3 bedroom gite with pool Vendee

Gites Vendee



3 Bedroom Gite with Pool in the Vendee

Split Level Gite, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Central Heating.

Kitchen.
large fridge/freezer.
Four burner cooker with oven.
Microwave.
Plenty of work surfaces and cupboard space.
Ample pots, Pans and utensils for self-catering

Lounge/Diner.

Solid Pine Table and Chairs.
Settee and air Chairs.
Bedroom 1.

on split level with entrance to front patio
Double Bed
Bedside table
Wardrobe.
Bedroom 2 & 3.

On first Floor.
2 single Beds.
Bedside tables.
Wardrobe.
Chest of Draws.
Good views over the gardens and countryside.

Bathroom 1.

on split level opposite Bedroom 1.
Large walkin shower.
washbasin.
Toilet
Washing Machine.

Bathroom 2.

On First Floor.
Toilet.
Washbasin.
Walkin Shower.
Patio.
Small patio by the car park and split level entrance.
Garden Table and Chairs.
Large Private Patio with Garden table and Chairs, BBQ
Parosol and entrance to Kitchen/diner.
Good views over the landscaped gardens.
Facilities.
Out door pool fenced for security.
Indoor heated Pool
Games & Sports Hall with: TV lounge
Snooker table (full size)
2 American Pool tables
3 Table tennis tables
Multigym
Skittle alley (full Size)
Out Doors: Boules Court.
Garden Chess set,
Trampoline.
Turbo slide,
Garden Swings.

For Prices and more details visit www.gites-with-pools.co.uk/Frene.htm

Gite advertising

As the main season for enquiries quickly approaches there are some very nervous mutterings throughout the holiday industry. For the last few months the rate of inquiries has all but dried up, virtually every major site on the net has reported at least a 50% drop in the volume of enquiries and of those who are looking most are just window shopping. Everyone is feeling the pinch as a result of the credit crunch, the doom and gloom portrayed every day on the TV and other media doesn’t help and all in all it leaves one feeling that this will be the worst season ever.
There are of course exceptions, in general the larger the property, the more exclusive, the more facilities on offer, and to a point the more expensive, the better the property seems to be booking. A detached five bedroom gite with a private heated pool and all the luxuries seems to have a greater occupancy rate already. This is probably due to two main factors, firstly they are rarer and therefore visitors who regularly use this size of accommodation know that if they leave it too late to book they will end up with little or no choice. Secondly, although difficult to explain, it seems the higher the price of the property the easier it is to let, it seems that many of the public think that the more they pay the better their experience will be. It is also true to say that 10 people sharing a luxury gite at £2500 per week is better value that 2 people in a £500 per week basic gite, especially when you take the cost of ferries and fuel into consideration.
So where does one go from here? Well one could just say “don’t panic it will all sort it self out in the end”, one could double the advertising budget in an attempt to catch those few visitors that are looking, one could cut back on expenditure making economies to maximize what profit there may be, or one could think positively and upgrade the gite with a pool, a dishwasher, some new furniture or whatever else you think might encourage people to book with you. One could reduce the price or make special offers, why not try a "BOGOFF" buy one get one free, for example, book two weeks in high season and get two weeks free at another time of the year. The problem is there are no certainties only great debating topics. What are you going to do? I hear you say, well I’ll probably try a mixture of all of them, I've never been one for putting all my eggs in one basket.
Of Course I will continue to try and get better rankings for the website. The principal question is what keyword is the most important for me to rank for. The answer? Well that will be the subject of another blog, so if you’re interested in finding out, keep checking in.

vendee globe update

20th November 08.

With the majority of the competitors now in the Doldrums just north of the Equator the daily miles totals have dropped dramatically. There is now laess than fifty miles seperating the first 5 boats after 10days of racing.
Leading still is Loick Peyron in Gitana, 2nd is Sab Josse in BT and third is Armel le Cleac'h in Brit Air.



Of the British contenders Mike Golding in Ecover has moved up to 6th, Samantha Fox in Roxy is 11th, Brian Thompson in Bahrain Team Pindar is 12th, Dee Caffari in Aviva is 15th and steve White in Toe in the Water is 16th.

The Doldrums are so unpredictable that the change of position can often be a question of luck, being in the right place when the winds pick up, rather than on skill and tactics.

I'll keep you updated.

vendee globe latest

The Vendee Globe Latest.

Leading on 17/11/08 is Jean Lecom in VM Matereriaux
Second Loick Peyron in Gitana Eighty
Third Seb Josse in BT

of the British entries Mike Golding in 7th
Brian Thomson in 11th
Samantha Davies in 12th
Dee Caffari in 16th
Steve White in 17th
It should be noted that mike golding has covered a lot more ground than the rest and I sucpect that it because hes taken more westerly to better the advantage when they reach the daldrums.

