Here are some of the questions that potential guests often ask ~ and the answers from us.

If you have any other questions then please 'click' on the link below and we will do our best to answer them.

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1. Why do you allow such flexible booking arrangements? Do you plan on continuing to allow flexible bookings? We are pleased to have periods vacant to give us a break during the season and allow for visiting family and friends. Flexible booking gives us this option. This also gives you the chance to book cheaper mid-week flight/ferry deals. We often only let one or two of the three gites at a time in order to leave one free in case our family or friends may wish to visit. We are also pleased to consider letting a larger gite at a discount if it is for less than the maximum occupancy and the smaller gites are already booked. Due to the amount of work involved in preparing a gite for occupation the minimum letting period is now for six nights. You may still book mid week to mid week or for a long week- ends but the minimum charge will be for the six nights. We found that letting for shorter periods was not viable.
2. When is the swimming pool usable and what size is it. The pool is only a few years old and in very good condition. It is usable from mid May through to mid September, depending on the weather. It is an above ground pool measuring 6m x 3.5m and is 1.5m deep. Great for children that can swim and for cooling off in summer. On the 30th June 2009 the temperature was 28 degrees C and by early August it was 30. The steps up to the pool are gated and secured with two locks that must be used at all times in order to comply with French pool regulations. It is fully filtered, pumped and treated in the same manner as an in ground pool.
3. Are there any discounts for early or long term bookings? No, unless you mean very long term - a month or longer. Although we will offer a discount if a group book more than one gite, particuarly out of high season.
4. How old are the gites? The gites have been converted from an old barn over the last twelve or so years. We have only been here for five years but have updated the soft furnishings and gite kitchen equipment, including a full size oven in gite Cagire.
5. Which interior photographs refer to which gite? Updates are now included, so there should be no confusion. Check the photographs under each gite on the navigation bar. As we are constantly updating furniture and fittings the photographs will change.
6. Do you give a reduction if we bring our own sheets and towels? If you bring your own sheets and towels then there is no charge for these. If we provide them there is a charge which is an 'at cost' charge as detailed on the Terms & Rates page from the Navigation bar. If you do not fully occupy the gite, say four in the Cagire rather than six, then we will reduce the laundry charge in proportion. Many gites do not supply linen and towels but we realise that with low cost airlines flying the majority of our guests here then there is a need to supply these. Please bring your own pool towels as the towels we provide are not for use on the sunbeds or around the pool.
7. Does the property get crowded when all the gites are let. Not at all. We will often use one of the smaller gites for our own family and friends. They of course will be using the main house garden area for the greater part of the day. Each gite has a private area and there are many private places within the garden. With most guests spending a day in and a day out, the property often looks underused!
8. Do you allow pets? No and sorry, no exceptions, as this would not be fair on other guests. We have no pets either. However most of the guests enjoy feeding the horses in the adajent field with yesterdays bread.
9. Do you allow smoking in the gites? We have had to restrict smoking to outside the gites after a rather bad experience! So, strictly No Smoking in the gites please. Patio and Garden OK.
10. Do you allow the guests to have visitors? No overnight visitors or camper vans staying the night unless by prior agreement. The occasional passer-by is welcome of course, but we must keep the facilities for those who are the paying guests. If we have vacancies then we are pleased to let one of the gites for short stays. We do not do bed and breakfast in the main house but have a number of contacts nearby who do provide this service.
11. Can additional beds be fitted in the larger gites. There is room in the lounge of gite three, the one bedroom gite, for a cot . A cot will fit in most of the bedrooms of all the gites as they are all double bedrooms. We do not normally use the lounge/kitchen areas for sleeping as there are no bed-settees in these areas and we have no wish to overcrowd the gites or the property in general. The total number of occupants is limited to the number each gite sleeps as detailed on the web page 'terms'.
12. Why the deposit of €100 per gite on arrival. We have never actually asked for this deposit but reserve the right to do so, based on experience. It is normal to take a deposit to cover breakages and damage. Some gites ask for up to a €400 deposit but as we are always on site we do not believe such an amount is necessary.
13. Do you have accommodation for large groups/families? Why not book more than one gite? Friends who holiday together having a gite each? Mum and Dad in one, teenage children another gite? Or take all the gites for a landmark party or event. Talk to us about rates if you wish to consider this. We very much welcome large groups, especially off season and will help you plan your 'special event.' Large 'Ski' party; Wedding Anniversary; 21st Birthday; Retirement; Just sounds like fun party! If you book two/three gites off season we will guarantee that there would be no other guests. The whole complex for your own use. If you wish to do this then please book early as we have regular guests who return each year and so not all dates are available.
14. Do you have internet. Yes, and we now have ADSL with secure wireless access so you can use your laptop in some parts of the garden. We will give you the wi-fi access code on arrival although we cannot totally guarantee that your laptop, notebook, smartphone, IPad or PDA will work with our system: A few problems to date with older notebooks/laptops. Anything important then we could let you have access from our own computer.
15. Do the gites have TV No - no plans to install TV in the gites. The gites have a cassette/cd/radio player and most guests are delighted to be without a TV whilst here. That said for any major event, England in the football World Cup final: We do have Sky and can be bribed for a few beers - but not for tennis or reality TV shows!!
16. What are the cooking facilities? Each gite has a kitchen area fitted with a four burner gas hob. In addition to the gas hob:-

Gite One has a standard size Ariston 'multi function' oven and a microwave. The oven was new for 2006.

