Villa Failte has a good sized boules pitch in the back garden - great for a bit of fun or competition after a hard days sightseeing or during a relaxing day by the pool.

At the start of 2017 we added floodlights so that the pitch can be used at night time even if pitch dark ... so no excuses for sitting watching films all night !!!  Why not combine a boules competition with a table tennis tournament ?

​Pictures below were taken in October 2017 and April 2017.

From 31 May 2016 all NEW bookings made via HomeAway or Owners Direct will incur a newly introduced traveler fee on HomeAway / OwnersDirect.  This is a pity as this site is the best for features and usability.  We thought that it is only fair to give advance warning of this ... the booking sites do not highlight the fee until you are at the payment stage !

 A "traveler service fee" of between 4% and 8% (but never more than £249) of the booking amount is added.  We, like most owners, are not very happy with this, particularly when we already pay HomeAway an annual fee plus a circa 2% charge on each transaction processed.

You have the choice to book through HomeAway / OwnersDirect OR via HolidayLettings / TripAdvisor (which do not currently charge a traveler service fee).  Further information re both can be found at How to Book.  At this stage we do not take payments direct (eg via bank transfer) as we have always taken the view that booking through the above sites gives the traveler a degree of comfort and protection (see further on this via attachments at How to Book).  However, should fees continue to rise we may consider doing this in the future.  

You should be aware that on both of the above platforms we pay an Annual Fee so that the price quoted is the price of the rental (apart from the HomeAway / Owners Direct traveler fee !). In addition we pay a fee of between 2% and 3% for each booking processed.  Both sites give owners the option of not paying an annual fee but instead the sites add on between 8% and 15% of the rental amount to the travelers' price !!.  This is hidden from travelers but is something you should be aware of when searching vacation properties.

HomeAway / OwnersDirect pay us the money paid by you within 5-7 days whilst HolidayLettings / TripAdvisor pay us the money paid by you after your date of arrival.

 Just returned from a relaxing 4 days in France.  During our stay we updated the settings on the Smart TV and are pleased to report that the following are now available on the main TV set as if you were in the UK (not that you should be watching TV though ... with so much else to do !).  We had them all working very well but remember that the villa internet speed is 4-5MB and so, if others are using tablets and phones for downloading music / videos at the same time, this will impact performance !!

Unfortunately we cannot guarantee availability of the services below but fingers crossed all looks good ...

UK Netflix : if you have a Netflix subscription you can now login and use Netflix 

UK Amazon Instant Video : if you have an Amazon Prime subscription you can now login and use Amazon Prime

BBC I-Player : is fully functional

Demand 5 : is fully functional

ITV Player : is fully functional but requires you to join and login

Our new boules area has been formed at the back of the Villa Failte.  It is approximately 10m long and is made of the same surfacing that you would expect to see on a village or town boules pitch in France.   Here are some pictures taken at the end of March 2016.

We hope to have a table and chairs on the gravel area before the end of May ... ideal for enjoying a refreshing drink whilst the competition is in full flow !

​We also have smoothed an area just next to the boules pitch, ideal for kicking a ball around, etc.  By Spring / Summer this area should be fully grassed.  The white building in the background is a garden equipment shed that is part of our property.

 A big thank you to all of our guests this Spring / Summer ... this has been our 1st year of renting and we can genuinely say that it has been a pleasure - not a chore !  Thanks also to Gavin Plant and the team (not least Marty and Sharon) in Argeles for looking after Villa Failte and our guests so well.  

Surprisingly ALL our bookings came from HomeAway and related sites such as OwnersAbroad and Abritel.  We didn't get any bookings via HolidayLettings / TripAdvisor.  To be honest this suited us as we find the HomeAway system easier to use ... would be interested in hearing guest views ... ?

​We have had lots of good positive feedback particularly for the pool, the summer kitchen, the villa cleanliness and equipment and the location.  But as ever we can always do better and so thanks as well for the various improvement suggestions.  As a result, we have added the following :

• Villa instructions in French and German (we will add other languages if required)
• A full length mirror plus a couple of additional mirrors in bedrooms
• a wash basket to take clothes from washing machine to washing line
• A teapot !
• Map / directions to village
• More practical place mats for the Summer kitchen
• Heavier wine glasses for Summer kitchen
• Oyster knife and melon baller
• Salad spinner
• Oil brush
• Plastic bin bags for bathroom bins
• Selection of trays in kitchen

A few of you suggested different coloured towels so as to avoid confusion in large groups.  This is something we will do when we replace the current towels which were all bought new at the start of the season.

We are thinking of buying 2 or 3 bikes but this comes with added legal responsibilities and difficulties in keeping the bikes in order throughout the year so no quick decision !

Currently the Villa has Orange Internet enabled TV which provides most freeview French channels as well as a few in English (albeit mainly news related).  There is also an internet enabled smart LG TV which allows access to the various web providers of entertainment.  However, as with most of France, English programming is difficult to access due to French broadcasting restrictions.  Filmon.com is available with UK programs but can be patchy at times.  We have looked into French FreeSat with a satellite dish but due to how far South we are decent reception would require an exceptionally large dish (almost 2m) ... we may return to that solution in the future though.  March 2016 Update : Please see the TV update posted March 2016 ... looks like good news !

Notwithstanding the above all of our guests this year appear to have been very happy with the entertainment on offer within the villa -  Orange TV, internet enabled Smart TV, music system, wi-fi throughout and of course several board games, swimming pool and table tennis !

And lastly ... we are considering having a proper boules court (slightly smaller than official size) installed in the back garden which would be ready for Spring 2016.  More on this later in the year.

Best Wishes to all

​Stewart & Donna Rough