Gite Stay FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

For holidaymakers interested in staying at a gîte in France, here are some common questions that come up frequently.

What amenities are typically provided?

Here at La Grue Gîtes, we offer three and four star ‘Atout France’awarded self-catering accommodation. We are also proud of our Ecogeste label from Gites de France.

Our three individual gîtes sleeping 2, 4 and 6 people each have a private, courtyard garden with stone barbecues and outdoor dining space. Sun loungers are also provided.

Our kitchens are fully equipped with everything from an oyster shucker to a stick blender! In our kitchens, you will also find eco-friendly dish-washing soap, tea towels and reusable eco-friendly scourers, oven gloves, tea bags, sugar, a coffee machine and coffee, filters and coffee pods.

Bathroom towels are available and pool towels are available to hire on request. Our bathrooms also include organic, locally made shower/handsoap/shampoo. Each gîte has two separate toilets – very handy with families!

Our shared 12 metre by 6 metre heated pool is enclosed – our guests have their own key access. There is a spacious terrace with sunbeds and parasols, a large grassed area and a large decked area with a table to seat 6 to 8 people beneath the shady pergola. There are clear safety rules for all users.

Our open games barn has table tennis, table football and plenty of crafts, board games, colouring, chalk board, toys and puzzles.

The 1500 m2 games field has a trampoline, a football goal, swingball, badminton, supervised archery (on request) and plenty of field games such as Molky, Boules etc.

We provide ‘tried and tested’ recommendations of things to do, places to see for all tastes, ages and interests.

Our local food producers’ guide is a big success and we also offer Food Tours of local artisanal producers.

How do I book, and what is the payment policy?

Book directly with us for the very best prices. We often have early bird promotions or last minute discounts.
We ask for a 20% non-refundable deposit to secure your booking and the balance is due four weeks before your arrival. Payment is by Bank Transfer. We recommend booking well in advance as we fill up quickly for the high-season months of July and August.

What local attractions are accessible?

La Grue Gîtes are located in the beautiful Charente in South-West France. Rural, amongst the smiling sunflowers and magical Cognac vines yet only five minutes from the historic market town of Aigre 16140 with all its amenities: Aigre has restaurants, a coffee shop/bar/Newsagents, an exquisite gift shop, a fishing shop, a beauty parlour, a small supermarket, a pharmacy, a butcher’s, two hairdressers, a modern Health Centre, a baker’s, a weekly market and more!

There are many attractions for families within an hour’s radius of La Grue Gites – from swimming lakes with beaches, inflatable assault courses, horseriding, carriage rides with our seven times French National Champion, Patrice Bagilet, canoeing, paddle boarding, fishing, tennis, high ropes courses, crazy golf, golf in the vines, animal parks and much, much more.

Aigre weekly market is every Thursday morning and sees fresh fruit and vegetables, a fish, a cheese, a baker’s and a butcher’s stall all in regular attendance.

Aigre is home to the prestigious GAUTIER Cognac, founded in 1755 and is one of the oldest Cognac Maisons in France. There are guided visits and tastings in English. We recommend you book in advance and we are happy to do this for you.
The word, ‘Cagouille’ is Charentais dialect for snail and Aigre has its very own museum dedicated the the Snail. There’s even a “Snail Trail” walk around the Town Centre with maps available at the Mairie Town Hall.

La Grue Gites is situated only fifteen minutes from the town of Rouillac which hosts the monthly Foire 27. The Fore 27 is the biggest market in the whole of the Charente and one of the largest markets in the whole of the South-West of France. It is held on the 27th of every month.

Historic Cognac is approximately 35 minutes’ drive and you will find all the prestigious, world-famous Cognac houses alongside the river Charente. Hennessy, Baron Otard and Mercov to name but a few. All offering guided visits in English – and yes, we recommend you book in advance.

The city of Angouleme which is the capital of the Nouvelle Aquitance region is only 30 minutes away and hosts a wide range of International and National events. It is home to the Asterix Cartoon and has the BD Cartoon Museum. Each year, Angouleme hosts the prestigious International Cartoon Festival, the Manga Festival, the Gatronomades Food Festival and the Ramparts Classic Car race plus a lot more besides! Its indoor market, Les Halles is open every morning.

If you love your history, the Charente is rich in Gallo-Roman roots. Les Bouchauds is the second largest example of a Gallo-Roman Amphitheatre in France and it is only fifteen minutes from La Grue. In Summer, the visitor centre hosts Festivals and events for all the family. It is also one of our many sites for geo-caching trails.

The beautiful historically protected village of Tusson is about a ten minute drive from our town of Aigre. It has a beautiful walk of the village with maps available from the superb Tea Room known as ‘Gateaux.’ Tusson has a fabulous Bistro restaurant called Le Compostelle – aptly named as the village is on the Pilgramage route itself. There is also the amazing Maison de Charente – fine purveyors of all things Duck. Artisanal potteries, a museum and a Church with rather interesting frescos.

Do I need holiday Insurance to stay at La Grue Gites?

We recommend all guests take out their own holiday insurance.

What should I bring?

We provide an organic, locally made ‘3 in 1’ hand soap/body wash and shampoo for your use. There are bathroom towels provided and pool towels available on request at a small extra charge. We provide your suncream from Laboratoires Biarritz which is a high-end brand, organic, vegan and coral friendly. This is because of our eco principles and also to protect our pool liner from staining caused by highly toxic regular suncreams.

