Here's a copy of Don's tips on renting homes and villas in Europe presented at the April, 2007 meeting of the Travel Club:
Staying in a rental house, whether a French gîte or an Italian agritourism rental, involves making right choices, especially if there are more than one couple or two or three singles. We stayed in an Umbrian rural rental with two other couples for a week that worked very smoothly. Our rental was the entire basement of an Umbrian home containing three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a common kitchen with indoor dining and outdoor dining under a pergola. Two of the couples had arrived a week earlier and this was their second week in the rental, while a third couple departed as we arrived. We stocked the kitchen as we made decisions on which nights we would dine in and which ones we would eat in nearby restaurants. Most meals were eaten out, exploring new restaurants we came across or our English landlords recommended. Our wine was purchased in eleven liter amounts from a local wine cooperative—you take your empty container (you could purchase containers at the cooperative) and get filled each time from “gasoline-style” pumps, each one being a different quality of wine.
Since the rental was fully furnished, we had all the cooking pans, etc. we needed—the basic spices, salt/pepper, are usually supplied or left by previous tenants. Dishes, utensils, etc. are supplied—you supply the food you desire. Stove and refrigerator are supplied, but it is important to have your host(s) show you how they operate. We often ate outside under the pergola. Since we didn’t always do things together, while one or two couples were out traveling, the third couple could use the washer/dryer to catch-up on laundry. Or, if you wished, in our case, take advantage of the swimming pool.
Gîte rentals in France are fully furnished, since they are often used by French families to save on travel costs. Our gîte in Provence had everything but the swimming pool. The guidelines apply—let your host show you how to use appliances—any language barrier can be overcome by watching a demonstration on how-to operate the device. Smiles and body language can clear up most misunderstandings. Your hosts want you happy.
If you are by yourself in a rental, as we were in the small French village of Beynac, the same guidelines work very well. Our French speaking hosts showed us through the rental and carefully demonstrated each appliance and the heating system—a gas stove—so that we felt comfortable using them. Except for our rental in Umbria, all the French hosts spoke only their native language, not even our smattering of German would help us. But no problem—everyone involved wanted to communicate and we were all successful.
Resource: “Tuscany and Provence by the Week” by Rick Garman in http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/france/tuscprov.htm
