Gites de Kermavio Information

What’s included in the price of my holiday? What about the gym? Are there any “optional extras”?

What is the £150 security deposit? Are there any other charges or costs? What about smoking?

Is there anything we should do before we book? How do we book? How do we pay?

Is there anything else we need to do?

My question isn’t here!

What’s included in the price of my holiday?

* All gas, electricity and water.
* All bed linen and tea towels.
* Pre-arrival shopping (at cost).
* Detailed directions to Kermavio.
* Respite from TV - although we do provide CD players.
* A selection of games, books, leaflets and maps.
* Full use of our award winning gardens.
* Undercover parking
* Free use of the Laundry Room for Cider House and Shippern guests (facilities in house at The Old House).
* Covered drying area.
* Central heating in the cooler months.

What about the gym?

Whilst you, or anyone in your party over the age of 16, is more than welcome to use our gym, it does not constitute part of your holiday. This is not us being difficult, but, as the equipment is domestic quality, not commercial quality, insurance is almost impossible. Consequently, the gym is available to you on the basis that you accept that you are uninsured and that we, as the owners, cannot be responsible for any injury. Put another way, you use it at your own risk. Our apologies for this, but the way of the world demands that we have to point this out. If you are intending to use the gym, then you might like to think about taking out personal insurance to cover for any accident or injury.

Are there any “optional extras”?

Yes, there is one bolt on and that is the Final Professional Cleaning Service. Most people (wives) don’t really want to spend their last day cleaning loos, scrubbing ovens or de-frosting ‘fridges. As they are on holiday too, they don’t want to do much more than wash up, wipe the work surfaces, wave a duster about a bit and show the vacuum to the carpets. If this sounds like you, then we can offer you the Final Professional Cleaning Service option for £25 (40€).

If, on the other hand, you are naturally tidy (no kids) and spend most of your time away from the gîte – or simply think “How much?!” – then the option is not for you. The choice is yours.

What is the £150 security deposit?

This is in case of expensive accidental damage. Which does not include things like a broken wineglass. Previous guests who have had such minor accidents simply nip down to the local supermarket and replace it. It is to cover things like broken windows, ruined carpets, that kind of stuff. We ask for it to be sent to us when you pay the balance of your holiday rental.

If you have not had an expensive accident, then it is repaid within four weeks of your departure. In many successful years, we have only had to make one deduction - for postage returning a large and bulky item that had been left behind.

Are there any other charges or costs?

Unfortunately, your travelling expenses, spending money, food etc. are down to you – we have been asked! Other than that, apart from reimbursing us for any purchases you have asked us to make for you, there are possibly a couple. We recognise that sometimes it is not always feasable to leave the world of work completely.

So you are welcome to use our ‘phone or our computer to send or receive e-mails if necessary. Regrettably, France Telecom is not an altruistic organisation, so we will have to charge you what they charge us.

Is there anything we should do before we book?

Assuming you have already checked on the availability of your chosen gîte and availability of your chosen travel method (if applicable), then there is one thing. Please read our Booking Conditions. They can be found by clicking the “Booking” button on the menu. Dry, reader un-friendly and steeped in legalese as they are, they are important.

If you have rented a gîte before, you will recognise them as being fairly standard. But if you are a first time “gîter”, don’t be put off by them. They are designed for your protection as well as ours. Fortunately, it is extremely rare for any gîte owner or their clients to need recourse to them.

How do we book?

The quickest way is by e-mail. If you are reading this, then you probably have one – unless, of course, you’re in a Cyber café. Our address is provided at the foot of this page for your convenience.

Alternatively, ‘phone us on 00 33 2 97 38 14 18. Evenings are probably best as we are in and out like fiddler’s elbows during the day. If you get the answer machine, please leave a message and we will call you back as soon as we can.

Once you have made your provisional booking, please print out a copy of the booking form –click on the “Booking” button on the menu – complete it and post it with your deposit to:-

Helen Glasby, Kermavio, 56480 Cléguérec, France.

