La Maison d'Amélie

The booking and first contact a few months ahead of our New Year’s trip with friends were pleasant. The owner’s sister arrived late to welcome us, but we did get the keys. We found the house cold and not ready for us. There were no duvets, chairs and rugs hadn’t been put out, and a strong musty smell hung around. The room beside the main cottage smelled of gas, and a leak at the gas inlet meant we couldn’t use it. The boiler was out of order, so we had no heat for 24 hours while it was below freezing outside. The owner suggested we wait in the main room next door, which was heated but had no toilet or cooking gas, until the plumber came. We were told to use the smaller cottage’s bathroom, as its water heater provided hot water. That cottage can accommodate 15 adults and has a fireplace, but its old heaters were useless and everything apart from the fireplace stayed cold. The boiler was repaired at 6 pm the day after we arrived. The owner called this quick, though clearly we don’t mean the same thing by that. He also doesn’t handle the Google review responses. There were cleaning problems in all three parts of the cottage: dirty tables, hair in the bedding, dust on furniture, and smudged glass. The main room was dirty too, with food and alcohol marks on the tables and chairs, dust everywhere, and food left in the freezer. Other issues included induction and gas hobs that didn’t fully work, a broken towel warmer in the downstairs bathroom, cracked and broken glasses in the cupboards, and a broken sink handle. The games area in the shed hadn’t been maintained and had to be shared with the other cottages, something the listing didn’t mention. Nobody took an inventory when we arrived or left. We hadn’t booked cleaning, so the owner offered it to us, saying we only needed to put the dishes away. There was no financial compensation, just an offer of a discounted future stay. Appalling, considering what we paid. A small dog and a cat also wander around the grounds, but we were charged an extra €30 to bring our dog. That feels like a sneaky extra pet charge, and it wasn’t mentioned in the listing. The listing is outdated and doesn’t reflect the current condition of the place. It’s a pleasant property with room for better reviews, and I hope your stays go more smoothly than ours. But this was a disappointing New Year’s break for the amount we paid.

The house and its contents are very old and in poor shape, including the furniture, beds, and decorations. The rooms also weren’t especially clean or comfortable. We came with friends for New Year’s, and on the first day there was no heating or hot water, even though it was 0 degrees Celsius. With babies along, getting through that cold night was hard. If comfort is what you’re after, this isn’t the place.

For what we paid, the minimum should have been a clean, working, heated place. That wasn’t what we got, and I was very disappointed with this New Year’s stay. We rented the gîte for 15 adults and 3 children. The boiler didn’t have enough fuel oil, leaving us without heat for an evening, the whole night, and most of the next day, with temperatures below freezing. It was a really hard situation, especially with the children. The cleaning was poor too: hair on the beds, bathroom bins without inner buckets, and cutlery and plates that weren’t properly clean. The common room was cluttered, with things stored and put away haphazardly. At this price, the service was simply unacceptable.

La Maison d’Amélie was spotlessly clean and had everything we needed, so we felt very comfortable. The owner deserves a special mention for being so friendly. We loved the quiet countryside setting for relaxing and recharging, and had a wonderful stay. We’d happily come back and highly recommend it.