Our Philosophy


Our aim is to make your stay as enjoyable as we can. La Goupillère is not a gîte as such - it is an restored old farmhouse in its own grounds where you can enjoy your stay without any interference from "the owner". Having said that, our own house is two hundred metres down the lane so if you do have any problems or questions we are on hand to sort them out straight away.

We are not really running a business - it doesn't matter to us if we don't achieve maximum occupancy or the highest possible rental because that's not what we are after. We own La Goupillère, which we bought for its land and we have invested in its renovation and fitting-out in the hope it can pay its way. The house deserves to "live" and by offering it as a holiday let we hope we can achieve our own objectives and give others the pleasure of staying in a part of France we thoroughly enjoy ourselves.
What this means to you, should you decide to book, is that we will do all we can to make your stay comfortable and memorable. We've tried to fit out La Goupillère as if it were our own home and we'd like you to feel it's your home for the time you spend there; a very comfortable home from home. We think we have succeeded, judging by the feedback we have had from our guests, the comments they have written in our own guest book and their public reviews posted on the Owners Direct and TripAdvisor websites.






In the years that we have let La Goupillère as a holiday rental property we have learned that our appeal is to a broad but discerning market, who appreciate and respect what we have to offer. Some owners just take any booking they can get, many being indifferent about their clients and it is clear to us from some of our own enquiries that there can occasionally be an expectation that “booking a gîte” means anything goes, whether it's a couple who intend to fill it up with unspecified friends at a later date, people looking for a stag or hen party venue, a place to crash and wash off the dirt after working all day on their own renovation project... whatever. Sorry, but La Goupillère is not for you.

We admit we are discerning, as we know our guests are about La Goupillère and indeed us. We do not judge or have hard and fast rules but we do consider every enquiry and decide whether or not a booking is likely to be compatible.

Mutual trust and respect have been the keynote and we are completely open about the property and ourselves. What you see on this website is what you will get (at least!), with no craftily cropped photos, ten year old shots, hidden eye-sores or other unpleasant surprises.

We ask that potential guests are equally open with us. If we are unlikely to be a match it is in everybody’s interests that this is known before booking. We will not accept stag or hen parties as such but we are perfectly happy to accommodate same-sex groups if the circumstances are apt (Le Mans events spring to mind). Just tell us up front.
We never over-book La Goupillère. It is a large property but our capacity is six and every adult must have a bed in a bedroom. However, this would not work for us if that was individual adults wanting single beds. Single beds are 200x80cm, perfectly ok for children or young people but likely not to suit well-built adults. If you feel your particular requirements could be met within our overall criteria please discuss it with us: we will be happy to try to accommodate you but we do need to know this before accepting a booking, so rather than just tell us you might have friends staying please let us know exactly how your party will be made up. We know the capacity of hot water tanks, seating, etc. and no matter how much people tell us before that they don’t mind making do, when push comes to shove, they do! We will not compromise our standards and that, of course, means your comfort and enjoyment.

Within reason, we can be more flexible on numbers for families or two couples with children holidaying together. "Six” relates to adults and, depending on your specific needs of course, we can work something out.

Bookings are accepted based upon the information given to us at the time of enquiry. La Goupillère is not let on the basis that additional people may automatically be added at a later date – you will be making a booking for your named party to be accommodated, not renting the property as such. This is our contractual agreement but we do of course recognise that sometimes things cannot be foreseen so, if things do change, we will be happy to consider reasonable requests for amendments.