La Bastide de Voulonne

We liked the gite's decor, kitchen, shower, and quiet air conditioning, and the pool was very nice. The location is perfect, and it was good value for money. But the beds were very hard, and the patio was a little shabby, with a full ashtray and two wasp nests in the sun umbrella when we arrived. The coffee machine had no pods; there was just one trash bag, watered-down soap, very few toilet rolls, and nowhere to put shower gel or shampoo except on the shower floor. A bottle of water in the fridge or some other small welcome would have helped. Those inexpensive touches were missing. The wifi was poor, too. We stayed five days and didn't see or speak to anyone. The grounds seemed neglected, the fish pond needed care, and stored furniture in odd places spoiled the atmosphere. When we checked out, we tried hard to find someone to pay, but eventually left and emailed to ask for an invoice. The next day, we got an email saying they hadn't noticed we were gone and had mixed up the dates because they were busy making breakfast. Really? We weren't asking for much, but some sign they'd noticed us would have been nice. I even wondered whether they only wanted British guests. There were no suggestions about the region or anything else, since nobody was around. In our opinion, the place has potential, but lacked care, passion, and love. I wonder if the owners even want to be there or have other things on their minds. Kindness and some service go a long way.