Whatever happened to September? - Maison Borges - Vacation house rental in France

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MAISON BORGES

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Whatever happened to September? Or even April, May, June and October? March 2, 2007
We are confused. As a couple, we are not so old as to be incoherent, we are not ignorant, uninteresting or uninterested. We have, between us, lived and worked in over 125 countries. We have made cinema films and television programmes, written books, lived aboard a boat for more than ten years, crossed oceans under sail, crossed the Sahara desert 4 times, built interesting houses and designed cars. We even have Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations - no Oscar but, say some, nominations are just as good!
For the past few years we have lived in clean, calm, quiet, crime free, south west France; roughly equidistant between Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Cognac. In addition to designing and building and using solar electric vehicles as our personal contribution to the continuation of life on earth, we have some accommodation for visitors in our dependences aka "Gîtes".
We are 20 minutes from beaches, we have a large, exotic pool; a wooded, walled garden of several acres; views of a vineyard, sunflower and oak coppice quilted landscape. We have a tree-lined drive with lavender borders and typical Charentaise Romanesque houses and cottages and conversions scattered around - "renovation with imagination and style", said our first visitors - we've flaunted the compliment ever since.	Our first swim in the new pool - October '04
After a little over 3 years of being able to offer hospitality to guests, family and friends, we are confused. In July and August we have consistently had to turn away up to ten requests for every available week. In July and August, when it can take twice as long to get to the beach, when the weather can be less stable, when reservations are essential in restaurants and the language most often heard in supermarkets is English, Dutch and German, and when the journey by car from the various ferries and even the airports can be a trial, we could use ten times as many places as we have. And, we are quite full at Christmas and New Year and, surprise, we have guests in one or two places in November and December and January, February and March. January or February just off the Bay of Biscay? Yes! Mostly Brits looking for houses to buy and to push up local prices, but still out of season visitors to us.
My mother would never have considered our taking a holiday in the high tourist season summer months. Instead, we went to Scotland, in September, for the warmth of the gulf stream and the golden light of the Scottish West Coast's Indian summer - year after year. These days, with flexible working and a huge resource of child-free young, middle aged and older holiday makers, all kinds of holiday resorts are flourishing across the world's climatic zones; places where the word "season" does not mean July and August, but, more likely, the relative cool of the spring or autumn, or the start or end of the monsoon, or between the short and long rainy seasons.
The Maison in April at Maison Borges	So, is it any wonder that we are confused? Here in South West France, what has happened to holidays in September - and April, May, June and October? Rather than indulge in spurious, quasi psychological profiling of typical tourists or holiday makers; instead of ranting about companies, countries or national and private services and utilities or NGOs which do not stagger their holiday periods; we will adopt a positive attitude.So, here are some reasons why, if you went to Egypt or the Seychelles or California or Thailand last spring, we would encourage you to visit South West France this year, or next year or whenever - but particularly in September or April or May or June, or October.
There is no traffic here worth mentioning, and there are excellent minor and major roads. There is little crime; no noise pollution; again, no noise pollution; no light pollution; no industrial smog or haze - a sky at night to die for. People are polite here. They make an effort to accommodate even "broken" French and then correct it in quite good English - a real sea change, at least in this part of France. There are all of those things that go with the French quality of life, including good restaurants and excellent seafood, possibly the world's best oysters when eaten cru on the half shell with just a squeeze of fresh lemon. In spring the vibrant colours are stunning. April and May are perfect for easy going, old-fashioned "touring" by car, bicycle or on foot. June is hot, beaches are empty and accessible; restaurants and facilities are open. June is so much more agreeable than July. September? Undoubtedly the best month of the year to visit the region. Stable, warm weather; ideal for the beach or the pool.. The ocean is warm. All facilities are still open. There is no pressure, no irritation; just the perfect time to "chill out"; read a book; see the sights; drink the wine, and generally pamper yourself. October? Well, with global warming, October for the last few years has simply been an extension of September - a little cooler and fresher toward the end, festooned with the beginnings of autumn colouring. Having said that, it was actually warmer this October, than it was in September (a speeded up GW effect?). And, in October there's vindage, the grape harvest.
It seems we have on our hands a prime example of the perversity of the Human Race. Ten times as many applicants as we can take in two of the least attractive months of the year, July and August; as many guests as we want in November through March and hardly any visitors in the five best months of the year!
You can see why we are confused. Whatever did happened to September? or April or May or June, or October? [Hmm, wonder if we need an new area of the web site, "Moans"! - cb]	- Maison Borges, +33 (0)5 46 95 59 54 www.maisonborges.com Back to main NEWS page
Maison Borges, La Tournerie, Gémozac 17260, Charente-Maritime, France. Tél: + 33 (0)5 46 95 59 54 e-mail: tobe@maisonborges.com www.maisonborges.com All content, unless otherwise attributed, is Copyright © C Borges 2007, 8, 9.	page TOPHome page