When choosing your rental property in France it's important to think about what space you need and how you're going to use that space.
My wife and I took our two small children to Chamonix this last Christmas and along with another couple who also had two small children we rented a 5 bed chalet for the Christmas week.
We were mindful of choosing the right house for our holiday and the use of space was very important. 5 beds was great, 4 baths was also great and the house was in excellent condition as described to us. However, the use of space was not ideal for 4 children under 5 for several reasons.
The house didn't have hallways as such, which meant that any noise we made on the ground floor, in the living room, went straight upstairs to be heard by the children.
As the house was fairly tall, over 4 floors, the rooms were quite close laterally and as such meant that it was always a bit of a stress trying to put child 2 to bed when child 1 wasn't fully asleep.
Being a chalet in the Alps the house was very "Woody" in it's style which was lovely but meant that we had four floors of "open" tread stairs, which for very small children was fairly nerve wracking to say the least.
As the house was fairly tall, over 4 floors, the rooms were quite close laterally and as such meant that it was always a bit of a stress trying to put child 2 to bed when child 1 wasn't fully asleep.
Being a chalet in the Alps the house was very "Woody" in it's style which was lovely but meant that we had four floors of "open" tread stairs, which for very small children was fairly nerve wracking to say the least.
These pitfalls are not the fault of the booking agent, who was very helpful, but are an example of why the use of space can be very important and why you should think about this when booking a holiday home.
The best tips I can give you to avoid disappointment and to ensure you make the best choice possible are as follows;
Think about the space you need as opposed to the space you'd like.
Work out and write down what's important to you, perhaps based on how you live at home. For example, 2 children's bedrooms away from the reception areas for noise and not having direct access to the swimming pool.
Make a phone call to the booking agent if there is one or call the owners directly. All booking agents should know every one of their properties and be able to talk you through how the house or apartment is laid out.
Ask for a floor plan. This has become the norm for residential estate agency in places like central London and it's only a matter of time before this filters down to the holiday rentals market. This way you can see exactly how the property is laid out and can plan who's going to have which room before you commit yourself.
Work out and write down what's important to you, perhaps based on how you live at home. For example, 2 children's bedrooms away from the reception areas for noise and not having direct access to the swimming pool.
Make a phone call to the booking agent if there is one or call the owners directly. All booking agents should know every one of their properties and be able to talk you through how the house or apartment is laid out.
Ask for a floor plan. This has become the norm for residential estate agency in places like central London and it's only a matter of time before this filters down to the holiday rentals market. This way you can see exactly how the property is laid out and can plan who's going to have which room before you commit yourself.
Follow these simple guidelines and you will undoubtedly make the right choice and enjoy a fabulous holiday, whether you're with family or friends.
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