Gites are self-catering and we do provide a couple of toilet rolls, a kitchen roll, tea towel, oven gloves, tawashis (eco-friendly hand-made pan scrubbers) a dishcloth, cleaning products (bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and a lemon). Coffee, tea, sugar and coffee filtres and/or a few coffee pods are also there for your convenience. La Grue Gites is baby and child friendly so please do ask as we have a range of clean equipment here for you to use, free of charge. For example, baby strollers, potties, high chairs, baby gates, bottle warmers, changing mats, travel cots etc. We also have a Games barn with lots of toys, puzzles and board games for all ages. We can provide seasonal activity/painting or educational packs on demand – please just ask when you make your booking. We also provide beach rugs, picnic rugs, cool boxes, ice packs and beach parasols for all your picnic needs.

Are pets allowed in gîtes?

La Grue Gîtes does have a couple of pet-friendly properties and we have a strict pet policy. Please ask us for more details – we are dog lovers ourselves and we have an exercise field in low season. Pets must be on a lead in communal areas, please.

What languages do the hosts speak?

Here at La Grue Gîtes , English is our mother tongue and we also are fluent French speakers. We welcome many German and Spanish guests too and we have also picked up a little Romanian along the way! In short, we are adaptable and a warm welcome is our global language.

Is there Wi-Fi available?

Our gîtes Bois and Verre offer free Wi-Fi, fiber broadband. We are rural so connection, although usually good, can vary. If high-speed internet is crucial, there are local co-working spaces available.

What’s included in the kitchen amenities?

Typically, kitchens are equipped with a variety of cooking utensils from knives, wooden spoons, potato mashers, garlic press etc, Plus there are cooking pots, oven dishes, a range of pans and serving dishes. There is ample cookery and crockery for double the capacity of each gite (so there’s a spare set in each gite.) You will find a set of plastic wine glasses, tumblers, plates, dishes, salad dish and servers to use when barbecuing, picnicing or at the pool. Usually there is salt and pepper provided.

How are check-in and check-out times managed?

We are always here to welcome you on arrival. Check-in is after 4pm in the afternoon, and check-out is strictly before 10am in the morning unless agreed otherwise by prior arrangement.

Is there air conditioning or heating?

Our rural French gîtes have Charentais exposed stone walls, designed to stay cool in summer. We do provide bedroom fans in Summer too. Heating is provided for cooler months with Bois and Verre also having cosy woodburning stoves.

Do gîtes provide cleaning services?

Gîtes must be left as you find them: clean and tidy. We provide a hoover, mop and bucket and all the cleaning products you will need as well as a checklist to help you. If you would like us to engage a cleaner for you, at an additional cost, please do ask.

What is the cancellation policy?

Initial 20% deposits are non-refundable and we strongly advise our guests to take out travel insurance. However, we would always do our very best to be extremely accommodating and to look to move dates where possible due to unforeseen circumstances.

Are linens and towels provided?

La Grue gîtes include bed linens and towels in the rental. We do also offer beach or pool towels for an additional fee.

Is parking available on-site?

Parking is available. There is private, off-street street parking for each gîte. If you have a large vehicle, this is not a problem but please do advise us in advance.

What should I know about local markets or grocery stores?

La Grue Gîtes is located five minutes’ drive from the market town of Aigre which has a Carrefour Contact supermarket. Market day is a Thursday morning. The town of Rouillac is a fifteen minute drive from La Grue Gîtes and has a larger Super U supermarket and a Netto. We encourage our guests to shop locally and to experience the amazing artisanal French produce here. Within ten minutes, we have local honey, goats’ cheese producers, local award-winning vignerons, Cognac producers etc etc. We also offer bespoke Food Tours. Please do get in touch to arrange your itinerary.

Does the host organize any guided tours or activities?

Here at La Grue Gîtes, you can ‘live like a local’ and experience a guided Food Tour. We work with our guests to plan your own bespoke Food Tour of local artisanal producers.

Weekly Food Tours take place outside of our main season from September until June. Individual activities can be arranged on request during high season. Would you like to make goat’s cheese with Madame Raffier? See the Walnut harvest in September with Cecile and taste her fabulous walnut oil?

Discover why Gautier Cognac is such a prestige brand and taste its range of 6 Cognacs made right here in our town of Aigre since 1755.

Or, visit a traditional Snail Farm and taste their range of products over an aperitif? Maybe Cognac cocktails are more your thing and we can arrange a session with the Master Mixologist at Voyer Vaudan. The opportunities are plentiful. Does a private cookery class with a local chef sound tempting? Macarons anyone? It’s all entirely possibly.

Is the gîte child-friendly?

Yes – here at La Grue Gîtes, we specialise in family holidays. We provide child-friendly amenities like high chairs, travel cots, step-stools, baby gates, potties,bottle warmers, strollers and more. Our open games barn has a cupboard full of board games, toys and puzzles.

There is a table tennis table and a large chalk-board plus table football and darts. Our 1500 m2 games field has a trampoline, football goal, swingball and supervised archery on request. Please ask about our painting/crafting/educational activity packs when booking. There is a small additional cost.

Do gîtes provide basic toiletries?

La Grue Gîtes provides two toilet rolls to get you started and we provide a ‘3in 1’ organic artisanal hand soap/shampoo/shower gel. We also provide your sun cream for the swimming pool. It is from Laboratoires Biaritz and is organic, vegan and coral friendly. This product is in line with our ec0-principals and does not stain our pool liner.

Are there local emergency contacts provided?

We email to every guest our e-book which contains a contact list for our local pharmacy, local doctor and emergency numbers. Remember, we live just across the lane, we are fluent French speakers and although not medically trained, we will do our best to help you in any emergency (or otherwise!) Fire evacuation procedures are displayed in each gite and Fire Extinguishers are provided and subjected to annual tests alongside smoke alarms, carbon dioxide alarms and electricity and heating systems.

Any Other Questions?

If you have any questions that have not been answered above please send us an email via the contact page.

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