Gite Two has two microwave ovens, one of which is multi function. There is also a Kenwood electric grill that can be used inside or out.

Gite Three has a multi function microwave.

Each gite also has coffee making machine.

The sink units are double units in gite one and two and single in gite three.

The fridge in gite one and two are tall units with freezer compartments, and there is an under work top fridge in gite three with a small freezer compartment.

There are a number of BBQ units for guests to use and we can usually provide any additional items you may require for the kitchen.

There is ample crockery and utensils provided in each gite and spares in the library.
17. Do you provide the logs for use in the wood burning stoves fitted in gite one and two? We provide them but make a small charge. As we buy in bulk for our own winter use the charge is minimal and much cheaper than you would pay if buying the small sack bundles in the local supermarket or garden centre. Five/six euros a day keeps the stove in during the coldest winter months. We have to charge for electricity at the normal metered rate in winter. This could add up to a further five/six euro a day if the weather is very cold. Total heating cost would rarely exceed €10 per day and would normally be much less than this.
18. Where on the internet do I look for your local weather? Toulouse, Tarbes or Lourdes are the nearest large towns you will get on the BBC internet weather service. If you go to the French meteo service you can get the Ganties and Aspet weather - there is a direct link from the welcome page and from the Full Site Index. Go to this site as our weather can be very different from the nearest large towns. We are at 1500 ft altitude and well above the river Garonne valley so we do not get the fogs in Autumn and Spring, nor the many days of windy weather in winter that, say, Toulouse gets. In summer though we may get hit by the occasional thunderstorm, but then that is so of the whole area. As I write this on the 12th January we are having a week of very sunny weather with a daytime temperature of 14c, and just below zero at night. The local cafes have the table and chairs outside and we can sit outside by the gites in the evening sun looking at the snow capped Pic du Midi.
19. Is there always someone in residence in the main house? Yes there is. If however we are planning to be out at the time of your arrival we will arrange for friends who live nearby to see you into your accommodation. Likewise, if we did happen to be away for a couple of days then they would be available to offer any assistance you may require. The main house and its garden are totally separate from the gites and their garden and although 'available' we try not to invade on your privacy.
20. What do you put in the gite as a 'welcome pack'. This will vary depending on the season and when you arrive. But we normally leave enough for you to have breakfast on the first morning, and a bottle of wine for the evening. You will also find a welcome letter and a map of how to get to the local shops you may need.
21. How is the hot water heated for the gites? Each gite has it's own electrically heated hot water tank which is sufficient for a number of showers. It heats up again very quickly.
22. Is there a shower by the pool? No. However in the corridor between gite Cagire and Gar there is a shower and wc, as well as a washing machine. These facilities are for the use of all the guests.
23. What is provided in the library? We have books in English, French and Dutch. Mostly paperbacks that we have read or left by previous guests. If you get half way thrrough a book then by all means take it away with you, we just ask that you leave anything you have read and do not wish to keep. Most of the books are holiday reads although there are a few there for the serious minded. Also a do-it-yourself manual if you wish to help us finish the main house?

There are many maps of different scales and a lot of tourist information brochures. If you go anywhere you think will be of interest to others then please pick up an extra leaflet or two for our library.

There is chess and drafts and numerous packs of cards as well as some 'board' games, including one in Dutch, when we can work it out!

There are games for the garden including lots of badminton rackets and nets as well as the usual type of holiday games. Some very powerful water pistols (Sorry, now well broken!)

We do have a couple of sets of 'boules' for playing 'petanque' on the gravel court in the garden, although almost everybody wants to buy their own set. We even have a couple of sets of rules, but as they are different ~ well! Each part of France seems to have it's own idea.
24. What sport facilities are available locally? There is tennis in Ganties on a good court behind the church. In Saint-Gaudens there is an excellent indoor swimming pool. Aspet has an outdoor pool.

There are many organisations locally that can arrange mountain biking, walking days, 4x4 quad bike trailing, river rafting and even hang gliding should you so wish.

The local tourist office in Aspet has a good deal of information and can put you in touch with the right people.