Owens88
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Posts posted by Owens88
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We equipped our gite with loads of stuff. I can recall researching the darty site and even visiting Auchan to find the cheapest oven (only to find that they wouldn't take my credit card without the passport).
Observations:
Local 'Expert' outlet (a brand name for a europe-wide franchise) had the cheapest oven with facilities I wanted, and they flexed their delivery to suit me, and offered to install it !
Very Local outlet of Radio La. Not the cheapest in the world, but not expensive either. Very good on service. delivered exactly when we want. Also looked at a disfunctional tumble dryer, analysed the piece it needed, and replaced it for free. (He had sold the tumble dryer to our prevous owners but it was well out of guarantee).
Conclusions:
Buying locally can be better value.
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hic
A consumer's perspective:
Either I can buy the stuff on site, or its given to me or I can bring my own. The gendarmerie my have some public 'no alcohol' places but they don't apply privately.
A LF forum dweller's perspective:
I think this harks back to a debate about the difference between a CdH and a Hotel. Mini Fridges, Selling Wine.... whats next, mini-bars ?
An owners perspective:
I am not a B&B owner but I read this forum because it has good advice and friendly comments. I am a gite owner and I do get irritated by the things people will take into bedrooms and spill. e.g. My own kids don't drink coke/coffee/chocolate in bed so why am I faced with buying new duvets/mattresses because visiting kids are allowed to ? --------Because I am in the tourist trade.
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I have read of heat pump system which provide heat in winter and cooling in summer. ?geothermal?
Might be worth a look.
John
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Hello
We have about 50 square meters of old roof that needs to be replaced. I seek recommendations so that I can get quotes for my co-prop. It would have to be an 'entreprise' with insurance etc. that does the work.
Does anybody know any outfits they can recommend ? Thanks in advance.
John
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I've given up on this and search as well.
John
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We opened a CA Britline account because we could do it from England. An estate agent in the Canal du Midi area had fed us with so many horror stories about local banks, and we wanted an account sooner rather than later.
We have found CA Britline to be excellent, but the notion that CA is national is at best a myth, at worst duplicitous. We paid a cheque into our local branch, luckily getting a receipt ! It didn't get to its rightful home,noit merely a delay officially non existent !
Luckily the cheque was from our Notaire and the lady at CA britline sorted it all out for us.
However I have heard praise about the local BP in Vernet.
John
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Hi all
I have just come back from Vernet and I now have more info.
The same post office that prveiously accepted my informal request on a scrap of paper now have a 'system' and a form. Max period for each form filling is 6 months and charge is 55 euros (i.e. 110 for a year).
The lady then said. Get a neighbour to re-direct (suivre a) for free as described above. She said the system would not pick up on any stamp price difference.
John
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My daughter has just returned from the school 'French Trip', aged 12 I think. Previously teh norm is for a primary school trip (year 5 or 6 in english) to an activity centre a few hours away.
Point 1 It wasn't a French trip as it was English PGL with excursions to bakerie and Chocolaterie etc. She gets more French experience with us. Only 40 went out of 100.
Point 2 Youth trips are about fun, growing up and independence. My kids have done sailing camp, Cubs, Scouts, adventure stuff etc. and probably don't need the awaydays as much as 'les autres' , but I would hesitate to exclude them from the group effect they get from the school trip.
Financially I cannot justify it ALL, and will always encourage the balance of 'out of school' stuff as well as school, but would have thought that some trips away from home are 'good for doing'.
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The worst we ever had was in Andalucia where the power supplies were so constrained that at one stage we had my daughter sitting by the trip switch whilst we were cooking a meal (it ain't safe to have hot food on a cooker and no lights). Funnily enough that was our third property in a week having been increasingly upgraded due to leccy probs.
Our place in France does not have problems (touch wood) and has a 12kw rating. What is informative is the edf site
http://particuliers.edf.fr/article493.html
where one pays a higher standing charge per year according to how much current is available.
My own decision is to accept the 60 euro surcharge over the next lower level and avoid some problems, but each to their own.
Regards to all
John
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Hello
I am sure that this has come up before but I cannot find any answers using search.
Is there a reliable way of getting mail re-directed to a UK address?
I was told that the post office would do it. And in truth they seem quite happy to accept my request.
They don't charge a fee, but don't do the re-directing either !
Thanks in advance
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Going back to my little intervention on this issue I am glad to see that many people have highlighted that some degree of flexibility is possible without either being commercially crippling or incurring the wrath of the law. AND that clear blue water can be maintained between Cdh/TdH and Restaurants/Hotels without a 'one size fits all' mentality.
For many years our style at home was not to serve meals 'already plated' but to put dishes in the middle for the family to choose from. Even more so when we had family guests (not necessarily a dinner party). A couple of years ago I was staying with a (very friendly and accomodating) Hote and I aksed him why he 'plated'. He said it was to control presentation. I now realise that balancing portion control may be part of it as well (commercial issues).
But if cooking for, say, approaching a dozen at one table (within the rules listed in the last posting) would it be so strange if there were a couple of dishes containing different 'main course' elements on the table ?
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We have rented to many nationalities within our three years.
We are on French listings as well as brit as well as our own site. I would like that we had at least a french front page but ....
I do like the idea of
'a translation of key web search phrases in the different languages so that a google search in say German would bring up my site. .... Any volunteers? '
I might be prepared to share in the paying (GR, Dutch Scandinavian..).
