Townhouse versus country home

[H.Peter]

Here is a question I need some help with please.

Would you rent a very very well equipped apartment in the heart of a thriving town with virtually all amenities at your door for your holiday, but no pool or outdoor space? Or am I cutting out a large part of potential holiday makers?

We are on the verge of a decision to either buy this great townhouse with two perfectly appointed rental units, or go with a Gite complex instead.

Any and all advise appreciated.

[Wendy@NorthIdaho]

For those of us coming from the US, I know I always stay in a town because that is what I'm going to see, historical sites, getting a feel for "living like a local", etc.. but obviously don't know about Europeans, I would think some want to get out to the country and some don't....

But when I travel to Europe I'm going to see the towns/cities!

Wendy

[la vache!]

I would say that a townhouse would be much easier to manage (fewer children, no hassle of managing garden or pool).
But it all depends on location, location location - if it isn't in a very well known touristique , you will probably find it harder to rent than a gite complexe with a pool.

[H.Peter]

Townhouse 2, Gites 0?
I am somewhat surprised. Pleasantly though.

[Moliere]

It would help us to advise if you told us where they are.

You know, country (France?) and town / nearest town?

As it is we're groping in the dark.

Moliere

[H.Peter]

Yes, it would help.....

Charente, near Cognac for the townhouse, Charente Maritime, near St.Jean D'Angely for the Gites.

[Wendy@NorthIdaho]

Looks like a central location to explore some of the larger cities in the area, is there a train station so people could make day trips? Or is it a drive to town only?

Sorry if this is an ignorant question! I've only been to Paris and a couple of spots in Normandy...

Wendy

[la vache!]

I'm not sure in that case - there are a couple of gite owners on here who do very well with their gite complexes in the St Jean area. I visited the area once and was quite disappointed with Cognac as a town, it looked a bit shabby compared to the towns here in N Brittany.
For me, the Poitou Charente area is more a summer destination than an all year round one, so maybe the gite complexe would be better.
Have you got any properties you can compare with for rental rates, occupancy etc. on some of the big listing sites? If the townhouse was in La Rochelle I'd say go for it, but it definitely has to be a nice town.

[Moliere]

Agree with LV - in that area I would go for country gites.
Cognac I also found quite a let-down, and it's not really a "townified" area - I think visitors flock there for the rural tranquility and surrounding greenery. Bucolic is a good word.

My vote goes to the rural gites.

Moliere

[Musetta]

We do well with our little village place - no pool (well, shared community pool) and no private outdoor space. I have found though that we tend to do better with Americans - I have lost a few English bookings because of the lack of a private garden or other outdoor space...so...I guess all depends on who you plan to market to. In our case, we bought what we, ourselves, loved and a place that we wanted to spend time in and we really love to be able to walk to shops and restaurants! We like to lounge around outside and relax at home, but like to explore towns and villages when we travel. I think that's my general advice to anyone buying a holiday let - buy what you love because it just makes the "work" so much more pleasurable!

[Windy]

Charente Maritime, near St.Jean D'Angely for the Gites.

I have stayed in a beautiful gite complex in a small hamlet near there.

It would never have occurred to me to book a town property. (This was a family holiday with kids)

[Margaret]

Horses for courses - we have booked both in the past. I would say though that a town/city is more common in winter. In summer we would always almost always want the countryside - as long as it has a restaurant within walking distance!

[Giddy Goat]

Well, I'm a bit biased as I have outgrown towns for the most part - except I agree with LV that La Rochelle, (the centre) where we overnighted recently and know quite well, has a lot of charm - particularly out of season when there are no traffic problems entering or leaving!

Having said that, and it sounds as if Musetta's Italian property is special, I believe that the majority of people who are attracted by a town property for a week long stay or more, would still prefer to have some kind of outdoor space to call their own - if only a terrace or a balcony - particularly in the summer months. Paris might be the exception!

Just to confuse you, I know the Charente and the Charente Maritime quite well too. We saw loads of properties there and nearly bought a tiny townhouse with garden to match in St Savinien. Eventually (in 2004) we decided to go for something further south. Downside is that it does add a couple of hours onto a journey if people are driving from the channel ports. Convincing UK holidaymakers to go the extra mile proves a bit of a challenge in half terms, and that's where most of our market lies as my French isn't quite as perfect as it would need to be to target the domestic market.

So if the decision to focus on that particular area is based to an extent on its relative ease of access go for it. Either a townhouse or a gite with pool will pull in visitors but don't allow your head to be turned by a townhouse without outside space as you will be restricting your market quite significantly.

OTOH, if you were willing and able to do short lets (of less than a week,) you might find that the townhouse will attract business people who are there for the Cognac trade. I can't be certain though ...

[H.Peter]

And the townhouse it is. We weighed all the positives and negatives which brought us to the decision to go for the Jarnac townhouse.

Thanks for your input

[Fleur]

I too was disappointed with Cognac, for the town I much prefer Saintes, la Rochelle and St Savinien. However, I have heard really good reports about Jarnac and believe it probably has more to offer the holiday maker than Cognac.