When you rent check what is included in the price heating bed linen if you have a pool is it going to be open.

Check if you have to pay a final cleaning charge or pay a deposit against damage.

One thing to watch if you pay a deposit is that everything is working and the inventory is correct.

You do not want to pay for other peoples breakage`s.

Another thing to look for when you rent is that the owner lives close to the gite.

Can he speak some English to explain how things work, when the rubbish is collected.

Will he meet you at the gite with the key. We made this mistake last year.

We had to pick up a key at a nearby village it took over an hour to find it.

In rural France your mobile phone may not work so it not easy to get in touch.

It can be hard enough to find one place not on the map without having to find a second.

Getting lost in France is one the best thing you see so many interesting places but not after a long trip.

So the secret to a great holiday is do your research on the net check out the towns you want to visit. Then find a Gite just outside the town.We made the mistake of staying to far from the coast when we visited the Vendee region.It was a great place but 40 miles each way to the seaside resorts. With the high fuel cost this can soon add up over a weeks holiday and become tiring travelling 80 miles a day round trips

We always stay in a gite if you would like to do the same try here Gites in the Pas de Calais area to rent

Try P&O for your Dover to Calais ferry

The old mill house in Brittany

This is the gite we rented 0n our latest visit to France.It is in a small wood you reached it up a private road. There is about 7 acres of land with it so you had plenty of room.We came on the Portsmouth to St Malo overnight ferry. St Malo is a 120 miles from Saint Yvi.

The small gite we rented just on the edge of the village of Le Tanu in Normandy It had everything you need for 2 people it was 6 miles from the coast and the port of Granville. It was near to Brittany and Mont St Michel.

If you own a gite visit our Gite rental page and place a free ad

If you want a cottage holiday in France try Normandy

Try this Gite a few miles from where we stayed

Situated at the edge of a peaceful hamlet, and close to the coastal town of Honfleur, this pretty half-colombage detached holiday home has been beautifully restored by its owners. The large garden offers plenty of shade from mature trees and you can see the tip of the Pont de Normandie beyond the church spire. Honfleur (5km) is perhaps the most recognised of Normandy?s coastal towns and has become a mecca for artists from all over the world. with its picturesque cobbled streets and harbour,

Book this cottage here

Driving in France

Holiday cottages to rent in Brittany

Bannalec This delightfully decorated semi-detached cottage is situated in peaceful countryside and is well placed for exploring Information

Carentoir This detached former barn provides excellent holiday accommodation, the interior is warm and cosy with an open fireplace,Morbihan Information

Trans la Forêt Within 20km drive away from Mont-Saint-Michel, this detached stone house makes a spacious holiday cottage in a very tranquil area. Information

Hotels in France

Check out the deals at Disneyland Paris tickets and Hotels

Holiday cottages to rent in Normandy

Hambye This renovated, stone holiday cottage is attached to the owner’s home and opens onto a dedicated patio and one of three pretty garden areas. Information

La Chaumiere d’Oherville This picture-postcard detached cottage with its traditional thatched roof has been lovingly cared for. Set in a lovely garden Information

St. Michel-de-Montjoie Set at the end of a peaceful country lane with amazing views into the valley, is this pretty, spacious detached holiday cottage Information

P & O ferries to France

Whether it's a day's shopping trip or a holiday break you're after, at 90 minutes journey time, our Dover to Calais ferry crossing Information

Take a ferry to Belgium - the easy, stress-free way of arriving on the continent from the North of England with minimal driving Information

Your Hull Rotterdam ferry is the gateway to Holland and Germany, thanks to the city's excellent motorway connections. Information

Holiday cottages to rent in the Vendee

La Jonchère, Vendée Semi-detached holiday cottage with swimming pool set in beautiful mature gardens and also has a covered games area Information

La Faute-sur-Mer, Vendée This three bedroom house is bright, airy and spacious, and is very well situated 500 metres from the beach of La Faute, facing the Ile de Ré. Information

La Plaisance This charming stone cottage enjoys an attractive countryside location, yet is only half an hour’s drive from the coast, and the lively fishing port of St. Gilles Croix-de-Vie Information