Ros22

Hi, I don't know if this will be any use to you but I thought I would give you my opinions as a consumer. From my recent experience there seems to be a severe lack of decent quality accommodation in the Limousin/Auvergne areas. My view is that these are up and coming areas, and there have been a lot of articles in most of the French Life type magazines promoting the Limousin over the past few months. Maybe people aren't holidaying there at present because of the scarcity of comfortable gite style accommodation. To give you an example, I recently received the Brittany Ferries Gites Brochure and couldn't find a single thing worth renting for a fortnight. We are not unduly fussy, but at the same time we don't want to spend our precious holiday time staying somewhere small and cramped where extra accommodation has been carved out of half of an (already) small cottage or a very tatty barn conversion. Nor do we want to book somewhere that does not offer us basic mod-cons such as a proper cooker, washing machine,fridge/freezer or TV. In the BF brochure apparently you are to be counted as a "coach potato" if you dare to expect cosy settee in the living room! As a frustrated consumer I would say there is a market for good quality gite accommodation in the middle price range. People will always be prepared to pay a little extra for home comforts, space and privacy. Too many gite owners seem to have adopted the "pack 'em in" approach. Personally, I think the days are gone when holiday makers would be content with basic amenities and sticks of cast off furniture! After years of cottage holidays in this country I do know that quality always pays off in the end. The most successful people I know (Cornwall) do a mixture of lettings - 4 wonderfully equipped, spacious and nicely decorated cottages/barns (all detached), a small camp site, and B & B at the main farmhouse. People go back year after year because the standards are so high and the owners so friendly - they don't need to advertise now - all their bookings come from word of mouth. So, my humble advice is go for a mixture, but keep your standards high. Sorry - gone off on my soap box a bit here! I am one miffed woman who can't find a decent gite in the whole of the Correze! Ros

Child benefit ceases as soon as you leave the UK. You must be permanently resident in the UK to get it.

Hi All, Will they provide a CDS when our only income will be our savings? If so,any idea of the minimum level of savings we need to show the Marie? (We had hoped to hide some away somewhere!). Mandy and Ros