For those seeking an away from it all holiday in the South of France, this villa is perfect. Well appointed, the owner has really good attention to detail, and we received a warm welcome. The house is as described, and has everything needed for a family stay. The outside space in particular is exceptional, with comfortable seating areas and a lovely refreshing pool.
The area itself is lovely, with lots to see and do. Our favourites included the nearby Lac de Saint-Cassien, where we spent some time messing about on the water - the kids loved it. The walk to the nearby Pont des Tuves is steep but well worth it, with a beautiful bridge over crystal clear water. The nearby perched villages of Callian and Fayence are perfect for an evening meal.
If I had one complaint it would be the rather awkward check-out, which was not aided by a contract being delivered in French only. Having paid our security deposit, which per the contract was for damage and breakages, the owner suggested that she was going to retain half of it because the house was not left scrupulously clean. We respect the properties we stay in, and believed it to have been left clean and tidy as per the terms of our rental. We had cleaned sinks, mopped floors and generally left the place as we found it, albeit not cleaned from top to bottom, as this was not suggested to us as a requirement. Unfortunately, the owner disagreed, pointing to water marks on a bathroom mirror which we then cleaned off, prior to then being asked to hoover. None of this was helped by being asked no less than three times whether we had broken anything, and despite being told twice that we hadn't, the response was "Not even a glass?". There was also an issue with the TV, the signal apparently resetting during a particularly heavy thunderstorm. Despite saying any number of times we hadn't used the TV at all during our stay, the response was disbelieving.
I accept some of this may be down to a language barrier, but my wife and I left feeling rather deflated. We have been staying in similar properties for many years and never had an issue. Had a full top to bottom clean been part of the contract details we would of course have obliged. It wasn't, and the house was left clean and tidy as requested. My advice to non-French visitors would be to be very clear on what is required at check-out.