What is "normal"?

[5-element]

I have tried but can't find the answer to my question. I am not a gite-owner, only a potential client with no experience of gites whatsoever.

Husband and I are planning to visit my elderly mother elsewhere in France and need to find accommodation for 5 days. We thought we would try a gite rather than a hotel  as we need self-catering because of dietary restrictions.

After exchange of correspondence with the one agency who looks after gites in the area, we got a booking form, asking for the full price of the gite rental by return (one month before we are due there). There are also some grey areas which we should clarify - but my question is: is it normal for the potential client to pay THE FULL AMOUNT to ensure booking? I always thought it was only part of the amount, am I wrong? 

[Jay]

It is normal for the Gite owner to ask for a deposit then the balance several weeks before the date of arrival. In our case we ask for the full amount at least 8 weeks before the arrival date.

[5-element]

Thank you Jay. So, normal it is. I had no idea.

[betoulle]

If I read your posting correctly you are wanting the gite for a months time, in which case yes it is normal especially if using an agency to pay in full.  Most people ask for a deposit with the balance payable between 1 & 2 months prior to your stay.  If booking 'last minute' ie within that time frame, then would expect to pay in full at time of booking.

[Cendrillon]

As the others have said this is standard pactice.

I would add though that you should ask as many questions about the property as you wish before paying and confirming the booking.

Make sure you have "holiday" insurance so that if for some reason (i.e. illness) you have to cancel then you would stand a chance of getting some of the payment back.

[5-element]

That is all very useful. I do understand how gite owners need protection from time wasters and no-shows, and careless destructive clients. I was just unsure about "guarantees" from the client's point of view, especially as in this case, the gite description is rather vague about what is included in the cost and what is not, and there seems to be several added-on items, with plenty of leeway for the proprietor to make arbitrary decisions about various extra charges.

Holiday insurance is a must, as we have had to cancel trips at the last minute in the past because of DH's bouts of illness necessitating urgent hospitalisation, and each time we lost all we had spent on fares and bookings.

We might end up in a hotel, as it seems far simpler, even though slightly more costly.

Thank you all, now I do know.

[Dave&Olive]

hi ok

              Supprised you are going through an agent , there must be spare capacity on this forum , ask here  if you wanted Parthenay /Bressuire we would let you have ours for a fraction of the normal cost ... if it helps

                                     Dave

[Gardengirl]

Interesting subject. We've only ever rented through an agency once; it was very last-minute - the day before we wanted to arrive. It was very low season, and the agency said we couldn't stay. I insisted that they ring the owner, who was delighted to have the booking; we paid on arrival. At other times we've stayed in private gites and haven't been asked for anything other than a deposit before arrival.

[5-element]

Dave&Olive - thanks but we are very location-specific. The gite in question is about 12k away from my mother's town, and we would like to be as close as possible to where she lives. It is a pity, as I really believe in word of mouth - or in booking via other forum members. We are perfect strangers to the gite owners who are perfect strangers to us, and the agency in between is also in that category, not my favourite way of doing things.

As for going through an agency, all the gites I saw on internet were via that agency,  there didn't seem to be any private gites advertised, the agency had 3 or 4 on offer meeting our criteria.

Whereas with the hotel, apparently the proprietor  went to school with my brother,[:D].  Somehow this seems to be a sufficient reference for her, so that booking is much more straightforward, no complicated negotiations, with a base of trust on both sides.

[betoulle]

Try Trip Advisor for properties in a specific location - for the most part reviews are genuine.  Otherwise try searching on one of the hundreds 'book via owner' websites - owners direct, holiday rentals, chez nous etc are the obvious choices.  Most gite owners have a visitors book on their website these days.  If worried then phone the owner direct - we are always happy to chat to prospective guests about their needs & you can tell a lot about the owner (&for us the client) by a friendly chat.

[Loiseau]

5-E, does the gite you are considering have a rating with Gites de France (ears of wheat), or Clevacances (keys)? These are some indication of quality control at least.

Two ears/keys can be a bit spartan in my view; three ears/keys is better.

Even so, I am always amazed by lack of attention to things like the shower head. I have rented GdF gites two or three times, and each time it has been impossible to attach the showerhead to the wall, resulting in a necessity to grip it between your knees while applying soap, shampoo etc to the person. When I used to rent out a summer gite, I checked everything like that most thoroughly, replacing the flexible shower tube if necessary too (amazing how often guests can damage those!).

Angela

[idun]

I am sat here smiling. I hate shower heads on the wall and if I cannot get it detached I am loathe to use the shower, I really hate that water 'hitting' me where it wants, I like to control it.

And soaping myself down, well, I put my shampoo on my head and my shower stuff all over me before I get in. Works for me.

[5-element]

Angela, I don't mind spartan, as it's only for 4 nights. I am so new to this game that I didn't check for any ratings or anything. Next time, I will be much wiser.

Betoulle, thank you for pointing me in the direction of those sites, as initially, I had just googled "*****gites", and never tried further than that. Checking the sites you suggested opens a whole new world!

