'm looking for a gite for our summer holiday in France, preferably in the south west (ideally Dordogne). I need a company which does lovely rural gites which are small (only really need 2 bedrooms) but with a garden. We don't need anything like a swimming pool.
If you've used or seen a good company please let me know!
TIA.

OP posts:
Blandmum · 27/12/2005 18:14

Gite de France have a huge collection of Gites in all parts of France.

We have been with them twice, and both times the place was excellent.

You might also want to think about looking on the internet and booking diect. I did this with a b and b this year and found a gem in Normandy

Blandmum · 27/12/2005 18:15

here

Original poster
cupcakesbakingonanopenfire · 27/12/2005 18:20

merci beaucoup.

OP posts:
Blandmum · 27/12/2005 18:23

C'est rien!

Original poster
cupcakesbakingonanopenfire · 27/12/2005 18:56

to my shame my French isn't good enough to confidently book through a French website.

OP posts:
Blandmum · 27/12/2005 18:58

They have an english 'bit' to the site....trust me, my french is limited to the doings of Le Famille Marsaud from Longmans Audio Visiual French!

Roobietherednosedreindeer · 27/12/2005 19:07

We booked via vfb a couple of years ago and they were excellent - really good site providing lots of detail about the cottage, good search facility and crossing-inclusive prices quoted too.
VfB Holidays

Janh · 27/12/2005 19:16

cottages4you . I work for them now (don't do overseas though) - the French ones on this site are not particularly upmarket so are reasonably priced (prices include basic Dover-Calais ferry).

If you click on the availability search at top L you can put your dates in.

Chez Nous is also one of ours but is contact-owner-direct. Then there is French Life .

I have used (in Spain, not France) Holiday Rentals - contact-owner again (but many are British). We were pleased with our villa and it's an excellent website.

Others on MN have used French Connections and been pleased with them.

Janh · 27/12/2005 19:18

sorry, cottages4you link isn't working. This is availability search page, that should be ok.

Original poster
cupcakesbakingonanopenfire · 27/12/2005 19:38

that's great - lots of information to look through!
martianbishop - I'll have another look. The listings I saw were all in French, does it list them in English anywhere?

OP posts:
Detta · 27/12/2005 20:18

Try bargaingites.com. We went to a fantastic place in the Loire valley last year which was very reasonable. 16th century cottage plus own swimming pool.

spruceylucy5 · 27/12/2005 20:30

trythis

ive had some great holidays with this company>

MARINAtivityPlay · 27/12/2005 21:08

Most of the Gites de France departmental websites have an English version and I am sure that appies to a departement as popular as the Dordogne.
We have always found G de France great and while I am sure everyone has their own view on this, you are paying local owners so the money goes into the local economy. They are also, IMHO, cheaper than renting some wacko retired couple from Basingstoke's mad idea of what constitutes French rural interior design

popmum · 27/12/2005 22:37

or try french country cottages - we went with them last year to vendee and property matched description

french-country-cottages

lapsedrunner · 28/12/2005 07:22

Internet booking with www.gites-de-france.fr. Go for 3 "ears of corn" or above, they are great. Have used them 4 times now and each gite has been great. They are also much more competitively priced than UK based firms.

Auntybrandybutter · 28/12/2005 07:24

Welcome cottages do french cottages. They look good value. We have used them in uk

Auntybrandybutter · 28/12/2005 07:25

here

Blandmum · 28/12/2005 08:31

marina, lol at the 'whacko couple'

The Gites we have stayed in were also run by some of the nices people I have ever met. One insisted on making us the most wonderful local puddings, giving us the freshest eggs I have ever eaten and making sure we had a wonderful time.

In the other the owner had his own vinyard and we were trated to Vrac (sp) litre jerry cans of his wine on a daily basis! He also sent us to a wonderul place to eat....looked rough but gave us one of the best meals I have ever eaten....wild boar casserole and a plate of frite to die for!

Staying with local people made the holidays for us....wonderful both times.

Last holiday the owner of the B and B we were staying in took the kids off my hands when we arrived and went collecting eggs with them. They were in seventh heaven. And when she returned she brought us a bottle of her home made cider! How I love the French!

Janh · 28/12/2005 13:24

Welcome and French Country Cottages are included on cottages4you (linked below) - parent company is Cendant VRG - if you look at cottages4you you get virtually everything from the group except Individual Traveller and Chez Nous (not sure about French Life).

winniewoo · 28/12/2005 20:34

Any particular gites in Northern France that anyone can recommend? Was looking at a site toddlerholiday.com? Anyone familier with these gites?

winniewoo · 28/12/2005 20:42

Any particular gites in Northern France that anyone can recommend? Was looking at a site toddlerholiday.com? Anyone familier with these gites?

unicorn · 29/12/2005 15:27

dh.. (who,is usually a bit of a PITA re mumsnet)

has actually asked me to ask you if there are any good gites nr Le Touquett?

(possible holiday for us in Aug)

plse help !!!!

lapsedrunner · 29/12/2005 17:56

Unicorn - not a specific Gite but a search for 3 "ears of corn" (3 star) brings up 133 rural Gites in the Pas de Calais alone! Look at www.gites-de-france.fr

eidsvold · 30/12/2005 03:50

is this any good

we know the english couple that run this gite.... have not used it yet ( distance is a killer from oz) but they seem very popular.

Original poster
cupcakesbakingonanopenfire · 30/12/2005 15:50

I want to look more thoroughly at the Gites de France but once I get past their introductory pages to the full listings all the property details are in French. I could probably read it but just to make sure I'm not being stupid (I'm nervous about misreading the terms and conditions!) is there an area with these listings in English?

I've found some very tempting houses on the cottages for you.

Do you recommend ferry or channel tunnel?

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread