Couple sought for cat & house sit in late November &December, Luberon, Provence,

Introduction

Karen and I run a self catered holiday rental business in the Luberon , provence, south east France operating May to October. We are looking for a couple to stay in our home and to look after our cat Floyd. We require a responsible couple who will not only take care of our house but keep an eye on the garden and swimming pool (Pool will be closed - some light gardening tasks depending on stay) and love cats.

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Home & location

We foresee a number of trips late in 2024, the first on October for about two weeks, and then late November for up to 7 nights, and finally mid December for abt 8 nights. All dates slightly flexible a day or two. We require a couple to take care of Floyd and keep an eye on the house and garden . Our village( Saint Saturnin les Apt ) is in the heart of the Luberon park in the Vaucluse, Provence. There are abt 2500 residents although less over the winter months. Our home is located 800 metres away from the centre of the village so amenities are close at hand. Larger cities of Avignon, Aix en Provence are within one hour. Marseille airport is about 75 minutes drive. The area is renowned for hiking, cycling and there are many charming perched villages to visit. The region is noted for its bright light with clear blue skies on many winter days, and although it can be cold our house has central heating and a wood burning stove to keep you warm . A car is recommended.

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Responsibilities

Our young cat Floyd is very friendly, sociable and entertaining. We would hope that sitters would treat the house respectfully and conscientiously. We are very clean, tidy and organised people. Day to day it’s important to be aware of one’s surroundings and keeping an eye on the pool (which will be closed and winterized November to early March) . A practical person who is not fazed by the unexpected challenges that life in rural France can sometimes bring. Something we can discuss and expand upon as required.

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Meet the pets

Photo of Floyd

Floyd

5 years

Sitter Reviews (10)

Homeowner Reviews (2)

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One could never tire of the view from David & Karen’s terrace and it was a beautiful backdrop to our wonderful two weeks in the Luberon. With the view as the backdrop, Floyd was, of course, our focus. He is an independent fellow with a luxuriously thick coat who loves his food and passing strokes but will also sit next to you on the sofa in the evening and, if you wish, will sometimes join you at night finding his place at the foot of the bed. He does have a cat flap which he uses at night but, when you are around during the day, he will first ask you to act as his doorman. On one of his adventures, Floyd somehow cut his tongue and required veterinary care. Floyd was a brave soldier and co-operative patient and David and Karen gave us great support via Whatsapp making the initial call to the vet. The vet was extremely caring and patient with our French language skills. It was great to see Floyd recovering well in our second week. David and Karen welcomed us to their very attractive and comfortable home with a lovely evening meal and comprehensive briefing on caring for Floyd and their property. The house is on a quiet edge of a lovely, friendly village which is blessed with a boulangerie, butcher, supermarket and bars and restaurants and has a weekly market. We enjoyed our daily routine of walking the short distance into the village to pick up our daily baguette and a few too many pastries! We slept well in our comfortable bedroom which David and Karen offer as a chambre d’hôte in their open season. On some nights, we ventured out into the garden to observe the clear skies and listen to the nightingales and local Scops owl and woke to the call of cuckoos and hoopoes. The brilliant online guide which David and Karen have written for their gite guests led us to visit some characterful local villages, impressive Roman remains and interesting museums. One of our favourite trips out took us to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence to visit the Glanum Gallo-Roman city and the Saint-Paul de Mausole Monastery, where Van Gogh produced some of his most famous works. The village itself has a network of well-waymarked local footpaths which led us to bories and aiguiers allowing us the time to observe the spring plant life and freshly-emerged cleopatra and swallowtail butterflies. Thank you to David, Karen & Floyd for affording us a wonderful opportunity and ensuring we had a truly lovely time.

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Stayed: 27 Mar 2024 - 12 Apr 2024
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David and Karen were very welcoming sharing several meals with us during the period of our sit. Floyd was a true delight - enjoying being stroked, sitting close, his afternoon snacks and turning left once the door was opened for him, to enjoy his food. Communication was clear and timely. The house is very comfortable with wonderful views and a 5 minute walk into the village. We look forward to sitting again for David, Karen & Floyd.

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Stayed: 02 Jan 2024 - 26 Jan 2024
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We had an absolutely amazing time looking after Floyd in Saint-Saturnin-les-Apt. David and Karen welcomed us into their home with a fabulous meal and told us everything we needed to know to care for Floyd and their lovely property. Our room was beautiful and very comfortable. Floyd is a super chill guy who regularly comes in for a chat, pats and snacks. He is very easy to look after and likes company, spending most of time sleeping inside or hanging around outside. He sat with us in the evenings and is very entertaining. The house was easy to look after and has all the mod-cons. Saint Saturnin is a quintessentially French hillside village with a boulangerie, wine bar, restaurants, pharmacy and a market. There are so many amazing places within an hour's drive it's hard to decide what to do! It is about 10 minutes from Apt, a bigger town with all the things you need for your stay (supermarkets, fuel, shopping etc). We highly recommend this sit and would love to come back!

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Stayed: 04 Dec 2023 - 12 Dec 2023
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A fantastic sit in every way. David and Karen are a great team and were excellent communicators throughout our stay. We stayed the night before and had a lovely home cooked meal together providing plenty of time to do a walk-through of the home and property.  Their home is very comfortable with all mod cons and views across the valley. Floyd is a great companion and he quickly adopted us. He is very chatty, especially when looking for his teatime treats. He likes attention and we were happy to oblige. We had great weather during the off season and allowed us to explore the many hiking trails. We can definitely recommend this sit and would happily return.

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Stayed: 01 Feb 2023 - 23 Feb 2023
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A fabulous sit all round. David and Karen are friendly and great hosts, we were able to join them for a delicious meal the evening before they left. We were given full instructions and stayed in touch during the week. Floyd is an adorable chap, quite chatty, loves his food and a lots of attention now and then (on his terms of course). Their home is superb and very well equipped. The views are amazing and our accommodation was very comfortable. We had some really good weather so were able to see lots of the area in the quiet season. Would highly recommend this sit and hope to return one day.

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Stayed: 03 Jan 2023 - 11 Jan 2023
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David

John & Susan are superb sitters, they communicated well before arrival including requesting us to complete a detailed summary of what to expect whilst here which meant we gave them lots of information in advance, we carried out a brief tour when they arrived and after shared a nice evening with supper before we left next day relaxed in the knowledge our Floyd and home were in good hands. We received regular updates and photos of Floyd which was nice and when we returned home the house was immaculate coupled with a lovely home made quiche for us to enjoy . We highly recommend John & Susan and hope they can find a window in the future to return .

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Clean and tidy
Self-sufficient
Pet care
Apt · -
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David

Alan & Leslie were great house sitters. We chatted before on Skype and then they arrived 24hours before we left so we could hand over smoothly, they kept in touch whilst we were away and carried out some gardening duties which was much appreciated . on return the house was perfect and they had prepared lunch for us and even treated us to supper! That’s the kind of sitters we love! As it happened we had no pets to look after but we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them whether you want furries looking after or just your home.

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Organised
Reliable
Clean and tidy
Self-sufficient
Pet care
Apt · -
David
Last time sitter needed: 3 months 3 days ago