As it is, the area I am going to is not a holiday destination, so it has very few gites.

[woolybanana]

I am normal, you are ormal, he is eccentric, she is nuts.[6]

[Owens88]

Despite the fact that I rent out an apartment/gite (separate thread of discussion!) I often wonder whether some people would be better in a hotel or B and B.

Let us face it. Even the minimalist of self catering also involves shopping and on a short break might not be worth the effort.

In fact I did recommend that to some would-be renters recently !

I prefer people to end up happy.

John

[5-element]

Woolyb - you've still got the conjugating bug!

It is very laudable John, that you prefer people to end up happy, and it is true that for many, the notion of a holiday means putting their feet under the table and not being involved in domesticity. And you are right about the extra effort involved in any self-catering, but it can make life easier too - when someone is on a very tricky diet, for instance. Also, I really like to be able to have breakfast at 6am if I want, have a very light dinner of soup or salad and yogourt early in the evening,  make a late-night drink, etc... there is definite freedom in self-catering too.

[Cendrillon]

5-e and John, you both make valid points. I agree with 5-element you have the freedom with self catering to eat and make drinks as and when it suits you.

John, I also agree with you and personally I would almost consider it not worth while to stock up the self catering rental for just a few days.

Pros and Cons for both situations.

[Nimportequoi]

[quote user="Cendrillon"] personally I would almost consider it not worth while to stock up the self catering rental for just a few days.

[/quote]

That's why many gîte owners supply basics, so people don't have to buy condiments, herbs and spices, oil, sugar, etc.

I take a 25% deposit and payment on arrival for French guests as many prefer this. For other nationalities I take full payment 4 - 8 weeks before the arrival date, payment by credit card.

And G de F and Clévacances may well ensure that you will have the correct number of m² in a bedroom and a pressure cooker in the kitchen, but they do nothing for measuring the subjective charm of properties. Their websites are also awful so you have virtually no photos to consult (and those are the most important for me).

I'd check the big listing sites like Owners Direct, Holidaylettings etc. where you have comprehensive lists of facilities which you can check, and lots of photos.

[Cendrillon]

N'importequoi said "That's why many gîte owners supply basics, so people don't have to buy condiments, herbs and spices, oil, sugar, etc."

We do not have a gîte as such but we do rent out our house when we don't need it for ourselves and of course we too are generous and leave plenty of the above in stock for the guests.

I still find though that for a short visit (i.e. less than a week) it is almost not worth shopping for things and doing self catering.

BTW Owners Direct rules O.K.[;-)]

I think 5-e has found the perfect solution this time for her stay and has found a hotel where the owner knows her brother.

[Nimportequoi]

I still get a lot of weekend bookings for my gîtes (from the French market) so it can be an attractive option for families as it works out cheaper than a hotel for a family (average 17,50€ per person per night as opposed to around 25€+ in a hotel). But for one person or a couple, a hotel is probably a better and cheaper option, I agree. And yes, 5-e has a good solution, personal recommendation counts for a lot.

[Cendrillon]

N'importequoi

  

Agreed[:)]

[cooperlola]

The great thing about self catering, for us (and there are just two of us), is privacy.   We only ever eat breakfast at the places we rent (and we can do that at midday if we want to) and then go out, to different places every day, to eat so shopping is hardly onerous.  No worrying about boring fellow guests who want to eat with you every night, or noisy brats who wail all night (both things we've encountered in hotels). 

[5-element]

Interestingly, the hotel is not a cheaper option for us. Although not a tourist location (Haute-Saône), the cheapest hotel for the two of us is 63 euros per night, and the gite for 4 nights would have been cheaper (charged at pro-rata of the week). What I didn't like about the hotel was the prospect of having to eat out all the time, and not being able to blob out while having dinner, as well as having to be presentable for breakfast.

But it is good to read about considerate gite owners leaving a range of basic products for their guests. On the few occasions where I have stayed in a gite in the past, there was never anything, not even salt! I remember getting the impression that the owners (or cleaners) took and kept for themselves anything that was left behind. I've obviously been unlucky, or stayed at very downmarket places.[:P]

I so agree with Coops about the privacy thing too. And now I am going to worry about wailing brats (or over-enthusiastic, over-effusive weekend couples, as happened before in hotels[:D])

[Cendrillon]

But it is good to read about considerate gite owners leaving a range of

basic products for their guests. On the few occasions where I have

stayed in a gite in the past, there was never anything, not even salt! I

remember getting the impression that the owners (or cleaners) took and

kept for themselves anything that was left behind. I've obviously been

unlucky, or stayed at very downmarket places

5-e

I don't think it is a case of downmarket places, some owners are stingy, leave very little but still get away with charging a lot! Some owners are definitely more generous and are thinking about their customers and wanting them to enjoy their holiday.[:)]

[woolybanana]

Mrs Elephant, what mean 'blob out', silver plate?