Lou  Recantou   &   l'Ancien Pressoir

FAQs

Lou Recantou:         the cottage         guestbook comments
L'Ancien Pressoir:         the apartment         guestbook comments
Availability & rates     Booking conditions     Booking information
The area     Places to visit     Outdoor activities     Photos of the region
Weather & seasons     Getting here     FAQs     When in France     Books & links
Home     January 2012 newsletter     The owners     How to contact us



 

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QUESTIONS

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ANSWERS

Where is Oupia?
    See The area

How big is the pool? Is it shared?
    It's about 3 m. by 6 m. and 1.2 m. deep and is for the sole use of guests in Lou Recantou

Do you accept children?
    Yes, with pleasure.

Do you accept pets?
    Regrettably, no.

Is there wheelchair access?
    Lou Recantou: Only with difficulty, as the driveway is gravel, there is a step from the entry walkway to the terrace, a metal rail at the entry and the doors to the bathroom are too narrow for a wheelchair.
    Unfortunately not, as l'Ancien Pressoir is on the upper floor and is accessed by a flight of stairs.

Is smoking allowed on the Pressoir balcony or the Lou Recantou terrace?
    No, we ask that there be no smoking anywhere on the property.

Are linens provided? If so, what?
    Yes, we provide sheets, pillowcases and towels (changed weekly) as well as bathmats, hand towels, dish towels, dish cloths, cloth table napkins, place mats, cleaning rags and, in Lou Recantou, pool towels.

Is there Internet? Wifi? Access to a computer?
    Yes, to all three, in both properties. There's a desktop computer in Lou Recantou and, on request, a laptop in L'Ancien Pressoir.

Is there a telephone?
    Yes, in both properties. Calls can be made to any destination and we can keep track of the cost online.

Is there a television?
    No, but there's a DVD player in Lou Recantou and we have lots of DVDs - not many of the thriller sort, though.

How big are the beds? Are they firm?
    Lou Recantou: See house.htm#rooms
    L'Ancien Pressoir: See newgite.htm#bed

What other equipment can I expect to find in Lou Recantou?
    See The house

What other equipment can I expect to find in L'Ancien Pressoir?
    See L'Ancien Pressoir

Do I have to bring salt, pepper, laundry detergent, etc?
    We provide enough salt, pepper, sugar, flour, olive oil, wine vinegar, spices, fresh garlic, tea and coffee to last a few days, as well as bath and hand soap, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher tablets and products, equipment and products for cleaning, including clean rags.


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Will I be expected to clean during and after my stay?
    At present, guests are expected to do the cleaning themselves, unless they opt to pay a cleaning fee. If they would like to have cleaning done during their stay, that can easily be arranged.

Is the water safe to drink?
    The water in Oupia is excellent. It comes from a constantly monitored spring in the Montagne Noire and is so good that people not living in the villages supplied by the spring come to this area to fill up their containers.

Is there a discount for a long-term stay?
    Yes. Please see Long-term discounts.

What can I expect in the way of weather?
    See Weather and seasons

Is Oupia convenient to shops, banks, etc.?
    There is a very well-supplied little shop in Oupia, with fresh meat, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, staples, etc. There is also a post office in the village, an excellent winery and a restaurant.
    There are four larger shops in Olonzac, 3km/2 mi. from Oupia, as well as a bank with an ATM, a larger post office, two pharmacies, three boulangeries (bakeries), a news agent, a book store, three garages (Peugeot, Citroën and Renault), several restaurants and cafés and a large weekly market.

Should I bring traveller's cheques or a credit card?
    We do NOT recommend traveller's cheques!! See When in France (banks)

Can I use my credit card to pay for gas/petrol at service stations?
    See When in France (banks)


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What is the best way of getting to Lou Recantou and L'Ancien Pressoir?
    See Getting here

Is it possible to get to Oupia by train from Paris?
    Not all the way. See Getting here (by train) and France Train Travel

How far is it from _____ to _____?
    See Road distances in France or Google - Maps.

How long does it take to drive from Paris?
    7 hours and 34 minutes, according to Google, but that's non-stop under ideal conditions. You should probably count on about 9 hours.

How long does it take to drive from the Montpellier airport?
    About 1½ hours

How long does it take to drive from the Toulouse airport (Blagnac)?
    1½ to 2 hours

How long does it take to drive from Carcassonne?
    About 45 minutes

How long does it take to drive from Barcelona?
    About 3 hours

How long does it take to drive from Nice?
    About 4½ hours

How long does it take to drive from Béziers airport?
    About one hour

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What is the booking (reservation) procedure?
    See booking information

How should I pay?
    For Canadians, the easiest way is by e-mail (Interac Transfer).
    Canadians can also deposit the equivalent amount of the payment in Canadian dollars to our account at any branch of TD Canada Trust. Ask us for details.
    We can accept cheques in almost any currency, though we will pass on the 21-euro handling fee charged by our French bank. We now have an account with HSBC, who tell us that their fees are lower. They're also trying to help us set up our website so that we can accept online credit card payments.
    A third option, if your bank will do it, is to transfer the funds either to our bank in Canada (in CAD) or to our bank in France (euros). Ask us for details.
    And, finally, a couple of guests have successfully mailed cash (euros) by insuring and registering the envelope. That method was recommended by a friend who's a retired banker.

How do I get the booking/reservation form?
    For Lou Recantou:     Booking form
    For L'Ancien Pressoir:     Booking form
If you can't open up the pdf, try downloading the latest version of Adobe Acrobat. If this doesn't work, we can send it to you.

