Accommodation

Hotel and accommodation classification systems in France correspond to ‘norms of comfort’, whilst not constituting a label of quality. Experience teaches you that good accommodation depends on the right blend of material features and service, and the latter is down to people – people and staff that you have never met.

It takes much time, effort and resources to have a rating for your accommodation in France. Some owners of very nice accommodation simply cannot see the justification for it and so refuse to pay it. And if they are providing an excellent product, and getting repeat business from satisfied customers, why should they bother with an 'official rating' that would require them to increase their prices to cover the costs? Many do not. So 'unclassified' or 'lowly-classified' does not equate to poor accommodation and, in some cases, equates to much-sought-after lodgings that offer great value for money and precisely what those who are walking in France need - and in very remote areas where business is seasonal!

We favour family-run busineses who run traditional accommodation in stone buildings, farmhouses [a 'mas'] or town houses, either with a restaurant or offering evening meals. In many cases, these buildings have existed for hundreds of years and their internal and external layout cannot be changed - which of course is part of their charm. Enlarging bedrooms, or allowing disabled ground-floor access to a room, is either unviable economically, difficult or nigh on impossible. As two-star status is now dependent upon such criteria, many owners of excellent accommodation are deprived of ever acheiving the status they know they merit and so choose to stay 'outside' the classification systems rather than gain a lower rating than they know they deserve.

One of the nicest hotels we know and work with is 2-star. The proprietor was offered a 3-star rating if he employed someone else who spoke a third language. He declined, as the costs of employing people in France would have meant putting up his prices, something which may have adversely affected his regular clientele.

Of course, not meeting the requirements of a national marketing classification does not mean accommodation is poor quality, badly run or that it fails to meet health and safety and fire standards. The French authorities are very tough on rogue traders, and hotels, gites, auberges or chambre d'hotes that fail to meet such objective safety criteria are closed down overnight.

Pictures don’t tell the full story and neither do hotel owners. We can all find some accommodation on the internet that looks and sounds okay, but you never know until you have visited it or stayed there; and then it can be too late - your holiday and experience of walking in France is tainted due to poor service, unfriendly staff or an inadequate location.

All our accommodation has been selected with great care and offers an authentic French experience. All are family-owned and run by people who care as much about their businesses as we do about ours. They all come with our own personal recommendation.

Wherever you stay, you are assured of a warm welcome, in appealing surroundings, and with all mod cons and a few more traditional ones thrown in.