Great house, pity about the exterior
Review Submitted: November 12, 2008
Date of Stay: June 2008
We were greeted for our 2 week June stay by a man who warned us that the washing machine needed a kick to get it started, then left rather quickly and locked the gates without telling us the padlock combination. Although the house was beautiful (except for a pokey little kitchen) the exterior had not been cleaned or prepared. I had to sweep the terrace myself and the barbeque had been left in a filthy dusty greasy condition, so that needed cleaning too. The plastic table on the terrace was filthy, cracked and broken on 2 corners. We demanded that it should be replaced, which it was the next morning. Some of the plastic chairs, all of which were filthy and needed washing down, were cracked - one collapsed under me during dinner and I fell flat on my back.(I am of normal weight) The plastic sun loungers had no mattresses and were very uncomfortable. The vast terrace was stark and completely bare, with no floral decoration. The outside shower was in a filthy disgusting unusable condition Although the pool was in good condition,the surrounding pool area had not been cleaned or prepared. A sunshade umbrella was lying on the floor ( it had not been windy on our arrival day) with a rusty support tube nearby.This area was backed by a once white wall , now covered in black rainwater streaks. The poolside table was filthy. Some of the paving surrounding the pool was loose, broken and dangerous. After many years of renting immaculately presented villas, this was a great disappointment. On our last afternoon , we had just settled for a final sunny session by the pool when the pool men arrived, hoovering and flinging chemicals into the pool making it unusable. When I asked them why they didn't do this the next day - changeover day - they said they were told to do it on the Thursday. The lady who cleaned and changed the linen was charming and
efficient. On a plus side, the view was terrific, as was the location - ideal for visiting all the nearby charming attractions, and restaurants.
Bookie
Recommended for:
Sightseeing
Owner's Response: Oh dear. We’re sorry this client was disappointed, our local team work hard to make sure everything is perfect, and are on call to fix anything which isn’t.
The Villa’s position, whilst affording amazing views, means that the occasional mistral can deposit pine needles from the surrounding trees on the terrace.
We’ve asked the Alan not to make jokes about washing machines in future, nor to close the gates (the lock is only used off season).
The pool is cleaned on changeover day, we’ve asked them not to vary that again so hopefully that won’t be repeated. The pool doesn’t use chemicals; it’s an advanced filter pool using no chlorine.
Not quite sure what to say about the chair, we replace the patio furniture each May, maybe we should reduce the restaurant recommendations?:-)
French houses don’t have gutters, (better climate) so the rain does streak the wall by the pool. We re-paint every 2 years so that it isn’t unsightly
More seriously, we have asked that our team make sure they check the barbecue, and be sure the outside shower doesn’t get clogged with leaves.
We have provided pool towels in the past, rather than pads, (more hygienic) but another client this year asked for pads, so we’ve decided to supply them again for 2009.
We’re pleased that Alan responded quickly to the problem with the table, as we would expect.
As for the kitchen, it is a normal size, not a kitchen diner, there being a separate dining room next door.
But he’s right, there are no flowers on the (tiled) terrace, as you can see from the photos.
Almost everyone writes to us afterwards, full of praise, and we get lots of repeat bookings, which is the acid test. Here are some comments from this year’s guests:
Wonderful week in your beautiful villa. Everything was just as you described it and we were enchanted by our surroundings. Thank you so very much for your contribution to a perfect holiday. We shall certainly recommend it to friends.
Just loved the villa love to rent it again next year!
Loved it so much would like to go back! We keep thinking of La Grenouille and want to go back there can we rent it next year? I think this might become an annual trip!
A terrific time thank you enjoyed your villa enormously, it is very comfortable and charming and we felt very much at home
Thanks again, we thought the villa, views and pool were just lovely.
Wanted to say how much we enjoyed your villa, and how much we miss it!
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Helpful votes: 2/3