What is there to see and do in your area?
    See Places to visit and Photographs of the region.

What is there in the way of outdoor activities?
    See Outdoor activities.


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How is the cycling?
    The best! - it's the reason we moved here. See Outdoor activities (cycling) and When in France (cycling).

What sort of bicycles do you have?
    There are four good off-road bicycles with front suspension and one without front suspension, five older road bikes, one child's bicycle and one "lady's" (step-through) bicycle. We lend them out on the condition that bicycle helmets be worn.

Do you provide bicycle helmets?
    Yes, we have several, in different sizes, if you don't want to bring your own.

Is there anywhere nearby to rent bicycles?
    There is a good bicycle rental shop, run by Phil Donnison, in Paraza, on the Canal du Midi. Phil delivers the bikes and provides maps, routes and helmets. His website is at:
Mellow Velos.

How is the walking?
    Excellent. See Outdoor activities (walking) and Books and related links, walking.


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What is it like to drive in France?
    See When in France (driving).

Do you recommend any car rental agencies?
    See Getting here (Renting or leasing a car)

Is it possible to rent a car near the train station in Narbonne?
    See Getting here (Renting or leasing a car)

Would public transportation make it possible not to rent a car?
    Not really, unless you were willing to take a taxi from the train station at Narbonne (about 25 km/15 miles away) and use the bicycles for touring while here. However, it would be very difficult to visit many sites, such as Carcassonne, the Cathar castles and the Mediterranean.

From Oupia, is it feasible to visit Barcelona?
    Yes, though you wouldn't have much time there on a day trip, with 3 hours driving each way - and it's very difficult to find a parking spot. In any case, Barcelona is a beautiful city and merits more than a quick, half-day visit.
    If you DO go, be aware that there are lots of very skilful pickpockets as well as thugs who have a little trick they pull on tourists, which involves puncturing one of the tires, then appearing just as the traveller has returned to the car and opened the door, to offer 'help'. As one or two of them engage the victim in conversation, a third quickly removes anything that appears valuable from the interior of the car.
    We know three couples who have been caught this way, as well as several people who have been pickpocketed. That said, if you're aware of the situation, you can usually avoid difficulties by not being too obvious. Two of the couples who had the flat tire scam pulled on them had British license plates; most rental cars have no distinguishing marks.


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From Oupia, is it feasible to visit Andorra?
    It would be a very long day trip. We were there several years ago and probably wouldn't go back. The view of the mountains around the main (and only real) town in Andorra is stunning, but the town itself (Andorra-la-Vella) is mostly one long street of duty-free shops selling electronic items, alcohol, sugar, perfume, etc. It's a very long, steep climb up into Andorra and then a harrowing descent into the town, which is usually full of buses bringing people from France and Spain to shop.
    The drive there would be beautiful, but the scenery is at least as good almost anywhere in the Pyrénées. That said, if this hasn't satisfied your curiosity and you'd like to see it for yourself, then you should go - and if your experience is more pleasant than ours, we would be delighted to hear about it!
    There is a quirky little Spanish-governed enclave in that area of the French Pyrénées, called Llivia. If you're looking for it on the map, find Font-Romeu (almost directly east of Andorra) and go about 5 km. southwest. Or use Google Maps.

From Oupia, is it feasible to visit Provence?
    Yes but, as a day trip, it would mean a lot of driving (the closest part of Provence is about a 3 hour drive). There's lots to see on easy day trips from Oupia; if you're interested in visiting Provence, you would be better off renting a place there.

From Oupia, is it feasible to visit the Côte d'Azur (the Riviera)?
    The Côte d'Azur is even further away than Provence; it would take at least 4 hours to drive there.

From Oupia, is it feasible to visit the Dordogne?
    The closest part of Dordogne (called the Périgord in French) is also about a 4-hour drive.


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Can you recommend a hotel in Paris?
    Here are a couple of reasonably-priced hotels where we stayed several years ago:
    Hôtel Castex in the Marais district, in the 4th arrondissement. It's clean and comfortable.
    Hôtel Esmeralda, next to Notre Dame and the bookstore Shakespeare and Company, FULL of character, but not for the faint-hearted. There were exposed wires and an athletic resident mouse intent on appropriating our lunch. I loved it, Tim was less enthusiastic.
For a longer stay, consider a self-catering apartment, like Studio Gaîté in Montparnasse.

Can you recommend a hotel in Toulouse?
    The Hôtel Saint-Sernin is an inexpensive hotel by the Cathedral of Saint-Sernin.
    The Hôtel Phoenicia is a more expensive and more comfortable hotel across from the train station.
    For more listings, see the Toulouse tourist information office:
    http://www.uk.toulouse-tourisme.com/accueil/index_en.php.

Can you recommend a hotel in Montpellier?
    See Places to visit (Montpellier)

Can you recommend hotels anywhere else in France?
    Not really, but Federal Hotel is one of the many websites listing hotels throughout the country. An internet search would turn up many more.

Can you recommend any other gîtes in your area?
    See Books and related links, Accommodation

Can you recommend any other gîtes anywhere else in France?
    See Books and related links, Accommodation

How do I plan a good cycling route in France?
    See When in France, cycling and Books and related links, cycling

Can you give me information on buying a house in France?
    It's been too many years since we bought ours for me to give valid answers. However, a web search will turn up many sites that are helpful and, on websites such as Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, you should find several books on the subject. Laws change, so look for recently published editions.
    We subscribe to an informative monthly magazine about living in France and buying property, etc; see The Connexion


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