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Domaine St Joseph is a private 25 acre estate containing accommodation for groups in two old farmhouses, and a Coach House (restored stables) for two people. The latter, which we rented during October 2009, adjoins the owners’ house via a courtyard. Perhaps the property’s major drawback was that the English “hosts” were inhospitable. Apart from a photocopied programme of a festival that had occurred in the region three months previously we were offered no information about the region and its attractions. The only contact we had with the owners during our thirteen day tenancy was on our arrival and departure (the latter being by chance), or when we initiated it to report a leaking bedroom roof, seek help to lock an external door, and request firewood. Although the website highlights, by photograph and text, the availability of an open lounge fire and a barbecue, we were denied firewood when we requested it. On arrival, we found the premises were pervaded by a strong, musty atmosphere, while throughout our stay we were unable to eliminate a foul odour that emanated from the toilet into the adjacent kitchen. The bed was not made up (our only such experience in years of travel in Australia, UK and Europe, and the USA) and when we queried this we were directed to a trunk of bedding in a hallway! Kitchen equipment was out of date, to use the appliances there it was necessary to juggle them around one power point, and elsewhere two light switches were faulty and loose in the wall. There was no laundry, a small bathroom basin being the means of washing clothes, while a rope strung between two trees at some distance from the house was the drying medium. And finally, it required an Herculean effort to recover our “returnable deposit” after vacating, something that had its origin in the owners’ failure to correctly interpret dates in our original request for accommodation.
By all means, visit Cotignac and the Var area of Provence in which it is located. It is a beautiful village steeped in history, and without exception the French people we met there (and notwithstanding our extremely limited grasp of their language) were wonderful. Just look beyond the Coach House for your accommodation.
Date Added: Dec 14, 2009
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