Gite
- Holiday let in the countryside
A gite is not an English word, but is synonymous with cheap holiday lets in the French countryside. The gite is usually managed from a short distance by the owners, and is perfectly equipped for a delightful holiday.
We have been running a gite since 1993. This was the date when we moved out, and went to live in the main farmhouse.
Gite - self catering
The decision to open a gite was an easy one, because we had already had plenty of guests even during those first two years. We knew this would be popular with holiday-makers, and we knew that there were plenty of activities and sites of interest in the near region.
We were encouraged to let the gite over the local tourist board, the Meuse department of tourism. This was a complicated process, where we had to endure much pain.
One of our problems is that we ourselves had been living in the gite for two years, and we had renovated it to our taste, let's call it "simple, modern". This means that the kitchen and bathroom were small, but highly functional. The furnishings were plain, but clean-looking, often finished with bright white paint. It turned out that the desired style of the tourist board was, let's call it, "rustic". They were looking for heavy, traditional furniture, and countryside colours in the living and working spaces, so browns. They also were keen on wallpapers with intricate patterns to make the rooms seem more interesting. Unfortunately, this style was a total horror for us. We came to a compromise to lose an épi, a star rating, in order to retain at least a little of our taste. That meant the gite was never exactly how we wanted it.
We let the gite for several years, and it worked well. It was reliably well booked, usually by families for a week or two. Most of the visitors were French, from the Parisian region, or the North.
Due to changes in our workplaces, we gave the gite less importance, before finally taking it off the tourist board register. They were due to make a visit anyway, and we couldn't face having to go through the same controls as we did the first time.
We then used the gite ourselves for a few years, alternately as extra bedorrms for guests, a games room , and an atelier. For our children it was one of their favourite adventure areas. We didn't miss the income much from the holiday-makers, because we realised that the gite was also a lot of work.
Then recently, once again after changes to our work schedules, but more particularly the departure of our children, we decided to reopen the gite, advertise it on the web, and never go over the tourist board again. The renovations meant completely reconfiguring the rooms, and fitting the most modern kitchen and shower room, making it also accessible for someone with reduced mobility.
Now the gite is available to rent. The current tariffs are on the tariffs page. There is only one condition - the gite is only available for a minimum of three days. Many travellers are now only coming for one or two nights, and they will be housed in our bed and breakfast accommodation. So our typical gite residents will be people who stay for at least a weekend in the area, or a week, maybe two. The principal is that is a self-catering building, but due to the bed and breakfast next door, the gite residents can also have full or half board.
Composition - acronyms correspond to positions on the floor plan
Cui3 : Kitchen/Dining area combined, 12m². Complete kitchen units. 4 induction cooking hobs + oven. Stand alone fridge. Extractor fan. Radiator - Central heating. Tiled floor. Main door. 5 spotlights + lamp. Double sink in steel. Cupboards + Shelving. Curtains.
WCI0 : Shower room, 6m². Shower, WC, Basin. Tiled floor. Radiator - Central heating. Shelving. Lamp. Extractor fan. Lamp.
Cou4 : Entrance hall/office 6.5m². Tiled floor. Radiator - Central heating. Lamp.
Cha10 – Bedroom/Living room 16m². Tiled floor. Built in Cupboard. Curtains. Radiator - Central heating. Lamp x4.
Cha11 – Bedroom/Living room 28m². Tiled floor. Built in Cupboard x2. Curtains. Radiator - Central heating. Terrace doors opening out onto a terrace of 30m². Lamp x3.
R1 – Garden Shed. 8m². Shelving + table. Lamp x2.
