Gite In France With A Pool
A Gite in France with a Pool is for the uninitiated, a self catering apartment in France with a pool.
I didn't realise previously but the term 'gite' for many people is misconstrued to be a spelling mistake for the word 'site'.
I then realised that when you are familiar with a term it is very easy to become complacent and assume that everyone else knows what the terminology is as well.
To be fair anyone at all acquainted with France would most likely know the term but there is a great big world out there that is completely unfamiliar with France the country, the language and the culture, which when properly considered is exactly what should be expected, why would the whole world be familiar with France, or even Europe for that matter.
In way of explanation then, gites came about as a government initiative in France to help out farmers who were struggling to make a living.
They introduced a simple arrangement, that was free of the bureaucracy normally associated with France, where farmers could refurbish spare buildings and offer affordable self catering accommodation to holiday makers or anyone else requiring cheap accommodation.
Many British caught onto this idea and saw it as a way of easily starting a business in France with very little associated documentation.
You do have to register a business in France for tax purposes, but other than that as long as you don't break the rules with respect to offering food or drink and the number of bedrooms, you can offer accommodation for holiday makers with very little fuss.
Since the introduction of the 'Auto Entrepreneur' a quick and easy way to start a business in France, this has actually become even simpler.
The French model for a gite was that people would arrive, bring their own bedding and towels, cater for themselves and then return the accommodation to the same level of cleanliness as when they arrived; in other words they would also clean it themselves before leaving.
This meant that the farmers could get on with the business of farming and let the gite pretty much take care of itself whilst providing much needed additional income.
The British, on the other hand, raised the game and many offer what would be considered luxury accommodation, which is a world apart from the original French concept of a gite.
The reason for this is relatively simple, the British holiday maker, to a large extent, is looking for at the very least a home from home environment or, at the very best, accommodation they could consider a luxurious treat; which in the South of France certainly would mean that it came with a pool.
Ideally a pool that had exclusive use and did not have to be shared.
So effectively anyone setting up a luxurious gite in France, and it isn't just the British any more, were catering to an alternative market.
They were looking for holiday makers that could afford and wanted a bit of luxury.
People who wanted to arrive at the location and not have to worry about bringing everything with them or having to clean up when leaving.
Many were also looking for exclusive use of the facilities which would of course mean a pool but might also include facilities such as private gardens, games rooms or games facilities and al fresco eating areas.
France is the most visited country in Europe and there is plenty of travel advice available dedicated to visitors to France which details the amazing scope of facilities available for all types of holidays and associated budgets.
So you can see that having a gite in France with a pool is going to appeal to many of those holiday makers that want a bit of luxury in between trips out to places of interest.
I didn't realise previously but the term 'gite' for many people is misconstrued to be a spelling mistake for the word 'site'.
I then realised that when you are familiar with a term it is very easy to become complacent and assume that everyone else knows what the terminology is as well.
To be fair anyone at all acquainted with France would most likely know the term but there is a great big world out there that is completely unfamiliar with France the country, the language and the culture, which when properly considered is exactly what should be expected, why would the whole world be familiar with France, or even Europe for that matter.
In way of explanation then, gites came about as a government initiative in France to help out farmers who were struggling to make a living.
They introduced a simple arrangement, that was free of the bureaucracy normally associated with France, where farmers could refurbish spare buildings and offer affordable self catering accommodation to holiday makers or anyone else requiring cheap accommodation.
Many British caught onto this idea and saw it as a way of easily starting a business in France with very little associated documentation.
You do have to register a business in France for tax purposes, but other than that as long as you don't break the rules with respect to offering food or drink and the number of bedrooms, you can offer accommodation for holiday makers with very little fuss.
Since the introduction of the 'Auto Entrepreneur' a quick and easy way to start a business in France, this has actually become even simpler.
The French model for a gite was that people would arrive, bring their own bedding and towels, cater for themselves and then return the accommodation to the same level of cleanliness as when they arrived; in other words they would also clean it themselves before leaving.
This meant that the farmers could get on with the business of farming and let the gite pretty much take care of itself whilst providing much needed additional income.
The British, on the other hand, raised the game and many offer what would be considered luxury accommodation, which is a world apart from the original French concept of a gite.
The reason for this is relatively simple, the British holiday maker, to a large extent, is looking for at the very least a home from home environment or, at the very best, accommodation they could consider a luxurious treat; which in the South of France certainly would mean that it came with a pool.
Ideally a pool that had exclusive use and did not have to be shared.
So effectively anyone setting up a luxurious gite in France, and it isn't just the British any more, were catering to an alternative market.
They were looking for holiday makers that could afford and wanted a bit of luxury.
People who wanted to arrive at the location and not have to worry about bringing everything with them or having to clean up when leaving.
Many were also looking for exclusive use of the facilities which would of course mean a pool but might also include facilities such as private gardens, games rooms or games facilities and al fresco eating areas.
France is the most visited country in Europe and there is plenty of travel advice available dedicated to visitors to France which details the amazing scope of facilities available for all types of holidays and associated budgets.
So you can see that having a gite in France with a pool is going to appeal to many of those holiday makers that want a bit of luxury in between trips out to places of interest.
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