We have never before reviewed a gite, and fully expect a defensive/hostile response from the…read moreowners; suffice to say we have been renting holiday properties in France for twenty years and have never had any negative comments from owners before. On the contrary we have often been complemented on the way we respect properties, and that we do more cleaning than expected.
On to the review then: one of the big selling points with this place is the views over the mountains and indeed they are amazing. If that were enough to make a great holiday this place would be top class. Unfortunately there are drawbacks.
We did have a few misgivings during the booking process and the lead-up to our holiday. There were no reviews available and the owner was not a good communicator. Only the listing on Gites de France convinced us the place was legit. Our first glitch was on day one. After a long drive we realised that the booking package didn't include directions to the gite (e.g. "Left at the tabac, right at the green gate etc.") Driving up towards the village we guessed at the road to Haut Sauto rather than Bas Sauto due to the mountain view from the gite. Big mistake! The gite is in Bas Sauto, and we almost got stuck as the roads are so narrow and steep. I have been driving in rural and mountainous France for years, but nothing like this. We did find the gite, and parked (a bit tight!). On arrival, we were treated by the owner to a quick look around, then a 45 minute lecture on the gite, mostly centred on energy conservation, when to use the washing machine and how to clean the place, including inside the logburner! We were also asked to sign a promise not to download anything naughty on the Internet - another first. We had opted for linen hire, but found that this comprised of the bed linen being unceremoniously placed on the beds. Even the cheapest hostel greets you with the beds made - not here.
When we had a good look round, we realised that the layout was hard work. There are 3 flights of stairs, all very steep, and somewhat polished. For 8 people, there is only one real grown up double room. The top room has no headroom, the mezzanine is entered by a hobbit hole door and the last 2 beds are built in bunks on the landing. The bathrooms are equally scattered. The best one is downstairs, off the kitchen. On the second floor is a bathroom and a toilet room so small it was impossible to sit down with the door closed! The main heat source is the wood burner which was very slow in heating the place up. In really cold weather it would have been a nightmare. The stove is supplemented by individual, inefficient electric heaters. The lighting is dim which wasn't good with some of the tiny windows. As we got used to the gite during the week, we noticed quite a bit of dust, cobwebs in the main bedroom and ants on the mezzanine. Nothing major but certainly not spotless. Also the DVD player didn't work! The owner does not live in the village, she did appear in the garden on the Wednesday but didn't say hello.
About the area: it is remote, and there are no facilities in the village, the nearest Boulangerie being 15 minutes drive away. There are not many local restaurants and it's an hours drive to a big supermarket at Prades if you want one.
Our biggest problems were on the last day. Having cleaned up and packed the car, the owner showed up and carried out an inspection, armed with a clipboard. We waited outside, feeling like we were on trial, waiting the verdict. Eventually we were told in no uncertain terms that our cleaning wasn't good enough, and 2 hours work was necessary, chargeable at 30€. Also, silly us thought that the electric meter which clearly displayed "13 Euro" meant exactly that - instead it apparently meant "30 Euros" i.e. 5€ over the allowance. That was with minimal use of the heating and in warm weather. We were told this is generous for the region. Good luck in the winter!
Overall conclusions: Great landscapes and views, remote and interesting. Average accommodation but not well laid out and too small for eight adults. Most importantly of all, rather than the usual friendly, supportive, warm, enthusiastic, customer focused owner, we got the exact opposite. Excuse me, we are the paying customers here, we don't expect to be treated as children and told off. We also don't expect to have to "deep clean" the property when it isn't clean in the first place. Maybe the biggest lesson learnt though, is never to book somewhere that doesn't have any reviews!
