I was fortunate enough to be asked to review their book, and I can honestly say I can not recommend it enough. I was a lecturer in archaeology before I moved to France, and this is just the sort of book I could have done with when I started out five years ago. But, reading it now, admittedly with only five years under my belt, I am also confident even the old hands in the business will find something they had not thought about.

The book is well organised and very clearly written; Lucy and Caroline have produced a logical and readable set of coherent guidelines for hoteliers to get every aspect of their sales and marketing strategies in shape for great success. In a step by step way, the book takes you from the basics such as thinking about who your guests are and determining what it is you are offering these guests, and at what price, through the minefield of marketing what it is you are offering.

Do not be put off by the title, i.e. ‘Hotel Success Handbook’, as the subtitle makes clear this book is as suitable for B&Bs and gites.

You can get yourself a copy of this book on Amazon, and even look at a few sample pages, simply click on the link below. If you already have the book, why not add comments of your own.

That said… we need your help! If you’ve created a listing, it is NOT automatically translated for you… you need to ACTIVATE your listing in each language.

The good news is… it’s really simple. Just visit your listing on the site, and just underneath the listing name, you’ll see a series of flags. Click on each of the flags in turn, and watch as the page is translated before your very eyes. Once each translation has completed, move onto the next flag. Once you’ve finished, the translations will be ‘activated’ and Google etc will be able to find and crawl then.

• Twitter
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Tumblr
• Friendfeed

The plugin I’m using has a lot more options so when I have some time I’ll add some more hubs in to ensure that each gite or holiday rental property in France gets even more social exposure on the net.

The site is built using WordPress, and as it’s been getting increased traffic I’ve noticed that the page loads have been slowing a little bit. With that in mind, I’ve just installed a new plugin called WP Super Cache which dramatically speeds up the page load times by caching each page on the site.

Secondly, I’ve just installed and configured a great little plugin called Transposh, which is an automatic translation tool. I’m not claiming these tools give perfect translation, but if you’re a foreign language visitor who doesn’t speak english, i’m hoping you’re more likely to be able to discern the meaning of a computer translation of a piece of text than the original. If you speak a foreign language and fancy tidying up any of the automated translations on the site, drop me a line!

• A domain name (paid for 2 years)
• Free Hosting (paid for 2 years)
• A website with Content Management System, Contact Form, Image Gallery, Map etc
• Search Engine Optimisation for 5 search terms

This package usually costs 795 Euros so it’s a great opportunity to get a brand new look and site for free! Simply advertise your gite for free with Rent a Gite in France for a chance of winning!

The draw will take place on 30th November. Judges decision is final, no cash alteratives etc.

The list is pretty long, so I’ve limited it to the top 150 searches to give you an insight into the types of searches people are entering to find the site. They’re ordered by the total number of visits:

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And the random search query of the month award goes to “stevedriver”. Who, what!?

News will definitely follow!

Welcome

The perfect holiday cottage, on the river Vilaine between Nantes & Rennes in S. Brittany. Prices from £350 – £420 pw & £10 linen.

The lounge, dining area and kitchen of the cottage are open-plan. The lounge has two large comfortable armchairs & beanbags. The dining area has table and chairs to accommodate four people. The kitchen has a large fridge/freezer, microwave, gas cooker, Foreman grill, coffee maker and all other modern essentials.

Heating is provided via a large electric convection radiator and cast iron wood burning grate. The large wooden shuttered  windows overlook the river to the front with another set to the rear overlooking farmland.

Bedroom 1 – Large double bed with side lighting, full length mirror, wardrobe, chest of drawers and two bedside cabinets. Wooden shuttered windows with river view.

Bedroom 2 – Two comfortable single beds, wardrobe, dressing table and bedside table and with views of the countryside. A spare camp bed is provided for additional flexibility.

Bathroom – Full length bath with overhead shower and mirrored wash basin. A hairdryer is provided.

Separate WC.

House entertainment is provided by TV/DVD/CD & FTA satellite player ( BBC Freeview & ITV channels )  and also a selection of books, videos, dvds and games ( indoor and outdoor ) to suit all ages. Birds abound, so there are binoculars for bird watching – buzzards / nuthatch / green woodpecker / heron and cormorant seen from garden.

Outside

The chalet has a large private garden of fruit trees and roses, enclosed by tall laurel hedges. The orchard has a traditional brick ‘Breton’ bbq with a large picnic bench for ‘al fresco’ dining. The house is adjoined to the rear by a neighbours paddock & horses.

