A gite can't be beat

Inspired by the article on renting "a home away from home" (Aug. '04, pg. 38), I am sending some comments concerning renting gites in France.

You can get information on or book one of the 50,000-plus gites by contacting La Maison des Gites de France et du Tourisme Vert (59 rue Saint-Lazare, 75 439, Paris, Cedex 09, France; phone 01 49 70 75 75, fax 01 42 81 28 53, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.gites-de-france.fr.)

According to "Frommer's Budget Travel," there is a U.S. contact for "those strangely named gites ..." It is Provence West, Ltd. (Evergreen, CO; phone 990/226-5444).

Normally, the gite is rented weekly, but it is possible to rent for longer periods. Gites range from inexpensive (about [euro] 100 per week) to very fancy (antiques, swimming pool, prime location--perhaps just outside Nice or in a Provence town). There is a wide range of those priced high.

When you rent a gite, it is almost essential to have an automobile. Look into ordering Michelin map and guide products. Note that Michelin covers most of Europe, not just France, with their maps, etc.

LESLIE STEVENS

Raleigh, NC

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