Gîte Ferme d'Ortie

The setting was lovely and the location worked well. We had a good chat through Booking.com before the stay, and I told the woman we expected more people than first planned, though they wouldn't be sleeping there. She said that was fine. We paid right away, but there was no deposit asked for when we arrived and no inventory done at check-in. The cottage was dusty and dirty, even the beds, but we kept quiet because we were in good spirits for Christmas with family. We washed the dishes, used OUR SHEETS, swept and tidied up, and didn't break anything or make a mess beyond footprints on the floor from loading the cars and people coming and going. There wasn't even a mop. It had been dirty when we got there, too. Then right at the last minute on our final day, after we'd been chatting pleasantly with everyone during the stay, the woman looked like she was going to a funeral and suddenly said we needed a check-out inventory because she hadn't taken a deposit. "Sorry, madam, but you didn't ask for one," she said. Why wait until we were leaving when she'd been around the whole time? She also complained about the "dirt" and about having to wash the duvets after us, saying the cleaning included in the price would take longer. Cleaning the duvets after EVERY guest is just RESPECT. And washing the floor with water takes the same time whether it's dirty or clean. Her pointed, racist remarks were another low point. Yes, we're African, but we're educated. Our group included engineers with degrees from a prestigious school in Zurich, landscape architects, teachers, driving instructors and truck drivers. Being Black doesn't make us dirty. The guesthouse was dirty already, and she hadn't even planned to wash the duvets, which we kept clean. There's no accessibility for people with reduced mobility: no ramps, no way to access the toilets or bathroom, and not even a small grab bar for the steps. IT'S A LIE!!!!!!!!!!! Still, we had fun with everyone and are happy with the stay overall. The bitter owner we met at the end was the real disappointment of the trip. At least it happened at the end.

The accommodation was unsanitary and poorly kept, and the owners' dogs attacked our dog twice, leaving him hurt and bleeding. They said their dogs would stay inside, but that never happened. When we raised the issue, the woman got very hostile and blamed us. We'd agreed that we could stay until Monday evening, and that was initially fine. Then the next guests unexpectedly canceled, and the owner had another angry outburst and blamed us again. A thoroughly unpleasant stay, absolutely not recommended.

Our dog was attacked twice by the owner's dogs on the property we rented. He had serious wounds, so we left within 24 hours, and then we were accused of causing it. The listing says dogs are allowed. That woman is crazy. I really wouldn't recommend this place. Don't come here!!!

The location worked well for us with a car, including day trips to Bastogne and La Roche, and the pool was big enough for our group and well looked after. The house is actually larger than it looks in the photos. We were there for a week with 12 adults and 2 children. There was a pool table, which was a decent stand-in for the ping-pong table listed on Airbnb, though we couldn't find the ping-pong one. The kitchen had just about everything, but the dishwasher only got dishes clean on the intensive setting. The place is showing its age and needs renovation. The rooms weren't better: mattresses were too soft or worn, and you could feel like you were lying on the slats. Things looked thrown together, the flimsy window blinds kept falling down, and it was very noisy. The toilets don't lock, either. The pool was also closed on and off, so we couldn't use it for about a third of our stay. The owners speak no German and very little English. In Belgium and France, it helps to bring something to show them, or you'll be communicating with gestures.