Gite update

With the autumn now well into its stride and my short break down to the family apartment in Spain quickly becoming a faded memory its time to restart the winter work. When the weather is good then outside work in the garden is a major priority, it's the time to remove the last of the summer bedding plants, to collect up those fallen leaves even though they have not all fallen yet as they stain the light coloured patio slabs and generally make the garden look untidy. It is surprising how one can get depressed when the skies are grey and the paving is dull and one starts to wish that spring would hurry up and come, yet just the brightening up of patios and the tidying of garden in general can lift the spirit.
There is of course other work needed to be done, the general maintenance of the buildings, treating all the outside timbers, filling those bits of jointing in the stone walling that have worked loose, those bits of damage the guests have caused in the garden and around the buildings, on a vast site like ours there is always something needed to be done.
When the weather takes a turn for the worst or when a change of work is required to ease those aching bones then inside there is endless work awaiting. The Tournesol gite is nearing completion of its make over, the new laminate floors are down in the bedrooms, it just needs the skirting boards to be put in place and we will be there. Then it’s on to the Frene Gite with a new tilled kitchen and upstairs bathroom.
Over in the games hall the new toilet block is all but finished and a start on the new storage rooms is under way. We try to keep at least one spare of everything from complete toilets to curtain poles for during those hectic summer months you know someone will have an accident, something will break and as Murphy is alive and well in the Vendee you know it will happen at an inconvenient moment, the week end, bank holiday or what ever when getting a replacement is impossible, so having a spare is not only convenient but saves money and frustration and usually leaves the guest well impressed at your efficiency. The main problem in the past is having all those spares where I can find them. We have precious little storage space except for the large barn, but that needed compartmenting so that it can be easily found and out of the way from the guests, so new rooms have been formed for specialist things like, furniture with racks for new mattress's, chairs, bedside tables etc., another for everything for the kitchen, one for sanitary and plumbing and one for electrical.
The draw back to all this new organisation is that now many of my competitors with gites will now know that i have that convenience store that they can tap into in their hour of need and as I never refuse I may just have to add a few extra items to the store.
The other major job for the winter ahead is to review the websites, perhaps take a course in how to get better exposure for them and plan the campaign for new pages of information for the visitors to the site; this is of course hampered by not knowing exactly what information they would like. This years offerings on Restaurants especially around Fontenay le Comte was well received as was the pages on the beaches of the Vendee, which though finished in general is still being added to by the addition of image galleries as and when I get round to resizing and reviewing the hundreds of photos I took of all the beaches in the Vendee during the summer and Autumn.
Well the sun looks like I may come out so I best off out and start the work instead of writing about it.

The Vendee Globe

If you are visiting the Vendee or staying in a Gite, cottage or hotel in the weeks leading up to the 9th of November then take time out to visit les Sables d'Olonne and the Vendee Globe Village.
For many people around the world the word Vendee is associated with single handed ocean racing and not with that facinating part of western France that we all love.
The Vendee globe race takes place every 4 year and starts from Les Sables d'Olonne, the largest port in the Vendee. It is a race for 60ft grand prix racing yatchs by single handered sailors from around the world, with out stopping and without assistance. It is the worlds most prestigious race of its kind and the Vendee Department are truly proud of it. The pubilicity surrounding it is truly amazing with every effort being put into not only the race but to put the Vendee on the map.



This event showcases the Vendée to the world, and the Vendéens take it very seriously. Their publicity machine is working overtime with huge buildings in Paris being lit with the Vendée Globe emblem, and television crews from around the world being invited to cover the occasion. Every school in the Vendée is issued with publicity packs for each child, including brochures, plans, DVD’s and a lot more. Even the auto route toll charges have been suspended for the 3 weeks leading up to the start of the race, and the parking charges have also been cancelled everywhere in Les Sable d'Olonne for the same period.

The Vendée Globe village is contained within the Port de Plaisance and is open for 3 weeks before the start of the race. The Village is packed full of free information, with posters, stickers and brochures that anywhere else in the world would be for sale, here being given away without charge. There is a state of the art interactive sailing simulator to test your virtual sailing skills and videos everywhere. Of course all of the boats with their skippers are there for you to take a close look at, and believe it or not everything is FREE.
During the race the village closes down, reopening again just before the race leaders arrive home.

It’s a show not to miss.

Why the Vendee

Why holiday in the Vendee? you may ask, well my friend Tate has put pen to paper to answer the question and the following is what he has to say.

BECOMING A VENDEEFILE

If you are looking for a holiday in France why would you want to visit the Vendée? After all as a nurse who had just returned from a holiday there said to me “it’s just a strip of coastline with a boring flat plain behind it, isn’t it”? Well actually no it isn’t. The Vendée is without doubt one of the jewels in the French holiday crown. Who says so? Well actually the French, but they say it quietly because in typical Gallic style they like to keep the best for themselves.

