Choosing a Gite in France: A Quick Guide

Thousands of people every year come to France for their holidays and choose a gite to stay in. Sometimes things do not go to plan and the holiday turns into a fiasco.
To make your holiday in a French gite an enjoyable one here are a few simple tips that will hopefully help.


Once you have decided to come to France for your holiday you may then be looking to stay in a French Gite. Choosing a gite is probably the most important part of your holiday as it a great gite can make your holiday one to remember while a poor gite can make it memorable for the wrong reasons!

Gites are not the same throughout France.

Firstly, there are those gites that are registered with French national tourism organisations and therefore their owners have to meet certain requirements in regard to the standard of the gites and the terms & conditions they offer the traveller. For instance, one of the most popular organisation is ‘Gites de France’ exists all over the country (others are Clevacances, Plein Soleil) and they have clear standard rules and regulations for both the owner and the person renting; and, you can see these online before you book, in their annual brochures and with your contract (before you sign). There is a central office in Paris but each region (eg Normandy) has its own office covering over 50 departments in total. From my own experience I have found that although they are supposed to have standardised rules for everywhere in France they can vary from department to department so you need to ensure that you are aware of our rights and obligations before you sign anything. Also, standards vary considerably from region to region.

You should find out some basic details about the property when you are considering different gites as owners with Gites de France are given some freedom to set their own rules.

 For instance:

• Arrival time (usually after 4pm)
• Departure time (usually by 10am)
• Payment methods
• Cancellation policy
• Deposit required (set by the owner: norm is about 25%)
• Cleaning fees on departure (around 40 euros: 2010 price). You can clean yourself and avoid this but it must be left in the same condition as when you arrived
• Security deposit required (about 150 euros: 2010 price)
• Bedlinen charges (8 euros a bed: 2010 price)
• Electricity charges (a certain amount is usually free per day)
• Other charges (wood, gas, baby cot)
• Washing Machine Charges

The norm is that you pay for everything which the owner regards as not part of the booking cost – so beware!

Do not be afraid to ask about the sizes of the rooms, do you have to buy bottled water for drinking, are the toilets & bathrooms shared, what happens to the daily rubbish, is the property separate from others , parking facilities, animals allowed, can you have guests/visitors ....These may seem trivial questions but not in France! Remember if you don’t ask no-one will tell you.

You will receive a contract to sign with a date for it to be returned with your deposit. Make sure that you read the conditions carefully, which will undoubtedly be in French. Be sure to bring your contract with you on holiday and that you have a contact name and phone number as the owner may not live on site.
You can pay the rest of the cost of the holiday including your security deposit on arrival. Advice would be to pay by card or euro cheque, if you can, so that you may have some sort of protection.

Even though you may be tired after a long trip it is important on arrival or very shortly after that, to make sure that you:

• Check everything and that it works – if not tell the owner or else you may be charged for it
• Everything is as you agreed in your contract
• Ask for a receipt of payment which should come on a proper invoice (facture).


Gite owners that belong to Gites to France are probably easier to deal with as you have some protection with a contract and from experience Gites de France tend to take the side of the traveller, as there seems to be an attitude of ‘taking the quieter’ option.


For those of you who book Gites with French owners who are not registered with a recognised organisation it can be a little more complicated. Many do not have contracts, and you should insist on this, and really follow the same guidelines as indicated above. French owners prefer, for obvious reasons, to be paid in cash but my advice would be to avoid this as you have little or no ‘comeback’.

If you are really unhappy with your accommodation or your stay and have very clear reasons for this eg your rooms did not have enough beds as you requested, you paid for linen and did not get it, the place was filthy ; then, you can go to the local ‘gendarmie’ (police station) and make an official complaint. I have known this to happen and the clients were fortunate to spend their stay in another gite at the original owner’s expense.


Not all gites are regulated and therefore if you decide to book a gite that is not registered with one of France’s tourism organisations you need to be particularly careful. As always make a list of everything that you want to know and ask; even, ask for a contract or agreement/written, so that you have some proof of what was agreed. It is too late when you are in a foreign country, may not be fluent in the language and all that you get is a shrug of the shoulders and a bewildered look from the owner. The French do not like talking about money and are even less willing to part with it.

France is a lovely place to stay on holiday. So make you stay one to remember rather than regret and do your research and booking thoroughly.

Happy Holidays!

Working in France

When someone said to me ‘Sure, anyone can run a shop’ I thought that I might as well give it a go. Little did I think that having a shop would be so ‘challenging’. However, perhaps the challenge was not so much starting a boutique as starting a boutique in France!

When my family and I came to Normandy 7 years ago I had no notion of doing anything else than getting our gite business established. However, after only a year I got that ‘I’m bored feeling’ and decided to look for something to occupy my days. Don’t get me wrong the gite business is physically hard work but not very taxing on those little brain cells. I had always wanted to be my own boss and thought that opening a boutique as a great opportunity and another item that I could tick off my dream list.
I suppose like anything new the start is always the most difficult. But I could never have imagined the obstacles that I had to overcome.

