Family Holiday to France - Gites question

muckety

We would like to take the family to France for a couple of weeks, and are trying to keep the budget as tight as possible. I understand Gite accomodation is a good way of doing this! Any one got any advice, or - better - recommendations of good Gite accomodation? Looking at Brittany, maybe Normandy, early to mid June.

Or other suggestions welcomed - we don't want to do the campsite thing and don't mind being a bit isolated but would like to be near the sea.

leincar

Early to mid June you may find accommodation in Normandy a touch hard to find. Of course with the recession they may welcome you with open arms. You could try Portbail or Barneville-Carteret. There onthe opposite coast to the D-Day beaches and its tends to be a little cheaper there. A little further south of Portbail is Pirou or Blainville-sur-Mer which is handy for Mont-Saint-Michel.

Baybay

We do this type of holiday every year now and enjoy the freedom a gite offers.

Many are very well equipped, as your research will indicate, and you will need to bring very little with you other than a favourite pillow or something!!
But some have extra charges for things like towels, bed linen, water (which is metered in France), baby equipment etc and occasionally for electricity if usage is beyond a certain level. These charges can eat into your budget so do check the details carefully.

Consider also going a little further south. While Brittany and Normandy are gorgeous and historically fascinating, the weather there, even in June can be a lot more like home than you'd expect.
One year, while camping, the rain was so relentless that we piled into the car and drove until it stopped raining - near Bordeaux!!

muckety

Thanks Baybay - how have you researched gites in the past? The official French Gites websites gives basic info, is there anywhere to get reviews?

How much further south do you suggest - we have been down the coast of Vendee in the past, and certainly got better weather, but don't want to drive too far and don't want to be in too touristy a spot. (I'd love the loire valley but kids want the seaside!).

Baybay

We tend to go further south than it sounds you would like to and the company we use only have properties in that area ie the Herault in Languedoc Roussillon.

Initially I googled for the area I thought I'd like followed by holiday rentals etc.

Most sites will tell you what's included in the rate or at least highlight what's not.

Maybe a gite with a pool could help the children get used to the Loire...!

jrar

muckety wrote: »

We would like to take the family to France for a couple of weeks, and are trying to keep the budget as tight as possible. I understand Gite accomodation is a good way of doing this! Any one got any advice, or - better - recommendations of good Gite accomodation? Looking at Brittany, maybe Normandy, early to mid June.

Or other suggestions welcomed - we don't want to do the campsite thing and don't mind being a bit isolated but would like to be near the sea.

Muckety, we do this every year in diff. parts of France - there are a huge number of holiday accommodation owner sites to browse and they generally tend to show all of the details involving the property itself, location, what's included, etc. etc.

Google "Normandy gites" etc, and you'll get lots of results. I would contend that the official Gites De France is not the best and some of the commercial ones are much better, though holiday properties ARE easier to fin the furst south you plan to go.

Best of luck with your searching - and given the current economic climate, don't be afriad to "haggle" on advertised rates especially if you're going anytime outside peak season, or if you find somewhere that quite clearly has little or no bookings as yet (which you can see on most holiday property websites as they provide a facility to check on availability for your intended dates etc.)

shrapnel222

try www.gites-de-france.com