Guest rules, do you have any?

Do you find the need to lay down the law when you have non paying guests to stay or do you find that too draconian?


No problem with the loo-roll I buy for everyone to use (good old lotus from Inter) but it has proved necessary to inform people they can't in fact flush baby wipes/tampons/you-name-it down the loos here without ghastly consequences...

Most of my guests just now are paying.

However they must always remember the rules of human kindness and to be fair.

I have experienced some superb happy families this year and met some lovely

people.

Now what is bio loo paper?

Only one...............if friends are staying for a full holiday I expect them to pay half for groceries. Although I wouldn't mention it if they didn't!!

We usually get given gin, Pimms, Boddingtons, bacon, cheddar, tea bags… Oh and Cadburys Dairy Milk! These will not be sold at a vide Grenier!!

That would be like 'Red Rag to a Bull' to some people ;-)

On reflection people should perhaps not come bearing gifts. We have a place where we are gradually accumulating tat that we will eventually try to sell at a vide greniers. Some things are so naff they are beyond description.

Just tell them nicely. I have a little notice up in all the loos here (because I don't expect visitors from GB to be au fait with the functioning of fosses septiques) along the lines of 'apart from loo-roll, don't put anything down the loo unless you ate or drank it first because the consequences don't bear thinking about'.

Well done, James: what an interesting and amusing discussion this has provoked! Now we have the comfort of knowing that we're not the only ones who have had unreasonable and thoughtless guests - in fact, some of you have had far worse. We have [me and missus, that is] just decided a new rule: NO GUESTS STAY MORE THAN A WEEK. And only very close family even that long. For really good old friends, 4 days is about right. I do wish our visitors would offer to take us out for meals, contribute to shopping costs and offer to pay for fuel. We do, however, sometimes hand them the car keys and say: "Off you go, see you tonight!"

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a man after my own heart.

We do indeed, but regrettably those for whom we need rules most are the least likely to obey them. Shower before using the pool or hot tub. No running on the covered terrace [tiled] with wet feet. Change your own bed. Never arrive without Marmite and Golden Syrup [British visitors only]. Don't slag the French and their customs/systems [expat residents of France only]. Please ask before raiding the fridge; and, if you use it up, please replace. LOO ROLLS!!! Finally: wine and laughter obligatory.

Not unreasonable, eh?

I don't think it is really about rules it is about respect. Sadly a lot of guests come on holiday, they think you are on holiday and they treat it like a Butlins holiday camp. As one of my paying guests said people on holiday leave their brains at home they forget it is your HOME. I had a friend come one year who, ate me out of house and home with husband and three kids. Asked everyday what I was doing for them for their meals and also had a go at me for letting MY daughter go on holiday with her friend and she wasn't there to entertain her precious angel. Now, I have know her for years and NEVER observed this behaviour in her, so can only assume she left her brain at home. I hasten to add she has never been invited back again. But the bottom line they did not respect us or our property and it is really sad because I would never do that to a friend.

If you have to lay down rules for "friends" staying I'd suggest they,re possibly not people you'd like staying anyway......

Thankfully all my friends from back home are normal. Irish mammies aren't that bad!!

We have a chlorine pool but friends of ours have a salt pool and it did the same to theirs. The agency we use hate the stuff. On the P20 website it is says about staining;

Can P20 stain fabrics?

Like many other sun protection products, P20 may stain fabrics. This is due to the nature of the UV filters used to provide a high level of protection. To help prevent this happening, wash your hands thoroughly with soap after application and avoid contact with fabrics e.g. clothing, towels etc. before the sun protection product is fully dried.

So, the key to this maybe that the guests slap it on and do not wait for it to dry properly. but here is the link http://www.p20.co.uk/faqs/ it suggests to me that they are well aware it stains, and it suggests a reaction with chlorine if you read on from what I have cut and pasted.

No excuse then. He sounded like the product of an "Irish mammy".

Nope, John, he is a fully fledged Frenchman.

Wow. I never knew that Clare. We used for years in two different pools and never had a problem. Maybe it's reacting with some chemical in the pool?

Not so far Vic, they usually want to go to visit some vignerons at least!