10/10 Excellent
Libby C.
28 Jun 2019
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Family holiday at l'Etoile
We had a very relaxing week at l'Etoile - both in the cool of the house and down by the pool and in the summer kitchen. We felt very French in the Provencal surroundings and enjoyed the views across olive groves and vineyards towards Roussillon and the hills behind.
Roussillon itself was a great bonus both as the nearest place to visit (charming and quirky) and to shop in (to our surprise the various food shops were open even on Sunday morning and all were excellent and friendly). The village was particularly useful to us as it was unseasonably hot during our stay and we had a small baby with us, so we did not go out and about on day trips and visits as much as we had expected to - in fact, it was very tempting to stay put in the comfort of the house!
The house manager, Karima, and her team were delightful and helpful, and we found that nearly everything had been thought of for us, or was readily available and easily explained. Steve, the house owner, could not have been more friendly and ready to answer questions both before and during our stay and his 'house book' with information and instructions was invaluable.
The only reasons I have not given five stars throughout my review are that we were slightly bothered by noise from the road down the hill when we left the windows open at night (it was very hot...), and had expected it to be quieter. Also, we had not appreciated that there would be several other houses in the immediate vicinity and that their occupants would have to drive between the house and the pool and the summer kitchen for access. Again, not really a problem - most of the houses were unoccupied while we were there, though one had dogs that barked (one of which visited us several times!) and another had building works (quiet ones) during the day. But this might have been more of an issue if we had had small children rather than a baby?
Also, one thing I had forgotten was that June evenings are longer and lighter than in, say, July or August, so the light from the sun lingered in the West. In many ways this was lovely - sitting out on the warm evenings was a highlight - but it did mean that it was not really dark even by the time we went to bed! I think later in the summer would be better for star gazing...
Overall, everything was very comfortable, the kitchens were easy to use and well equipped, the bathrooms were definitely 5*, and we enjoyed our stay enormously.