Lack of washing machine put you off?

[Jackieuk]

Hi all
Looking for some advice. Have bought holiday home in Manche which we intend to let out as a gite from 2005 onwards.

Do you think the lack of a washing machine (launderette in town 6 kms away)would put off potential renters? House is 4 bedroomed & can therefore sleep up to 8 people.

Have been on plenty of holidays myself with no washing machine & personally this doesn't worry me, but I recognise that families with children may be renting & I'm not sure how they would feel?

Kitchen is fairly small with no room to plumb one in.

Thoughts anyone?
Regards
Jackie

[Miki]

In all honesty, yes.

You would most certainly lose out on some people who may have liked to stay with you. For many families with kids, they really do need and look for places with a washing machine.

Miki

[Iceni]

This would not worry me because I have a phobia as reagrds white goods but it would be a no-no for Di

BTW is there space in the bathroom ? (for the w/m I mean)

John
http://www.iceni-it.co.uk

[Val_2]

Yes it would put me off as we make such a lot of washing in one week we would run out of clothes. If you have guests visiting the beach too, they will want to run their towels through to get rid of the salt and doing large towels ina kitchen sink is not easy. Going to the launderette on a holiday - no way. You can get very cheap machines but at the end of the day,cheap may mean very short lifespan,i.e. one season only.

[Musicmonkey<ADDRESS><STRONG>Musicmonkey<STRONG><ADDRESS>]

It would be an essential for my family (even if we didn't have the sea nearby). What about if someone wanted the property for two weeks? Well, the lack of a machine could well put them off.

I always have two, three or more machine loads when we get back, even though we have a washing machine at our holiday home. There's always the clothes you left in the UK linen basket as you put on fresh travelling clothes. Then there's the last couple of days holiday clothes that you couldn't wash as they might not dry in time before the return journey home. Plus the extras like towels, bed linen, etc.

No,.....no machine would be a definite no, no!

[Ronni<H3 align=left><IMG style="WIDTH: 29px; HEIGHT: 2px" height=15 src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif" width=301><BR><EM>Ronni<BR><EM><A class=authorlink href="http:" target=_blank><A><BR><H3>]

Hi, Jackie
We had the same problem but we had space under the stairs and had one plumbed in.
Regards
Ronni

[Penny29]

Jackie,

Have you any small outbuildings?

Just a thought as I used to stay in a holiday cottage (small) in Cornwall and (at one time) there was no washing m/c in the accommodation but the owner had put a machine (and freezer) in a small sort-of-shed thing near her own house and tenants were allowed to go and use those facilities whenever they wanted to. There was an hoesty box and you just dropped a pound coin in whenever you used it to cover the leccy.

Lack of a washing machine would put me off but I wouldn't be too bothered if it wasn't actually in the cottage/gite itself.

Penny

[letrangere]

Jackie, as a regular renter let me assure you that it wouldn't put us off. We're both technophobic so are usually too scared to try to use a machine we don't know. Also, who wants to spend their holiday doing washing and ironing, especially if it's only a one week let?

ALSO, and I admit this is a very personal view point, if pushed, we'd prefer to visit the launderette for the cultural experience. They're totally different in France to their British equivalent and are invariably full of interesting people to talk to. In Figeac (46), we had a long conversation with a young man who was reading Cant whilst watching his smalls go round and round in the dryer. Then I went and put the wrong coins in the change machine which jammed it, so I gave it a bang, which set off an alarm and five minutes later the police arrived assuming I was trying to break in to it. With all due respect, such excitement wouldn't have occurred in your kitchen, would it?!

M