Please mention the month by name and not in figures. We don’t all read them the same. A colleague had a booking dated for 8/10/02. Being a Brit, he read it as day, month and year and thought he had a guest arriving on the 8th October 2002. The guest, on the other hand, thought he was arriving on the 10th August 2002. The guest was American and our colleague realised, in time to prevent a double booking, that Americans read all-figure dates as month, day, year!! Oops!

If your booking form and deposit haven’t arrived within a week, we will contact you to verify your reservation. We are unable to confirm your booking until we receive them.

How do we pay?

Sterling: Because of exorbitant bank charges, we are no longer able to accept credit cards. Which leaves cheques or bank transfers. Five-day transfers are free. Please ask us for details if transfers are your preferred method.

Euros: When the Euro became the European currency, the banks lost a sizeable income from currency conversion commissions. So they have put a large charge on handling “foreign” Euro cheque transactions! And, apart from the Republic of Ireland, bank transfers seem to attract hefty charges from the clearing banks.

So, if you are in Eire, then bank transfer is the simplest way. If you are elsewhere, then the easiest, quickest and least expensive way of moving Euros around the Eurozone is via the Post Office.

Just go into your local Post Office and tell them you want to send an International Money Order to Helen Glasby via the Post Office at 56480 Cléguérec, France. We understand that most Post Offices insist on cash. There is a small charge for this of about 2€. When it arrives in Cléguérec, our Post Office tell us and we call in to collect it.

Other Currencies: Please call in to your local Post Office and see if the system described in the paragraph above is available in your country.

It may be possible to pay via Paypal. We are only allowed to receive a couple of payments by credit card via them each year before "upgrading" to their next level - which we cannot possibly sustain. And their charges mean we will have to reluctantly apply a 3% surcharge. But this still may be the least expensive way.

Over the years we have had many guests from around the world. And we have always found a way to avoid the majority of the banker's rip-offs. Please contact us to discuss.

Is there anything else we need to do?

Yes, you need to think about insurances (this is the doom and gloom section).

Firstly, travel insurance.

Something beyond your control could happen which mean you miss your ferry or flight. Most tickets are non-transferable, so you will have to pay again. Or you may leave something valuable somewhere – mobile ‘phones are favourite. Something may get stolen. Unattended cars at ferry ports on both sides of the Channel are a prime target for thieves. Any one of a countless number of things could happen that mean you would have to cancel your holiday. If you do, we may or may not be able to make a refund – please see our booking conditions. So we strongly recommend you purchase travel insurance with a cancellation clause.

Secondly, health insurance.

Occasionally people on holiday need to visit a doctor or hospital. Although you will have to pay the doctor or hospital for your consultation and any prescriptions at the time, you can claim some, or all, of the cost back when you get home providing you have an English EHIC or European equivalent. We believe this cover is free, but check with your doctor to make sure.

Lastly, personal accident insurance.

Public liability insurance in France is a lot less comprehensive than it is in England. This is because the French have personal accident insurance. For instance, if someone falls down a flight of stairs in a shop, breaks their leg and cannot work for a couple of months, they cannot sue the shop (unless the shop has been negligent – a torn stair carpet, say - but negligence is difficult to prove). Instead, the person claims off his or her own personal insurance. So, if you or one of your family is accident-prone, you might like to think about taking out cover.

The above is intended to be a guide only. We do not pretend to be experts on these or any other types of insurance cover. So please seek the advice of a professional insurance broker or agent.

What about smoking?

We have been asked a couple of times if our gîtes are non-smoking. As far as we are aware, they are, but we cannot guarantee that one or more of them hasn't nipped behind the big barn for a crafty drag.

As the aim of Kermavio is to provide our guests with a relaxing and peaceful environment, we try to have as few "rules" as possible. Therefore, our guests are free to smoke, or not, as they choose.

Over the years, our guests who don't smoke have far outnumbered those who do. During that time, not even recent non-smokers - including one of us who is also mildly asthmatic - has detected, let alone complained about, the after-effects of cigarette smoke.

My question isn’t here!

Which means this is a proper FAQ’s page after all! In that case, please give us a ring (00 33 (0)2 97 38 14 18) or send an e-mail by clicking on the link below and we will do our best to answer it (them) for you.