French Gîtes
The French countryside is particularly easy to enjoy when bathing in the hospitality of a rural farmhouse. What is your experience staying at gîtes in rural France? What is your favorite and why? Please include the REGION in the subject line.
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Gite in Normandy, near St. Lo
We stayed in a gite near St. Lo (St. Georges Montcoq) for two weeks last August. The two story apartment was at one end of a 250 year old restored longhouse on a working farm. Sam and Alun were wonderful hosts and did everything to make our stay enjoyable. It was a perfect central base for exploring the countryside and history of Normandy.
Robin
Oxnard, CA USA 03/03/2013
Loire Valley Cottage to rent nr Saumur
We stayed this year (2012) at a very comfortble 'Gite' in the Loire Valley called La Bagatelle. The owners are very friendly and helpful. The property has its own private pool and the modern house is at the edge of a very French village with all services. Ideal for visiting all the sights of the Western Loire Valley and near Saumur - a Great Find! www.launay-loire.com
Lesley Ashton
NY, USA 11/03/2012
Friendly and Comfortable B&B in Bourges
Bourges is a small French city with a historic core between Burgundy and the Loire valley with a couple of heavyweight medieval sites, the cathedral and Palais Jacques Coeur, and in driving range of the chateau at Valencay and Guedelon. Our family of four including a 16 and 12-year old spent two comfortable nights at a Bourges B&B, Petit Points et Chocolat. The B&B is a modern home with excellent beds and bathrooms, but is only a block from the historic pedestrian core and a 15-minute walk from the train station. It is the home of the Boscs, a friendly and energetic couple who speak some English and who were very helpful by email before our trip. Francoise Bosc's breakfast is spectacular, with homemade cakes, fruit, bread, coffee and tea, and even cereal for those who want it. Their website is easy to find and has a map with walking directions from the station.
David and Michelle Morgenstern
St. Louis, MO USA 08/06/2012
Great Indre-sur-Loire Gite
We've just returned from a week at a fantastic gite just south of Tours called Abbaye de Bois-Aubry. The two gites are recently converted outbuildings from an abbey originally built in the 11th century. The abbey is still there and the proprietors, Marc-Olivier and Christine are working hard to restore it. You get to wander the beautiful grounds around and go up in the tower for a fabulous view of the countryside. The gite we stayed in has a great combination of rustic and modern/Ikea--lovely pool too that the kids enjoyed and great access to Chinon, Azay-Le-Rideau and other chateaux. Five minute drive to little Noyant for a great boulangerie/patisserie. Marc will give you a great history-soaked tour as well. We loved it!
David Hoppe
Seattle, WA USA 07/18/2012
Our stay
We took your advice about Hotel Rigourdaine in Brittany, France, and found it just as you described-- a wonderful place. We visited in May,2012, and want to go back. The location is very central for eastern Brittany.
Russell LaBeau
Petoskey, MI USA 05/29/2012
Bayeux Gite/Manoir Sainte Victoire
We spent 4 wonderful nights at the Manoir Sainte Victoire in Bayeux. Three rooms there built in to a 17th century, 3 story loft. Very good size and BEAUTIFULLY furnished/decorated by Jean Pierre, the proprietor [along with working wife and jeaune fille]. Refrigerator and micro wave, great kitchen utensiles, very fine linens and etoile drapes, all color coordinated to match Miro, the artist for whom the chambre was named. Great location only 150 meters from the Cathedral and 200 meters from a wonderful set of dining/shopping streets. Finally, the price! For the 2 of us, it was just 80 Euros a night, with French breakfast included. [89 @ night if you stay 2 nights or less.]
OK, so there was one drawback. While there was internet service available by cable, there was no wifi. With an Ipad or new HP laptop [both of which I had] you can not get on the internet. A good local restaurant/bar [La Reinne Mathilde] saved the day with free wifi, good wines and great deserts.
Au voire [and over here, they refer to Rick's guidebook as the Americans' "travel bible", C'est ca!]
Karen and Martin Steckel
Atlanta, GA USA 05/26/2012
Gites de France
For about 20 years now my wife and I have rented gites throughout France using the government-connected Gites de France, and I don't think we've ever been disappointed. One word of caution, though, is that while it is now easy to arrange a rental on-line without speaking any French, making the final arrangement to pick up the keys (and sometimes to find the place) would often be a problem if you don't speak French well.
Bob
Portland, ME USA 05/05/2012
gites in Burgundy
I want to recommend most heartily a gite we just visited for a week in La Charite sur Loire in Burgundy. We stayed in the lovely Bardin Suite, in a building which was part of the town's original walls, built, as our host said, 14 years before Columbus set off on his voyage. Our suite, like the one above which we also saw, was very warm and welcoming, very evocative of the past, with ancient stone walls and beamed ceiling, but made into a very convenient and comfortable modern apartnet. It contained one quite generous room, with furniture grouped into a bedroom and sitting area, with bookshelves full of recreational reading and travel advice and brochures. Off this open a modern bathroom on one side, and a well equiped kitchen complete with washer up two steps, all within our suite. The tone is golden, from the glowing stone walls, I suppose, and it is such a cozy nest to return to each day! Hosts Kelly and Byron are wonderfully helpful and responsive to guests' needs! The areas, Burgundy on one side of the river, Berry on the other, abounds in castles, old walled towns and ancient churches, with the lovely cathedral at Bourges an easy ride. We particularly enjoyed seeing the castles along the Rue Jacques Coeur, though they are not open for visitors to enter in winter.
website:
www.la-charite-sur-loire.com
Laurel
BALTIMORE, MD USA 01/27/2012