Holiday Homes and Gites - Poitou Charentes
Gite or holiday home... what is the difference?
People often ask exactly what a Gite is, and in what way is it different to a holiday home? Holiday home is something familiar and safe, Gite is foreign and frightening.
Originally a Gite was a place where people spent the night, either on a temporary or permanent basis. There developed from this the Gite Rural which was a country building converted to accept paying guests. Years ago many tourists who stayed in these dwellings found themselves in fairly primitive conditions, and sleeping and sanitary arrangements were often quite basic.
More recently the organisation Gites de France was set up to provide the holidaymaker with a guide to the quality of Gites. Gites appearing in the Gites de France guide are regularly inspected and are given guidance as to the appropriate price to charge for the accommodation in question. A rating system tells the holidaymaker what facilities and standards of accommodation they can expect.
Many of the properties offered for rental nowadays are a very far cry from primitive country dwellings, but still the name Gite has stayed with them. Buildings with six or more ensuite bedrooms, underfloor heating, satellite TV, broadband internet access and heated swimming pool may still be referred to as a Gite. Clearly its link with a humble rural dwelling is very tenuous indeed!
People renting Gites in France nowadays have the advantage of the internet. It is no longer one hazy photograph in a brochure, but a whole web page with an array of photos. This has reduced the chance of turning up and finding oneself in a ramshackle building only partially vacated by the farm animals. There is still no guarantee that there isn't a factory opposite, or that you discover on arrival that you are sharing the pool with five families from hell. However, careful questioning of the owner prior to booking should avoid such occurrences.
So, don't worry if the owner refers to it as a Gite when you thought you had booked a holiday home; nowadays they really are one and the same thing!
We offer a selection of high quality holiday homes in Poitou Charentes, South West France. Click here to view our properties.