Adorable house (with a cat) in the vines of Provence
Introduction
Hello there! We are going away for 3 weeks to the UK and we need someone or a couple to look after our cat and our house. We can leave you our car if you don’t mind taking us to and picking us back from the airport (the car is manual). We're ideally looking for someone who can offer daily love to our cat, someone who's able to look after our house like it's theirs: keep it tidy, clean, safe and water the garden. We love to get regular news from our cat so regular updates every couple of days are welcome, we never get tired of the pics :). We leave the house really clean so we'd appreciate if we came back to the house in the same state we left it. A bit about us: Verity is originally from southwest England. She works with startups as a strategy consultant to help them launch and grow. Stephane is from the south of France. He also works with startups to help them with the marketing side of their business. We've been living and working in Barcelona for 3 years but for the last two years, we've changed our life to become freelancers so that we could fulfill our dream to permanently move to the Provence countryside! Here is a bit more about Quipu (or more casually called min'min'). He's our 7-year-old rescue cat, who we adopted from a cat refuge in Barcelona. He's full of energy, playful and very funny! But he also knows how to be cuddly and sleepy, especially during cold days! We can be flexible with the arrival date by a day or so as we have two bedrooms and you can stay here while we're in the house if needed :)
Show more...Home & location
- HOME - You'll be living in a 90sqm tranquil house for which the original part was probably built a century ago! It is in a very quiet part of the countryside where you're surrounded by oak and pine trees as well as vines. You can walk to the village in roughly 10 minutes or 5 minutes by bike. It has a magnificent ruin from a Renaissance chateau that burned down during the French Revolution. The town is very well known for its wine, so expect to be surrounded by vines. It's a cozy home during the winter with a fireplace and all the necessary comfort for you to have a fabulous time. If you love nature and quiet, this is for you! **Kitchen**: You will find a fully equipped kitchen with a kitchen robot, toaster, espresso coffee machine, mixer, blender, etc. We LOVE cooking so there is no doubt that anything you need for your cooking session, you'll find in our kitchen! We also have all the usual appliances such as a freezer, oven, dishwasher, washing machine, and tumble dryer. **Living room**: We have a projector to which you can connect your laptop. It's super easy to connect and use. We also have a pair of Sonos speakers to play music via wifi. There is also a desk in the living room from which you can work. **Dining room**: We have a very efficient fireplace/stove which is nice to read a book next to in the winter. We'll make sure you've got enough wood during your stay. But don't worry we also have regular heating if you don't feel like lighting up a fire. **Bedroom**: You will be staying in our guest bedroom upstairs. It is facing south so you get beautiful morning sun rays and your window will be giving on the vines (see picture). The room is a bit small but has a 160cm bed and the ceilings are high to compensate. - SURROUNDING AREA / SHOPS - You will be just outside the village of La Tour d'Aigues. This means that you'll be able to access major hiking paths right outside the house without going on the road. You'll also be within walking distance of the village where you can find bars, restaurants, cafes, markets (on Tuesday mornings), and other activities organized around Christmas. - LOCAL ATTRACTION - Plenty of great things to do in the village including: - visiting the ruins of the 500-year-old castle - visiting vineyards - going to the weekly Tuesday market - going for walks and hikes in between forests and vines with spectacular views of the valley - TRANSPORTATION - There is a direct bus going from La Tour d'Aigues to Aix-En-Provence (the biggest city nearby) in the morning and returning in the late afternoon. If you can't catch this bus other buses are going to the nearby town Pertuis which is a good connection hub to Aix en Provence and Marseille. We can also leave you our car if you feel comfortable driving it! We've never done it before, so I'd have to check with my insurance but we're happy to leave it with you if it's easy! - LEISURE ACTIVITIES - - Hiking - Cycling - Wine tasting - Cooking local produce - Relaxing - Reading - Watching movies
Show more...Responsibilities
- CAT - Quipu is a lovely and rather easy-going cat but can require attention and therefore we would be very grateful if you could dedicate time to him during the morning, and the evening. Playing is his single most important need! Yes, it comes even before food :) Most of the time, playing with him involves carrying a string around so he catches it or rolling a ball on the floor or a pine cone outside for him to run after (yes like a dog). He likes as well to play hide and seek and climb up trees in the garden and hide in the grass. He likes to also follow you for walks around the garden. After a good playing session, you will be rewarded by a tired and cuddly Quipu who will be craving scratches and petting. He might even come to rest on your lap if you watch a movie and read a book! We feed him wet food at night around 9pm, although it could be earlier or later, don't worry too much. We change his water which is in a water glass in the bathroom and we refresh and top up his dry food every morning. - SAFETY - He sometimes tries to eat things he shouldn´t so be very careful with thin strings, plastic, adhesives, or wrappings. - SECURITY - One thing we would like to insist on is to make sure you keep our house safe. This means making sure to always close the windows when you leave, oven, fireplace etc are turned off before you leave and make sure the door is properly locked. We've never had any problems but the house is a bit remote without direct neighbors around to watch.
Show more...Meet the pets
Quipu
9 years
Sitter Reviews (14)
Homeowner Reviews (0)
None
Communication with Verity and Stephane was excellent. Their house is beautiful and in a quiet location. There are many picturesque villages in the area that we were lucky enough to visit. Quipu was shy at first, but over time we became friends. We definitely recommend this pet+housesitting. Thank you very much for allowing us to spend wonderful days in French Provence!
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It couldn't have been a nicer stay looking after Quipu. He was adorable and the house was lovely and right next to some vineyards. Shout out to the guest bed which was like sleeping on a cloud! Verity and Stephane were super friendly and even let me stay the night before the sit started and invited me for dinner, which was such a treat! I hope our paths cross again one day, as I would sit here again anytime!
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I had a great time cat sitting for Verity and Stephane and getting to know Quipu. He's a lovely boy with lots of character and chatting. He is very easy to look after and was friendly, even sleeping at the end of my bed. I'll miss him coming to say hi while I was sat in the garden, before he went off on another adventure! The house was lovely, really well located in a cute village in Provence. I was lucky with the sun so spent time in the garden, but the house was awesome inside too - kitchen and living areas all really well set up. Verity and Stephane were very easy to communicate with before and during the sit, and were also flexible with my trains to get to the sit and even dropped me off at the station in Pertuis, which made things easier. Overall great sit - totally recommend!
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A review was not left by the sitter.
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It was a delight housesitting for Verity and Stephane and taking care of Quipu. He really is the softest, shiniest cat ever and he loves a nuzzle and cuddle on the sofa in the evening after his outdoor explorations. Verity and Stephane are lovely, kind souls - super attentive and they made sure I had everything I needed ☺️ Their communication was great and the directions and instructions were super clear. Their house is beautiful with a really cosy fire and a great book and music collection. I really enjoyed sharing food together and interesting chats over the dinner table when our time overlapped. The surrounding countryside, with its rolling vineyards and cypress trees, was good for hiking and definitely visit the village sourdough boulangerie if you get the chance 😋
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Verity & Stephane
