Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need to bring towels or sheets?

No, we provide lots of fluffy white indoor towels and big blue pool towels for all the guests booked into the cottage, and good (usually) Egyptian cotton ironed sheets to fit our beds.  All linen is changed weekly.


Is parking available outside the cottage?

No, parking is not available adjacent to the cottage, but there is adequate parking available nearby.

The Rue Caterine is not accessible to motor vehicles because it was designed in the XI th century for pedestrians and donkey carts and is too narrow for modern motor vehicles. This makes the cottages beautifully quiet and safe for small children, but means it’s a couple of minutes walk to a parking spot.

Parking spaces are reserved for our guests at the entrance to the castle.  However, except in August when the whole of France is on holiday, even filling the parking in Brissac le Haut, most guests use the village parking at the entrance of the village, and then stroll up to their cottage.  If the parking is full you can always drive on up to your reserved space by the castle's main gate.  

On first arrival, guests come to the castle gate, and we help them to unload and take their things down to their house.  On departure, most guests park at the entrance to the Rue Caterine and then bring their things downhill to their car. Help is again available if requested.  Those who have to make an early departure and want to load their car the night before are welcome to bring their vehicle into the castle courtyard where it, and the contents, will be perfectly secure overnight under the protection of the castle guard dog.

Whenever we meet our guests walking up the Rue Caterine with their groceries or young children we always ask if they would prefer to have parking closer to their door.  They invariably say that they prefer to walk and have the peace and tranquility of being at the end of the last street in the village, virtually in the country, with mostly singing birds for company.  It can take anywhere from a couple of minutes to a couple of hours to get home after parking your car, depending on how long you stop to visit along the way, but isn't this what holidays are made of?


I can’t find a booking form on your website, how do I make a booking?

Either fill in the Booking Form, or just email or telephone  and we will confirm availability with you.


Could you tell me how much a particular week costs?

See our availability page, or contact us for a quote. 


I’d like to book for a month or longer. Is this possible?

Reduced rates are offered for stays of up to five months in the winter (October to April).  Please contact us to discuss your plans. 


Is there a stereo in the cottage?

Yes, there is a little stereo radio/CD player in each cottage.


Is there a hairdryer in the cottage?

Yes there is, next to a full-length mirror with an electric outlet nearby. 


Communicating with the outside world, or is there WIFi available?

There is a rural level of 3G coverage from the antenna across the valley.

We finally capitulated and now WiFi is available when it is working. As the following email from the Guardian explains, in our rural village service cannot be guaranteed at any time during your stay:

26 Mars 2013
 
Cette apres midi je suis alle a St Clement de Riviere changer la Livebox ,  ce qui est fait avec beaucoup de patience car bien entendu les references qu on m avait donnees par telephone ne correspondait pas; et apres beaucoup d appels telephoniques tres longs, deux rendez vous tres longs ici avec deux techniciens qui ont trouve des pannes ...inconnues mais reelles,  plus le 2eme qui a completement coupe la ligne en travaillant sur le central a Brissac, j avais epuise ma patience (la panne a commence le 15!).
 
or, roughly translated,
 
This afternoon I went  to St Clement de Riviere (effectively to Montpellier - a 45 minute drive away) to exchange the modem, which required lots of patience because of course the reference numbers which I was given over the telephone did not correspond to the ones available at the shop; and after lots of very long telephone calls plus two visits from two different technicians who both found faults - unknown but real - in addition to which the second technician completely disconnected our line while working at the central distributor in Brissac, I completely exhausted my patience (The breakdown occurred on the 15th!).  Finally I reconnected everything and it all works again, even the landline telephone. 

This thoroughly French comedy happens two or three times a year. The 3G connection is marginally more reliable.

Note that there is NO TELEVISION anywhere in the Rue Caterine property or in the castle.

We prefer to offer the peace and repose, perhaps never before experienced, of life without electronic communication.

In an emergency we will make every effort to help, putting at your disposal internet, telephone and a member of staff or the owner to translate as necessary.