Many people have written books on the subject, so I won’t bore you with another article on the law and finances of it all, but if I could give you a number of practical tips regarding setting up a similar business in France then here they are:

1 You must speak the language. Not speaking French or making an attempt at it is something which the French will not accept, especially in business.
2 A good French accountant is a Must. Not only for peace of mind but their advice is respected and taken as a guarantee of accuracy by other government officials, which can come in handy from time to time. Choose one who lives locally so that you can call in. They are often a good source for information on many related areas to running a business such as employment law. Always get an idea of what the first year’s fees would be from the start – they can be negotiable. State what you are willing to pay and ask what can you do to reduce the bill. It is worth shopping around.
3 Research your business well before you start as to its feasibility. An idea that you think would work well, especially if it is an ‘imported’ idea is simply not enough. Many French are very traditional and are very reluctant to accept anything new. You can never ask enough questions and never be in a hurry to rush into it. It’s always a good idea to do some research into the actual town and community where you hope to open your business. The French don’t travel to shop and therefore a prime location in a town or village with easy access is very important. A shop or boutique on a side street simply doesn’t work.
4 Make sure you find out about the whole process and additional expenses involved in setting up a business before you register. Your local Chambre de Commerce is a good starting point and often there is someone specifically employed to give advice and guidance. Some even run regular courses for English speaking entrepreneurs. Also regulations are continually changing and it is always better to find out what the current rules are.
5 Don’t depend on the locals to always support you. At the start you may be a novelty but once this wears off unless there is another source of clientele for your business, such as tourists or export/internet trade, you may find it difficult.
6 Be respectful to all those you come across in authority. In France loosing your temper or raising your voice to a government official, the woman in the bank or the young lad in the DIY store is a sure way to failure. Etiquette, respect and politeness are all high on the agenda in France – even to the point of silliness – but to get anything done you must have good or else develop those personal communication skills! I have found that the best tactic is to say that you need their advice, and believe that they are the best source of expert advice. This often results in a fantastic change in demeanor, and they consider it a challenge to do their absolute best for you.
7 French bureaucracy is worse than you can imagine or anyone has told you. If you don’t follow the ‘rules’ and fill in the right documents correctly over and over again for each recipient, you will simply not get what you want. There appears to be no cross-communication of any sort, between the many organizations involved.
8 Only register your business when you are ready to open, for once registered documents and demand for payments and fees start arriving in the post.
9 Most importantly, don’t give up at the first hurdle or let people be negative. It takes time, maybe two or three years to develop your clientele. Starting this type of business is like any other – ‘you reap what you sow’

The final note I would add to this is that my boutique is in the area of France known as ‘Ornais Bocage’ which is the basically the countryside, so other people’s experiences in other parts of France may be very different, especially if you are in a large city or populated area.

I hope that like me you enjoy running your own business in France. It is certainly a great way to meet people, to be part of the community, to make a good living and off course (if you have one) to tick it off your dream list!

If you are working in France what have been your experiences?

Ever played Golf in France?

We hear plenty of those lovely golfing holidays in Spain and Portugal, those lovely greens and great sun that our friends are always telling us about. But Normandy has this and much more to offer.

Whether you are a serious golfer, a novice or someone like myself who is looking for a fun day out the beautiful course at Bagnoles de l’Orne in Lower Normandy caters for all.

I had played a little before so, when our golfing enthusiastic friends, who were staying in a French cottage in the nearby village of Juvigny sous Andaine, asked my husband and I if we would like to have a go, I off course, said ‘Why not’. I had driven past the course often and thought (as you do) ‘I must try that some time’. We simply went along, paid the cheap day fee, and without any need to make an advanced booking, started playing.

My first experience of golf in France was very different from what I had experienced before. I had images of hordes of professional golfers all in a hurry, waiting impatiently in line and edging us ‘novices’ to move on. Instead, we had a wonderful, relaxing, even if amusing 3 or 4 hours on a lovely almost empty green that seemed to stretch forever, under a beautiful blue sky. The green was perfect, we had winding rivers and sand banks to keep us on our toes and as the course lies on the edge of the Normandy National Forest Park we didn’t mind the occasional interruptions from the local wildlife.

Ever since then we play regularly. Often towards the end of our time at the course we take advantage of the practice putting green beside the clubhouse (where we have had many a light refreshment – ‘the French way’) and then we might take a short stroll into the very pretty village of Bagnoles where you sit by the lake and soak in the local atmosphere of a French spa town with its pretty shops (La Source Naturelle).

I have met many people and made friends at the golf club. There are those, like ourselves, who golf regularly and like the slow, quiet pace that you can go round the 9 holes (soon to be 18); and, there are others like our golfing friends who love to spend their frequent visits to Normandy golfing. Some have even taken annual membership and come over, stay in a local gite, and participate in the competitions, which take place in the summer.

So, if you happen to pass Bagnoles de l’Orne some day ‘why not’ come along to the Golf Course. Or even better rent a gite, such as that at Manoir Sainte Cecile in Juvigny-sous-Andaine, and make a week of it! For a challenging course, in beautiful natural surroundings Bagnoles is worth a visit. If it happens to be on a Monday I might be there – I’m the one still having to carry a ball scoop!!

