How often do you get to use your holiday home?

[Ian]

I am considering splitting my next house budget in two and buying a holiday home - my imagination sees me using this once every couple of weekends and for a couple of months during the summer. (The maison secondaire will be, say 60-90 minutes away from "home").

I know various forum-folk have holiday homes and wanted to ask you, how often do you use your "retreat" and how far away from your main home is it?

[timc17]

Our current home was originally a holiday home and we were able to visit at least five times a year - a round-trip of 1300 miles each time.

Tim

[Kitty]

[quote user="Ian"] maison secondaire [/quote]

Ian - For years, I used to say maison secondaire.  Then a French friend corrected me that there is no such thing and only the English say it. The correct phrase is:

residence secondaire

When my house was a residence secondaire (it is our main house now), we used it several times per year.  But the use depends on your lifestyle.

Running a French second home is generally not as expensive as a UK second home, mainly because the equivalent of Council tax (taxes fonciere and d'habitation) is much less.  If you are not there, you do not run up huge electricity and water costs.  The most difficult 'luxury' to decide about is a television because of the tax (incorporated in the aforementioned taxes).

You then have to decide whether you want to let friends 'borrow' it when you are not there.....

 

[KathyF]

When I was working we only got across for 3 or 4 weeks a year, usually in one or two visits.  Never for weekends, because of the cost of the ferry and petrol and time taken.  Now I've retired we're planning to spend at least two or three months a year there, with a long visit in the summer (2 months +) and perhaps a month or six weeks at another time.

When you calculate running costs, don't forget FT's ligne residence secondaire scheme which allows you to switch off your phone line up to six times a year when you're not there, thus saving line rental. If only BT did something similar in the UK.....[:(]

[Simon]

Distance between homes 1072 miles each way. Normally takes 24 hours driving straight through including the ferry crossing, although the record stands at 20 and a half hours door to door.

Usually get over three times per year, although this year it will be twice, three weeks in March and a whole five weeks in September which will be the longest time we've spent at the house in one go. Can't wait!

Interested to learn about FT ligne secondaire scheme, I'll have to look into it to save some money on line rental, especially as we are not at the house for long periods at a time.

 

[Clair]

My Dutch neighbours drive for 14 hours three or four times a year to come over sometimes for a few weeks and sometimes just for a few days.

[Nearly Retired (I am now)]

The round trip is 1100 miles and typically takes 12 hours door-to-door.

We visit maybe 6  / 7 times a year for maybe as little as 5 days and maybe up to 2 weeks at a time.

We "use" the house in the sense that it provides shelter from the weather while we do all the maintenance work, refurb and try to control the garden.

Is it a holiday house? Well, if you mean as somewhere to go and laze around, then the answer is a definite NO!

I sometimes wonder why we bother. Having said that, I can only spend a day or so on a beach on holiday anywhere and then I'm always itching to do something else when away from home. Our place in France certainly keeps us occupied, it stops me thinking about anything back home and gives me a different perspective on life.

We come back refreshed so I suppose it serves its purpose.

[Cendrillon]

Ian

I think this is one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions and everyone will have a different set of circumstances.

If  I understand it correctly you plan to buy two homes for yourself but both will be in France so it would be easier for you to come and go more often as you won't have to consider the cost / hassle of long journeys and channel crossings each time.

[Sprogster]

Ian,

A friend once pointed out that the potential problem with a holiday home is that it you feel obligated to maximise your use of it and it ties you to a particular area, when you could be using your valuable spare time to do other things and visit new places. Especially, if working and have limited spare time.

It is a valid point especially when the novelty wears off and is one of the main considerations I believe why a lot of second home owners do end up selling, as they find themselves using it less and less as the years go by.

[Simon]

The other side of the coin is that you go on holiday more often because you do have a holiday home. We have had our holiday home for fifteen years and haven't been anywhere else since we bought it, and yet every year we'll say "let's go somewhere different this year" but we never do. We have been to the house perhaps 50 times, would we have had 50 holidays in 15 years otherwise? Doubt it.  

[Kitty]

As soon as you arrive, you feel as if you are holiday (unless the mice have chewed the furniture or there's been a water leak)...

 

[Cendrillon]

[quote user="Cathy"]

As soon as you arrive, you feel as if you are holiday (unless the mice have chewed the furniture or there's been a water leak)...

 

[/quote]

It's not just a second home it's a second life and if you're lucky a whole set of local friends and social life to catch up with when you're staying there.[:)]

[bourrut]

Ian ,like you we live tarn,our holiday home is on mallorca ,it takes apprx 4 hours drive to barcelona,3 hour ferry ,And love the different style of life for a few weeks,last year we found out we could fly direct from toulouse ony 45 mins flight,brill .Will go about 5 times this year.

[Scooby]

Our use is variable.  I get to use it more than my OH as I have a lot more holidays, I worked compressed hours and so have long weekends and I can accrue leu time.  This year I will be over for a week in early March, again for a week in early April and again for a wek in early May, 2 weeks in summer and for a week in October. I'll probably go out for odd weekends.  Family also use the house.

We also swap the house regularly and so have swap partners staying there.  Last year we swapped for a week in a ski chalet in the Czech Republic (we are using our half of the swap next week), a week in New York (planning to go later this year) and a week in Venice.  This year we are swapping it for a week by the sea in Brittany and holidaying with our (French) neighbours.

[Ian]

Interesting reading - thank you all for your replies.  Encouraging and some key points to think about.

My plan is to have a city apartment and a small country/village house about 60-90 minutes drive apart (and yes both in the South of France ...it is where I call "home" nowadays).

