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
Quipu made sure I had a wonderful time in Barcelona, despite the voluntary lockdown which was reinstated a few days after my arrival. Quipu is a young male cat with shiny black fur, gorgeous amber eyes and a very energetic, playful and curious personality. He will play all morning and as his carer you need to engage with him and challenge him, for he is an indoor cat. In the afternoon it is hide and seek when he disappears for his siesta, sleeping in a cupboard or under a bed or sofa, leaving me worried when I couldn’t find him. Thanks to the lockdown I was home most of the day and he came up regularly for a cuddle-and-purr session while I worked on my laptop. At night he slept at the end of my bed, and in the morning he woke me up for breakfast by pulling on the sheets and meowing in my ear. Verity and Stéphane are the most welcoming, friendly, funny and hospitable hosts and it was lovely to spend time with them before their departure. They made me lunch and dinner, showed me around the area and left clear instructions regarding cat, plant and house care. Long distance communication via WhatsApp was easy and they were quick to respond. Their beautifully renovated apartment is clean, spacious and airy. Lots of plants, easy to care for, which give the home a lovely green feel.The apartment is located in the Gothic quarter, the oldest and one of the most beautiful parts of Barcelona. Grocery stores and trendy cafés are just around the corner. I enjoyed the experience of living in close quarters to the neighbours, which is typical in this part of the city. There was always someone whistling, cooking, singing or entertaining so I didn’t feel isolated at all, despite the lockdown. Quipu stole my heart and I hope that I am allowed to keep him company again in the future. Thank you Verity and Stéphane for entrusting me with your home, your plants and most importantly, Quipu!
Show more...None
A really awesome house sit! Verity & Stephane are lovely human beings and communication with them was very easy. They provided me with a great briefing and a lot of information, therefore I felt well prepared and enjoyed my stay a lot. The apartment is situated super centrally and an extremely lovely place that makes you feel right at home. Quipu was easy to sit, he is a lively cat, loves to play and snuggle. Already miss having him crawl under the blankets. :-) I would happily sit Quipu again.
Show more...None
This house sit was fantastic! Verity & Stephane are lovely people who instantly made us feel right at home. They were very prepared and had lots of information for us which made the sit a breeze. Their apartment is absolutely gorgeous in best part of Barcelona. They have everything you need and more. And lastly, sweet sweet Quipu is the best kitty and we miss him already. Easy, funny and snuggles at night. We would happily sit for them again.
Show more...None
One of the best housesits we’ve ever been to (and we’ve been to a lot!) It was fantastic in every way! Communication with Verity & Stephan was easy - they prepared very detailed manual that covered everything we needed to know. We were always able to get in touch with them and if we had any questions during our stay, answers were always prompt. They are very generous, friendly and overall great people ;) Verity and Stephan prepared a room for us with our own private bathroom. We absolutely loved the design of apartment and attention they put into every detail - spending time there was almost like staying inside best boards of Pinterest )) Apartment is roomy, well-equipped (it even has a projector, which we used to watch movies!) And you won’t find better location to stay in Barcelona - apartment is right in the heart of the city (Gothic quarter), yet on a quiet street. Lots of places to eat, drink and buy food around, and it’s walking distance from looots of great sights. Quipu is an adorable, loving and very friendly cat. He slept in the room with us - we didn’t mind, he was very careful not to wake us up before 7 am. Then he worked as a very cute, but persistent alarm )) We managed to sleep in a few times, but we were prepared for his schedule - Verity and Stephan told us that he is used to playtime in the morning, so no surprises and complains, we were happy to wake up & play with him. He is an awesome jumper, you won’t believe the moves he can do! He likes to spend time around people - when we were home he always came and stayed somewhere close. Barcelona is amazing destination for a vacation and Quipu is great companion, so we can only give our highest recommendation!
Show more...No reviews yet.
Verity & Stephane