John
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Our experience is limited. We have only been doing this for 3 years.
Web directories seem to vary quite wildly in their effectiveness. Whether that is because of their vulnerability to the vagaries of the search engines, or whether they have very variable attitudes about their non-web advertising (to draw people to their site !) I do not know.
There are two models. 'Pay to advertise' and 'commission on booking'. There are some skilled operators in this arena and even the 'pay to advertise' people have to offer a free period (of even 2 years !) until they prove their credentials.
Subjectively I think that in a crowded market the better ones offer better search/filter options. Family Friendly, close to cafes, central heated..... whatever.
Emotively I feel a pang of sympathy for the 'commission only' sites who might do us grand one year and nowt the next. But their costs are probably less in mounting the website than in promoting it.
Overall
IMHO (and in my day job I am a Marketing Consultant).
Don't take it on if you see it as a teccie job. There are lots out there.
BUT if you see yourself as a publisher (and ad salesman !!) , using the web instead of print, then there is scope to go for.
Good luck
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and
anybody who has the answers please illuminate us all .
(imminent project looming)
John
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Up front declaration I am a fish-eating veggie. (A demi-veg for those who like strict definitions).
If you ever fly a long flight in BA they offer about a dozen variants on vegetarian, (but booked beforehand ) and I think it fair for the hote to ask the question, even fairer for the guest to have made things clear in the first place.
I know that there has been a separate debate in the forum about the difference between hotel and CdH. Flexibility of eating was one difference I cited there. As it happens we have many years experience and will always enquire beforehand, but the attitudes in this thread harden my views against 'bundled deals' where food and accomodation are combined.
BUT I do know of CdH with excellent flexibility and capacity to please vegetarians. So should they make a point of their flexibility (to avoid people avoiding them) or should others make a point of 'no flexibility' (as in no pets etc.)? Its an interesting marketing conundrum. My advice to the CdH tight budget regime would be 'limited flexibility with prior warning'.
BTW. Serving a vegetarian the same as others 'without the meat' is not the sign of a good host. Nobody is going to starve or become malnourished over one meal, but host means more than 'take it or leave it' doesn't it ? If I 'hosted' a meal at home that,say, had cheese in it and one of the guests could/would not eat cheese I would expect to have something else in stock as an emergency substitute.
As for restaurants and veggies. Yes France is very variable. In my village (Vernet Les Bains) the cheapest cafe offers a limited range of choices each night, which sometimes suits and sometimes doesn't. The mid range and above see themselves as restaurants and will cook what they can. I recall one night buying into a meat laden 3 course special that turned into beetroot and watercress salad (grown by the owner/witress) and a fish in lemon sauce (not on the menu but subsequently ordered by somebody arriving after me).
Unless its a hobby for you it shoud be seen as a service industry, so draw your 'stop lines' with care.
Cheers all
John
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Reading this thread I wonder about the emphaiss/dependency on the notion of 'family run'.
While I can see a 'Market Positioning' based on the notional benefits of a family-run ambience I cannot for the life of me see how legally enforceable regimes could apply on that basis. Don't employ any staff unless they are relations by blood or marriage ?
(NB This is completely different to 'sharing the facilities of the family occupying part of the building'which I think is part of the chambre d'hote ethos)
But good luck to all who are giving a good service.
John
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I dunno about French law about mailing lists but I do note that the Jehovah's witnesses (or equivalent) - English version , have apparently got very good radar at tracking down expats in France.
John
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Is the printed version more comprehensive than the on-line pages jaune ?
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I think that if you are resident in France then there is a scheme whereby EDF will sell yo solar heating with a 'year-round' supply guarantee (i.e. topped up by them) and with a subsidy available.
Cheers
John
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Merci Ian
'...As is always the case in France, ignorance is no defence, and it is your _duty_ to find out and then to pay it. Of course, if you don't charge it on to your clients, you have to stump up out of your own pocket. Theoretically, it is up to the Mairie to ask you for it, but as they don't know how many people you've had staying and for how long, in practice you will have to tell them. Some places will suggest a "lump sum" payment, designed to simplify matters. Once you get your bill, you need to pay it in to the Perception, which is the local Tax collection place. It's at the Trésor Public usually in the cantonal capital...'
C'est tres utile.
John
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I have had this sort of thing twice (though without the added 'Christian Group' touch).
Both were at times of year when a booking is extremely attractive !
I chose to reply saying that I couldn't play that way, if only because of anti money laundering rules. I offered to accept the deposit (and full payment) from the renter's 'agent' but the enquiries went away.
Regards
John
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I promise I have searched the archives on this subject but search throws up so much 'noise' I gave up.
I wonder how many landlords/hosts are collecting (and paying) the taxe de sejour, anmd what the general viewpoint about it is.
I am trying to form an informed view not on a trawl for miscreants !
Cheers all
John
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We have just visited an accountant who advised us that it would be more 'tranquil' to register and pay a different set of taxes, probably lower overall.
The defining factor seemed to be how many weeks we are there and how many we let out.
Good luck
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Hi
I think that my understanding is the same as Paolo's so please do correct us if we are wrong.
John
WHAT ON EARTH AM I DOING WRONG ???
in Gite Owners Forum
Posted
Hi there
Sympathies
1)If you search for things like:
fishing holidays France
Where do you appear ?
2)As previous posters have suggested, are you broader than fishing? If so what family friendly/sailor friendly (whatever) messages have you put out ?
Goood luck