Vide-greniers

Ever tried a Vide-Grenier while on holiday in France?

To think that getting up at 6am on a Sunday morning in France, a country which is well-known for its rather relaxed and laid-back approach to almost everything would normally be taboo. However, at certain times of the year you would be wrong. Every Sunday morning from June to October thousands of French and English in Orne are up, literally at the crack of dawn (and even earlier!) to claim their prime spot on which to place and try to sell, what often seems to be ‘all their worldly goods’.

These ‘vide-greniers’ for the French are more than just a car boot sale. It is yet another time in the French annual calendar for the whole village to socialize, catch up with local gossip, have a fun day and maybe make a bob or two while doing it. The stalls, the ground, people’s drives, hedges, and nearby walls are covered in anything and everything; and, not just from what has been stored in their attics, but from the basement also and what seems to lie in between!

The French will sell anything from the bizarre – old calendars, bottle tops, empty drinks cans … to live animals (perfect for that menagerie that you’ve always wanted!) and even cars and houses. For many this is the one time of the year in which they try to sell what they didn’t sell last year. This is because the Ornais are simply great hoarders. They never throw anything away no matter what the condition. They will even tell you that they will keep it for next year’s vide-grenier. As Charity shops, that we are familiar with on most high streets in England, do not exist in France it is often an opportunity for many less well-off families to buy necessities like childrens clothes or even household utensils and furniture. These can be found in great quantities at great prices.

English speaking residents are often to be found with their own stalls alongside that of their French neighbours’ (a fast-track to learning the language – for both!) trying to unload themselves of those trinkets that they now wished they hadn’t packed. It can be a great way to get involved in the local community if you live here; if not, it is still a great day for all the family. You don’t have to be there at 6am but whatever time you go make sure you are prepared to walk a lot, go with something to drink and eat. Although the vide-greniers are often held in the streets of the local villages, often on people’s front door steps, many Ornais are unaccustomed as yet to buying takeaway food, or going to the tea and cake tent.

So, while holidaying in your French gite, go along with your 20 euros in your pocket, your latest copy of the ‘Calendrier Brocantes’ and, by the end of the day after all that haggling, you might just find that ‘petit souvenir’ from France that you’ve always been looking for.

For the French, they will simply wrap it up, put it in their vide-grenier and do it all over again next year!!

Driving in France

Many people have been coming to France for years, happily touring around in their cars totally oblivious to this obscure and seemingly crazy idea of 'Prioritaire a droite' where the traffic coming from your right has priority and as such has no obligation to slow down or stop. I rent gites in Orne, Normandy, and over the years have found that few non-french are aware of this rule.
The implications of this are not immediately apparent until you experience it first hand. Let me give you some examples.
You are driving through the main road of a town and a vehicle comes out of a side street on your right straight in front of you without any warning, you brake to avoid a collision (if you have the time). Is this some maniac out of control? No, just a local that knows that they have the priority at that junction, and if they hit someone or someone hits them the law is on their side.
You enter a roundabout, concentrating on the traffic coming round from your left, seems perfectly normal, until a vehicle enters the roundabout on your right expecting you to stop and give way, you brake again to avoid a collision. You've guessed it now-- yes, another local that knows that the roundabout is still Prioritaire a Droite and is quite happy to play what seems like some form of 'russian roulette' with his vehicle.
Finally, you are out in the open country enjoying the scenery, admiring this tranquil rural landscape and picturesque cottages, when a vehicle (car, lorry or even tractor) comes out of what looks like a lane on the right, straight in front of you, forcing you to brake again. Yes, another local, probably knows these roads like the back of his hand, and where he has the priority at the road junctions.
So what precautions can we take to avoid an accident.
Firstly, expect the unexpected, and be aware of approaching traffic from side roads, particularly on the right hand side.
Secondly most 'new' roundabouts often have a sign informing drivers Pas de Priorite, on these you can assume that things are as normal and once on the roundabout you have the priority.
Thirdly, there is a road sign for Prioritaire a Droite, it is a white triangular sign warning sign with red border (point of the triangle up) with a black X in the middle. This is not to be confused with a crossroads which has a black + (plus sign) in the middle. What can be confusing is that they use these signs on both approaches to a Prioritaire a Droite, so the sign that you see may refer to a road on your left, and therefore has no real implications for you, unless someone comes out of the junction onto your side of the road. In the countryside these signs are 150 metres before the junction, whereas in the towns these signs are only 50 metres before the junction. (Unless it states differently under the sign.)
Finally, the road markings; there will not be any lines across the end of the road as there is with a stop or give way sign. This is easy to spot in the towns but not so easy at 80 or 90 kilometres an hour on a country road. Also in the towns in the middle of the road is often a large 'tadpole' shaped area cross-hatched with white lines, (in the middle of the junction but no lines across the road).
I hope that this information is useful to some people out there, and that it helps you to avoid some unnecessary accidents (and near heart attacks) as you drive around France.