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
There is a fairy tale house in the silence of nature near La Tour d'Aigues with a lovely family of three. Two humans , kind and ever so welcoming, Stephane and Verity and a darling little cat: Quipu , to me aka Mr M. I had an amazing sit, I felt at home from the very first moment. I was treated kindly and had great chats and laughs over a super tasty dinner with Verity and Stephane , they explained everything to me and were there via whatsapp if I had any doubt. Quipu is a real character , you just need to give him his space and time to know you and then he will just snuggle beside you and you will have great chats and an affectionate friend for company during your stay. I highly recommend this stay for the beautiful surroundings and cozy house but especially for the family inside it. I hope to see you all soon
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Highly recommend staying at this house in the provencal countryside! Verity and Stephane are very positive, helpful and kind people and were always at hand to answer my many questions! The cat was easy peasy and spent a lot of time outdoors and then in the evenings, a quick shake of a food sachet would find him by our side. (haha) Beautiful house and garden - with a blend of old and new within. Plenty of walks and surrouding nature to indulge in including the LAC nearby. (etang de la bonde) Enjoy to all those who apply sarah et claude
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Absolutely lovely home in Provence. Quipu is the sweetest cat, playful, cuddly, and very low-maintenance. It's just a 10-minute walk into the beautiful town of La Tour d'Aigues and not far from Aix via bus or a quick drive if you have a car. Verity and Stephane are a beautiful couple - very kind. Highly recommend this housesit!
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I have been invited privately by Stephane & Verity to keep Quipu while they were in Spain for Easter. It was supposed initially to be a 4 days sit then they asked me to stay a day longer. It was easy for me as I live only 50 km further I warned Quipu’s owners their cat was meowing the first night of my stay in a way I thought he could suffer from pain, he tried often to pee without any result and the vet took him the following morning in emergency : he had a cystisis. Which implied a change of food, a change in his daily routine… I had to pay the bill 194€, but got the money back before leaving. Quipu is quite a wild cat, you don’t see him much during the day, he only comes back to take a nap (even in April, it can be pretty hot outside in Provence). It did not take him long to adopt me. To forget I had tried to pour some medication in his mouth, what he hated ! This charming tiny house is only 700 meters from Lourmarin, a lovely village, looking on a rather abandoned garden. The confort was minimum : only one pan, no microwave, no dish washer or washing machine, not even a tea pot, no deckchair, no tv or radio. One thing was really shocking : the filthy mattress (I badly noticed when I took the sheets away). This doll house is not Stephane and Quipu’s but even if they rent it, they could have bought a mattress cover for their guests.
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We really enjoyed our time taking care of Quipu, an adorable, smart and black shiny male cat. He loves playing and snuggling under our blanket. Verity and Stephane are a fun loving couple, very nice, friendly and attentive. They welcomed us very well, made sure that we were comfortable and had everything we needed. The apartment is fantastic, well equipped with all you need and in a very strategic location in the old town, close to almost everywhere; the beach, La Rambla, Plaza Catalunya, etc. Thank you, Verity and Stephane, for your kind hospitality and trusting us to take care of your beautiful baby fur, Quipu, and your wonderful apartment. We would be happy to sit Quipu again in the future. :)
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Verity & Stephane