I like the idea of contrasts - modern city living and rural French tranquility.  No one house/place seems to tick-all-the-boxes, so I thought why not have two small places?  (My sister is doing the same thing in the UK: she lives in London and is looking for somewhere in either Shropshire or Oxfordshire too)

I look forward  to reading more!

[Mme poivre]

Hello Ian

 

Just an Idea  Why dont you buy a Camper van then you can live in which ever part of the country that takes your fance at the week ends and return to your city pad in the week.  

[:D]

J x

[Cendrillon]

[quote user="Ian"]

Interesting reading - thank you all for your replies.  Encouraging and some key points to think about.

My plan is to have a city apartment and a small country/village house about 60-90 minutes drive apart (and yes both in the South of France ...it is where I call "home" nowadays).

I like the idea of contrasts - modern city living and rural French tranquility.  No one house/place seems to tick-all-the-boxes, so I thought why not have two small places?  (My sister is doing the same thing in the UK: she lives in London and is looking for somewhere in either Shropshire or Oxfordshire too)

I look forward  to reading more!

[/quote]

That sounds like the best and IMO ideal solution Ian. Good luck with the plan and let us know how it works out.

[just john]

Ian

We have had numerous holidays every year, a lot in France and elsewhere, but since we bought our place in the Charente we have come back to the same place more times than anywhere else. In our experience the key point as mentioned by others is 'style de vie alternatif'; holidays can be one off's but a holiday home becomes an alternative lifestyle, with people and places that are familiar and where you are recognised for being that other person, we've found a lot of people completely reinvent themselves at their holiday home and are usually nicer people for it; it really can be somewhere you can kick back and relax, unlike many holidays we've had. Within 2 or 3 hours you could be somewhere in the Charente, dare I say a nice change to have a cognac in Cognac instead of an armagnac, or oysters at La Rochelle on the coast, even opera at Bordeaux or a weekends classic car racing at Circuit de Remparts Angouleme, whatever floats your boat.
Lots of things to discover at weekends before going back to the city.

[8-|]  whatever your labors it's a beautiful world, be happy!

 

[Just Katie]

Ian,  A city appartment and a rural retreat, what a great way to spend your money.  When I was younger, I loved the rural retreat thing but these days, I am full into the city.  Will you be buying in one of the cities/towns of the Tarn?

[Normandie]

Ian

Don't think you'll regret 2 places, 2 lifestyles. 

We live by the Thames, so we can walk into our local town for shops/cinema/retaurants etc and can get on a train and be in Waterloo in 25 mins ... or ... get the ferry and 6 hours later be in France in the countryside living our other life (or will when it's habitable!): rural tranquility.  Lots of space, freedom, views, nature, animals, beaches, peche a la pied, fresh air, 5 hour 'lunches', interesting neighbours! are some of the main attractions, as well as fascinating first experiences of all sorts! especially if you frequent brocantes ...

We only go twice a year at the moment but will go 4/5 times when it's 'done' and will be able to let our friends make use of it too as it's too good not to share ...

All the best

 

[Frederick]

Last year spent about 4 months in total in the holiday home .and will be there in 4 weeks to open it up for this year . I agree its a second life  ......Being 8ks from the beaches but surrounded  by fields with  most of the tourists in the camp sites and urbanisations along the costal frontage where the bars and restaruants are is fine for us ...We join them some evenings when we want to see whats going on in town .or want a meal in our favorite hotel ... We like the beach  and know enough about the area to be able to chose one where we can  park without problems ....not always easy when the local resort takes about 40.000 tourists in the height of the season . Being close to the beaches our Grandchildren love the place and our youngest at 4 and 7 are learning French now . so when we shuffle off ...my  hope is our children and theirs will continue to use the place and enjoy it as much as we do .We get visitors ...but only friends and family who come to join us .we dont rent out rooms or the building ......when your wife has put her stamp on place and has  made it a "home " ..she does not want to hand it over to strangers....not mine anyway !  

[Frederick]

Oh yes distance .....258 Miles from ferry terminal ....stop off for lunch on the way ...I take roughly 5 hours

[tenniswitch]

[quote user="Cendrillon"][quote user="Cathy"]

As soon as you arrive, you feel as if you are holiday (unless the mice have chewed the furniture or there's been a water leak)...

 

[/quote]

It's not just a second home it's a second life and if you're lucky a whole set of local friends and social life to catch up with when you're staying there.[:)]

[/quote]

You're so right.  As soon as I arrive, I feel as if I'm at home, but in my alter ego. 

We're 4000+ miles away so it's a 1-day by air + 1-day by rail trip for us.  We come once in spring and once in fall, and last year I managed nearly 5 months total.

I love both my lives.

[Llantony]

We just haven't bothered to have a phone installed.  Just not worth it fpr a maximium of 3 weels at a time.  Mobile for occasional use and phone card for planned calls works fine.  

Will need a phone when move over later this year - does it take long to organise? 

[Ian]

Once again thank you everyone for your replies. I think we shall go for it!

...this assumes we don't blow the budget on the first place!  I like the sound of Mme Poivre's camper van too, always fancied renting one for a holiday!

My concern is that the second place is to be a "retreat" from the hustle and bustle of the city ... I don't want to spend my time at my retreat doing DIY, I just want to chill.  (I respect that for some people DIY is their way of relaxing - it is not mine). My vision for the retreat is an old/charming village house.

Am I being naive: will I find myself trouble shooting and driving back and for to Brico-Depot rather than relaxing? I know a new-build would solve most of the problems but lotissment living is not for me - I would rather rent an old place.

If I do rent the "retreat" what experience have rural-France tenants had with landlords?