Villa & Gites La Corbusière

I’m replying to Betty Millet’s comment as the owner of the villa. We’ve rented accommodation in Lorgues for five years and, until now, have received only five-star reviews. Our guests have been happy with their stays, and many come back to this little paradise. In all that time, there hasn’t been a negative comment. About Mrs. Ducrocq and her family, Betty Millet, and their August 5-19 stay in the “Les Lavandins” gîte, I’d like to clarify a few things. The first booking was made by mistake for the “Santolines” Suite through our concierge website, which handles all our rentals. That suite wasn’t suitable for four adults. La Corbusière has two separate gîtes and a suite on the villa’s upper floor, each described as suitable for a small family with one or two children. Mrs. Ducrocq was told the booking wasn’t right for four adults, but she kept it. We then offered a 36m² independent gîte with a mezzanine as a more suitable option. They were unpleasant and even aggressive from the start because they expected two bedrooms. I offered them the chance to leave if they weren’t happy, but they chose to stay. I explained on the first day that jumping or diving wasn’t allowed in the beautiful 17m pool. Its overflow system and salt electrolysis sterilization are more fragile than those of some other pools. I need to keep the water’s pH between 7.2 and 7.6. Repeated diving can cause 6,000 liters of water a day to be lost without recovery by the buffer tank, and means about 50 kg of extra salt has to be added. The pool is monitored constantly and, besides automatic cleaning, a pool professional maintains it every week. Repeated dives did cause a problem, but it was fixed within 24 hours. We let their guests come too, and my wife brought them appetizers and other refreshments almost every day, as she did for the other tenants. They have a particular way of saying thank you. The other tenants all appreciate these thoughtful gestures and the welcome at La Corbusière, as well as the owners’ kindness and availability. For the first time in five years, Ms. Ducrocq, Betty Millet, has given a different account. I consider it dishonest and completely unfounded. Yours faithfully, François Simonet

My parents and their friends booked a 15-day stay for four adults, from August 4 to 19, 2017, and were treated very poorly. On arrival, they were moved to another cottage because the accommodation wasn’t suitable for four adults. The owner leaves the rentals to an organization in Lyon that has never even seen the property. A disgrace! There was no privacy in the cottage, and there were mattresses on the mezzanine floor. The owner was unpleasant and told them, “If you’re not happy, you’re leaving!!!!” He shouted at his wife in front of the guests. They weren’t allowed to use the pool loungers at the start of their stay because Mr. Not Happy said so, even though there’s an infinity pool and no limits on when you can use it. Shameful! When we visited our family there on the last day, the owner shouted at his wife in front of us again. The pool was closed at 4 p.m., and after several days without maintenance, its water had turned green. It’s a shame, because the grounds are beautiful and well cared for. But the owner isn’t suited to hosting guests and could spoil a family’s whole stay.