The garden is child friendly with a hammock and tree swings. There are three adult and two childrens bikes for use including helmets and locks.

Large secure garage, with washing machine and private parking for 4 cars off the drive.

Location

The villages of Guipry and Messac are only 2 km away, a 30 minute walk (15 min bike). The villages have bars, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and pharmacies . These can be accessed via the tow path, a scenic bike ride (15 min) which is as flat as it gets and passes a notable riverside chapel.

Many other walks are close at hand signposted by the local tourist organisations varying in length to suit all needs.

Rennes – The ancient capital of Brittany is a short car/train ride away and well worth keeping a day free for. A city blending an old town steeped in history with many buildings of historical interest. A modern vibrant university city teeming with bars, restaurants and shops.

Josselin – (66km) a historical town with a magnificent Chateau. St. Anne de Auray has massive outdoor altars and in July you can witness the Spectacular ‘Pardon’ festival. ‘Son et Lumiere’ productions are staged during the summer in the grounds of the Chateau. The castle town of Vitre offers an alternative medieval destination,( closed on Wednesdays )

Loheac – (5km) A perfect rainy day option ! This nearby village is the home of the largest motor museum in France with over 300 vehicles of all ages from the 19th century up to modern day formula one racing cars. The centre of the village has some beautiful period bars and highly recommended restaurants.

Bain de Bretagne – ( 10 km ) Large activity lake, dinghy/canoe courses, indoor swimming pool, lakeside cafe, bouncy castle, pedalos.

La Gacilly – ( 30 km ) pretty arts & craft town, with many galleries situated upon a river with dramatic weirs & waterfalls.

Markets – Guipry has its own small farmers market on Thursday mornings and the surrounding towns have markets on various days of the week. The market at Roche Bernard (Thu) being notable, or for the big trip, Vannes on a Saturday.

Activities

Swimming – There is an open air pool in the nearby village of Guipry, open in the summer months and an indoor pool in Bain de Bretagne(10kms away).

Boat Hire – Canoes & larger pleasure craft can be hired locally. The river flows at a leisurely pace during the Summer months.

Walking – An extensive network of footpaths means that walkers can experience the natural beauty of the area.

Fishing – Fishing rights exist for you along the house front, your only competition is the local heron/cormorant.  To take advantage of the prime fishing station ( on the adjacent island ) you’ll need an inexpensive weekly fishing permit from the local tabac in Guipry. There is a basic 4m pole and rigs available in the chalet , with plenty of cheap tackle available locally.

Cycling – Quiet country lanes and level paths along the river provide easy and safe cycling ways.

Golf – Rennes has 3 golf courses, the nearest of which and most recently opened is on the road to Rennes some 15 kilometres from Malon.

Beaches – The ‘nearest’ being Penestin (80kms) Morbihan , surrounded by the ocean, offers its 25km of coastline to sea lovers. Mine d’Or With its golden cliffs (listed site), numerous beaches, wild creeks and Trehiguier fishing port are varied natural settings.

Zoos & Parks. The zoological gardens at Branfere are 30 minutes away, a great trip for the kids. The Prehistoric Park ( 40 minutes ) has large lifesize displays of the said era, and is close to a Tropical Garden Park. The ‘Ferme de la Monde’ at Carentoir offers a closer trip and has a great goat enclosure.

Wineries. You are only 40 minutes from Nantes. The Nantais is Muscadet country. This is the Western most stretch of Loire vineyards, accompanying the river along its last fifty or so miles before it spills into the Atlantic, and the region also marks the most northwestern point of all France’s vineyards. Centred around the city of Nantes, the vineyards are only part of a sandy landscape which includes industry, fishing ports, tourism and parades of French bikers. From the Nantais, it is a short journey east to reach the vineyards of Anjou and Saumur.

Pets

Well behaved dogs are welcomed, but owners are reminded of their responsibilities to following guests who may have small children.

Travelling here

By ferry:-

St Malo 1hr 15mins

Caen 3 hrs

LD Line Ferries also provides an excellent budget service to Le Havre (hr drive).

By air :-

30 mins from Rennes airport

40 mins from Nantes airport

Car Hire: Note that many airport desks (bar Hertz – opens at 1100) are closed most of Sunday.

Changeovers

Guests to arrive after 1500 and vacate by 1000, please.

Brochure

A detailed colour pdf brochure of all of the above information can be emailed/posted upon request from Kevin Cornmell 02380 905569 or visiting the following website

http://www.visitfrance.co.uk/petitemaison