‘Can you recommend a good gite company?’ is one of the questions I’m most frequently asked, so here is a list of the companies and individual gites and villas I most often mention to people:
BUDGET
Sawday’s
If you’ve never heard of Sawday’s, then they’re a great place to start your search. They list characterful self-catering gites and villas, B&Bs and hotels all over Europe, but as it started in the early days with France, there’s a huge selection there. Each one is vetted to make sure it’s up to their standard (facilities, cleanliness, character), the owners are always lovely, the places are always really individual and I’ve never had a bad experience, despite staying in many, many places ranging from a historic chateau in the Loire Valley (see below) to a family room with a kitchenette in a hotel.
APARTMENTS
Pierre & Vacances
We’ve tried a few of these apartments with only one disappointment, which came from booking the ‘standard’ apartment at Port Crouesty in Brittany, so better to book the superior apartments if you can. The best one we tried was in Le Guilvinec in Brittany, with the balconies overlooking the rockpools and beach.
Lagrange
These basic apartments are found in cities and in ski resorts (and some coastal resorts). We’ve tried them in a few places and while they’re basic, they’re clean, comfortable and well equipped. See their website.
Citadines
These city centre, serviced apartments are a good bet if you want the best of both worlds – hotel and apartment. We stayed in the one in central Lyon, and it was spacious and well-equipped, if a little sparse. There’s so much to do in Lyon, though, we didn’t ‘stay in’ very much.
Bubble 8
We stayed in a lovely little apartment in Epernay for a stopover in Champagne in summer 2020. Bubble 8 is right in the centre (we parked on the road outside, which wasn’t too expensive) and had a wander up Avenue de Champagne.
Angers City Kamp
I know this is really camping/glamping (will do a separate blog post on that one day soon), but the cabin at Angers City Kamp was great. Excellent facilities on the site, and really close to the city. They have four other destinations, Paris, Strasbourg, Colmar and Lyon.
MID-RANGE
We first tried Chateau du Breuil through Sawday’s then went back for another visit a couple of years later. It sleeps up to eight (or up to 14 with the annexe too) and is brimming with history, which architect owner Roxanna McDonald knows all about. She’s also collected some fascinating Napoleon memorabilia. It’s in the village of Chédigny, famous for its roses, and in easy reach of Loches, Amboise and Tours for chateaux sight-seeing. If you’re keen on sleeping in chateaux in general, this article might help.
Le Mas et Le Mazet
We tried this beautiful gîte in October 2017 and fell in love with it for it’s stupendous views, contemporary décor. The converted farmhouse is ideal for large families and groups of friends, it sleeps ten in doubles and twins, while Le Mazet is a smaller cottage in the garden for two. It has a sublime swimming pool and games to play in the manicured gardens around the property. Close by are the Bastide villages of Monpazier, Monflanquin and the bustling village market in Issigeac.
Le Petit Village
Deep in the Burgundy countryside, north-west of Dijon, is this lovely complex with two gites and a B&B, hosted by British couple Annabella and Nick Ware, and their family. The two gites are in the former outbuildings and have beautiful flag stone floors and pretty decor. The area around it isn’t one that’s very well known for the Brits, but there’s lots to do, including the fantastic museum of Alésia, tracing the history of the Gauls (Astérix fans will love it) and the village of Flavigny – famous for its aniseed sweets and where they filmed some of the film Chocolat.
Holiday Cottages and Villas
If you’re heading to south-west France, this small holiday rental company is a good one to try. We’ve stayed in two different places, both were great, with pools, well equipped and comfortable. The one I would return to in a shot is Le Verger, in the Dordogne. It has a gorgeous pool, sun-drenched outside kitchen/patio and abundant orchard.
AirBnB
The jury is out on AirBnB and in some locations their presence has been to the detriment of the local economy. In rural France, however, I can’t see it having a (correct me if I’m wrong!) negative impact. We’ve stayed in a lot: everything from a family home, from which the family had literally walked out the day before leaving food in the fridge and clothes in the wardrobes; to chic holiday rental very much designed with tourists in mind. The trick is to look for the five-star reviews and sort through them that way. Worth a try for places where self-catering is thin on the ground, or you want a cheap-n-cheerful holiday let.
Holiday France Direct – this is the apartment, gite, villa, B&B and hotel booking service owned by Brittany Ferries, so a handy one for Brittany and Normandy (plus good for ferry discounts or packages), though they cover the whole of France.
Corsican Places – We did a hotel-based trip with this great company that specialises in Corsica, but it has a good selection of villas and apartments too.
Simpsons Villas – Their prices for their villas are competitive and they have a good selection across France.
Alternative Aquitaine – Good for south-west France and there’s a good choice.
Simply Perigord – A good choice in the south-west.
Oliver’s Travels – a good bet for larger villas and gites, such as chateaux and mansions. You can keep the cost down per person per night by sharing with lots of friends/family.
LUXURY
CV Villas – We stayed in one of their properties a long time ago, which is no longer in their collection, but it was fantastic and the in-house chef a real treat.
Abercrombie and Kent Villas – never really covered them in my articles, despite them being based in the town I live in, but good selection and très swish!
Red Savannah – These guys offer holidays and villa rentals all over the globe, some of which are jaw-droppingly impressive, but they also have a good selection of villas closer to home in France (main picture – Domaine de Mussargue, Provence)
Le Bergerie – Probably the best villa I’ve ever stayed in, or likely to stay in. The level of detail was exquisite, the staff delightful and the food to die for. I often wonder if selling a kidney is worth it for another stay.