Hi Ron, I'm sure any queries you have will be answered here as there are lots of friendly folk with oodles of experience in this field. Good luck and yell if you need advice.
Hello, not sure if I have joined the right group, as I am not a Gite owner, nor is my friend Tarah, who has an apartment for rent in the Summer in Pézenas Herault. She is a very nice lady, who wants to rent out her place for the Season, in order, I believe, to take the opportunity to return to Madagasca to meet up with family. I am trying to help her out, and have set up a basic FaceBook page to get the ball rolling. Hoping it is in order to put a link here. Please advise if this is not.
I shall create a website for her when I have chance, as I have some great pics of this wonderful Historic town. I hope she has not missed the boat this time round, and sadly my Sister-in-law's family have just booked nearby. In the meantime I shall scour SFN for 'holiday lets' Groups etc.
We have no idea as to the charges, nor 'what is expected' so I shall have to do some research.
Hi Sarah...not sure what your plans are but this site may be of use? Mainly UK based, nice concept, branching out through Europe http://campinmygarden.com/
Hi Group,
Plans still on the drawing board but hope to be doing camping a la ferme next year? Anyone have any experience with this type of business?
She sells from the vineyard, Clos D'y Vigne I think it is called, I cannot put my hand on her books straight away, and she has a website.
Would love to meet her...
I believe she did everything alone...
brilliant.
Patricia Atkinsons books are a real eye-opener into just how much hard work and risk goes into wine making, and when you see what a tiny lady she is, you have to admire her immensely. She got thrown in at the deep end by her husband and made a real go of it!
Hi Babara,
We are in the middle of the Touraine wine area - Sauvignan Blanc at its best.
We take guests, love wine, run courses and even have a classroom if the study gets serious!
Happy to talk about getting involved.
Colin
I know of her...she is one of the first British ladies to make high flying press coverage. I know of the bio dunamic vineyard owned by the Feelys. An aged
Monbazilliac is heavenly.
The region is just lovely.
You can see that I love France...AND my work...want to do more and
more exciting things in the region.
Monbazillac is one of my favourite dessert wines. Do you know Patricia Atkinson and her award winning Saussignac?
We work with an American company which specialises in cooking holidays and I would very much like to offer a 2 place stay to capture every aspect of the foodie
life style in France and erngaging in the different wine regions. We are near Bordeaux, Monbzilliac,Medoc and st Emilion region but that is an arrival at
Bordeaux....THERE are other airports which they could use.
If you feel it could be fun for you to get involved....OR discuss it send me a
message.
Teresa why not visit one day?
How far are you away?
We are probably not so busy client wise in April after easter.
How goes the bookings so far?
yes, thank you - again!
thanks Barbara for putting most of MY thoughts into words - what a lovely post... Your B&B looks stunning and I hope your cherry trees are fruitful this year!
i'd love to visit Clos des Saveurs
The problem with me is that I see everything as it is and then pass it on here.
Cooking has been my life and probably Js why should we give up our ability to cook well?
If the other British people, French or other nationalies around us are not as dedicated to fine cuisine then it is their choice.
Taxes are paid and we too live on what comes into the buisness.
There are more and more B AND B and gites too because many people
think that catering is a relatively easy job....oh no.
I personally have worked all my life in restaurants developing my skills
and believe that I am worthy or leading a simple life in France.
I have given up any desire for trumpet fanfares and extravagant possesions.
My jewels are my cats and I am giving away my last bottles of special wines
to clients. The only gold deeply buried in my garden are the roots of our cherry trees.
A generous trckle of clients, a good dose of hard work is the reward that puts
food on the table and petrol in the tank which takes us off to explorteing more of France.
Sorry, Natalie, I never replied to your question about pricing for table d'hôtes. I do normally require booking beforehand, just so that I can think about what I'm going to do and have everything in the house to prepare a "proper" 3 course meal. Unless, of course, it's for people coming in late, or cyclists or walkers, who just don't want to drive to a restaurant any more and are happy with a snack. The pricing usually depends on what I'm serving, if it's a proper meal with wine, it would be around 15€. The other night I had a lady arriving late and wanted something small, so we just made her a very nice salad, bread, ham and cheese and she was over the moon. I charged 8€.
Kudos Barbara!
Sorry there are grammar errors.
i note what Jane mentions about restaurants and hotels I undserstand the frustration.
But there are choices.
If the hotels and other eateries are serving acceptable food cooking then the competition is irrelevant.
If someone puts in the effort should they be condemed ?
Surely paying tax is important and if you help attract more people
to visit the region are you not an asset to the French community?
Plus reward for effort?
Even if it is to stay in France, pay your bills and enjoy it's pleasures.
We do sit with our guests....but a holiday is often about a private and quiet time?
Perhaps this is about different personalities rather than law and order?
We went for the weight bearing cover, but more for the fact that it is electrically operated and we don't want to be fighting with manually operated pool covers as we get older.
We also have a fence.