For years the French have visited the Vendée for their holidays, enjoying the exceptional micro-climate, the miles and miles of exquisite sandy beaches and the sleepy rural communities. In fact the French liked it so much they chose to build their holiday homes, not in Provence, or on the Côte D’Azur but on the Vendéen coast. Now the secret is out and the Vendée is fast becoming a popular destination for holidaymaker and émigré alike, and if you look at the Vendée in more detail you will find a region of France that is beautiful, friendly, varied and steeped in history. So it doesn’t matter whether you enjoy the sun, water sports, sightseeing or just hanging out with the locals, the Vendée has it all.

Just to place the Vendée in history it was the only French province to resist the French Revolution, and as a consequence a bloody war was fought between Les Bleu’s the French revolutionary forces and Les Blanc’s the Vendéen army which supported the royalists and the clergy. The war raged for 12 years culminating in the defeat of the Vendéen army and the death of some 500,000 Vendéens. A spectacular depiction of the Vendéen War is re-enacted on weekend evenings throughout the summer at The Puy Du Fou. With a cast of thousands drawn from the surrounding communities, and that’s no exaggeration, this sound, light and laser show culminating in the raising of the Chateau is without doubt a totally unique and unexpected experience.

So having placed the Vendée in history let’s place it geographically. The Vendée sits on the French Atlantic coast stretching from the Isle de Niormoutier in the north to Marans in the south. The miles of white sandy beaches are a sun worshiper’s paradise, varying from beaches that literally come into town to beaches that require a walk over high protective sand dunes. Some are well used and some are secluded enough to offer nudism.

The one thing that is constant is that the beaches are clean and plentiful. If you enjoy sharing there are beaches such as Les Sables D’Olonne, La Tranche and La Faute that get plenty of visitors, L’Aiguillon sur Mer even has a beach that is in the town itself. It is incredibly safe for children, with a small fun fair and water slides, there is even a beachside café so mum and dad can have a drink and a meal and still watch the kids swim. But if you like a bit of solitude it’s never far away and a short walk down many of the beaches heading away from the towns will get you all the seclusion you desire.

Not just the province of the sun worshipper there are many great surfing breaks and water sports venues, and let’s not forget the yachtsman, after all there must be some reason, the Vendée Globe round the world yacht race starts at Les Sables D’Olonne. There are plenty of marinas all down the coast, and virtually all of the coastal towns have a harbour. There are modern coastal towns like Saint-Jean-de-Monts a land yachting centre, and my personal favourite Saint-Giles-Croix-de-Vie. It has mixture of old and new architecture, a beautiful harbour and a fabulous seafront and beaches. At the far southern end of the Vendéen coastline is the Anse De L’Aiguillon a wetland paradise and a haven for waterfowl and the whole coastline has oyster and mussel beds in abundance. On very low tides the causeway out to the Isle de Niormoutier has hundreds of cars parked on the sand on either side with literally thousands of people raking all manner of shellfish. It doesn’t take much imagination to realise that the coast is brimful of fantastic restaurants specialising in seafood, making it a culinary dream for the gourmet and gourmand alike.

Behind the coast there is a mixture of sand dunes and pine forests which is almost entirely bordered by marshes from the Marais Breton in the north to the Marais Poitevin in the south. Sandwiched between them and the Armoricain Massif we find “Lucon- Fontenay Prairie” a large plain of relatively flat agricultural land with enormous skies and a light that artists would die for. Much of the marshland is reclaimed, it was drained at first by the Medieval Monks and the lords of La Garnache and further in the 18th century by the Dutch. A trip from Les Sables D’Olonne to Fontenay le Comte on the route of the old Roman coastal road takes you through small villages, miles from the sea, with signposts which say to the Port.

The Marais Poitevin is a large area of marshland criss-crossed with rivers and canals with beautiful villages and picturesque houses scattered along their banks. The Marais Poitevin is the second largest wetland in France; only the Camargue is larger, holds a proliferation of wildlife and is a haven for the twitcher and the casual observer alike. From the ruined abbey at Maillezais to Marans the Marais Poitevin is unique whether you drive or take to the canals on either a supervised tour or by hiring a punt and leisurely discovering for yourself the latticework of waterways that interlace the area. Behind the plain and the marshes is the Bocage, an area of rolling hills, woodlands and farms. The Vendée is one of the major food producing areas of France, it not only grows the raw materials and raises the livestock, but it is also home to some of France’s major food processing companies.

The problem with the Vendée is that there’s too much to tell you about so if you want to know more about the beautiful old town of Fontenay le Comte or the Parc National at Mervent, or the artist’s paradise of Vouvant, or discover the wine route through Mareuil-sur-Lay, or the Breton salt marshes, you’ll just have to visit for yourself. Who knows you may fall in love with it and become a Vendeefile, just like me. – Tate 2008

Well that is why so many of use are Vendeefiles.
Tate writes exclusively for the gites with pools website