Welcome,

The Hotels & Gites Directory provides information on a large selection of French bed & breakfasts, holiday rentals, chateaux and hotels throughout France. Using our intuitive map-based interface or our simple table-based listings, you can search every region of European France for that special bed & breakfast (chambres d'hôtes in French), holiday rental (gîte in French), chateau (usually a high-end bed & breakfast or hotel) or independent hotel. Using the Hotels & Gites directory, you contact the establishments directly, often saving yourself money while getting a feel for the people you will be staying with. Also, unique to the Hotels & Gites Directory,you get to see all of the accommodations in the directory without searching through pages of confusing information. You will have a clear idea of where each bed & breakfast, vacation rental, chateau and hotel is located throughout France and in relation to France's major cities.

We hope you find your dream accommodation within the Hotels & Gites Directory and tell others about us. It is our pleasure to help you find your place in France.

     Sincerely, the Hotels & Gites Directory Team

The zoom maps are user interactive. This means you can move around within the map and inspect the various Châteaux, Gîtes, Bed & Breakfasts and Hotels represented as color-coded dots. The zoom map menu (the bar above the map space) tells you which type of establishment the colored dots represent.

Within the zoom maps you can:

Navigate. Click in a region to zoom in (the cursor will be a when this is possible. Click on the edges of the map to scroll (the cursor will appear as an arrow). Click in the oceans or the "zoom out" button to zoom out.

Explore. Roll your cursor over a dot and the name of the establishment and the town where it resides are displayed.

Get the details. Click on a dot and the information for that lodging will appear in the Hôtels & Gîtes information box to the right of the map.

You can also tell the map to show only a certain type of establishment or to show only cities. This can simplify your search. To do this, select which type of establishment you wish to see in the map and click on it in the menu bar above the map.

To see where an establishment is located on a true map, click on the "Carte" (map) button in the establishment's information box (appears when you click on the dot associated with the establishment on the map). A Google interactive map will appear on the screen with the establishment pinpointed. For larger maps, click the "land maps button on the left of the menu bar.

The zoom maps utilize a technology called Flash which allows you to interact with the web in a graphically rich manner. Flash uses the power of your computer to generate the images you see on the screen. It is efficient but dependant; this means that it's behavior is often dictated by the power of your computer: The greater the computing capacity of your computer, the smoother the flow within the map.

This doesn't mean that you need a high-powered computer to use the maps. In fact, even top-of-the-line computer systems can have problems if they are overextended. Try the following:

The zoom maps utilize a technology called Flash which allows you to interact with the web in a graphically rich manner. Most web browsers are Flash enabled so you should have no problem with the maps or menus. However, there are some browsers that do not have Flash enabled. In such a case you will see no Flash elements on your screen and you won't be able to use the maps. You must have Flash enabled in the user preferences of your internet browser.

If Flash is enabled but the maps or the menu bar fail to appear, your Flash may need updating. To update your Flash for free, click here:

If you have the most recent version of Flash installed in your browser and Flash continues to fail, the problem may reside in your browser. Check your settings for any blocks that may be in place. Our Flash has been tested in Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox and Opera. We recommend using the Firefox browser. You can download it for free here:

Google Maps provides all of the land maps used in the Hôtels & Gîtes Directory. They have an easy to use, intuitive graphic interface. In the Google maps you can choose to...

France is divided into administrative regions and departments. There are 26 regions and 99 departments. You can divide this even further into 342 arrondissements. To see the various regions and departments of France, visit the Land Maps / Regions and Departments interactive map.

In the French language a Château is a castle. France has an abundance of Châteaux dating from the medieval to the present. Many are quite famous: Versailles, Chambord, Fontainebleau, etc. built by royalty and the rich. Today, most of the large châteaux are owned by the government and open to the public, while the smaller châteaux (and some big) have been turned into private residences, exclusive hotels or unique bed and breakfasts The Châteaux (plural) listed in the Hôtels & Gîtes directory offer a unique and often historic stay for the traveller.

A Gîte, in French, means "refuge", "lodging", "haven". In real terms it is a vacation/holiday rental. Usually it is a house, a part of a house, or an apartment, complete with kitchen, dishes, utensils, appliances, bed linens, etc. In short, it is a self contained vacation home. All you need to supply is the food. Gîtes are rented by the weekend or the week and are a cost-effective alternative to hotels. Rates are usually quoted by the weekend or week. In the Hôtels & Gîtes directory, the maximum price listed is an average per-day price.

When you click on the colored dot of a Château, Gîte, Bed & Breakfast or Hotel displayed in the zoom map, an information window will display to the right. Within the information window you will find basic information on the accommodation including contact information: telephone, e-mail and web address. utilize one of these methods to contact the establishment. Tell them we sent you!

No, we don't provide that service. Our goal is to provide you with access to the various accommodations available throughout France. By dealing directly with the establishment, you avoid paying a booking premium.

English is a world language and you will find that most accommodations will have some English skills. In the directory and in the information window for each establishment, you can identify which languages are spoken by that establishment. If English is not an option, send them an e-mail and see what kind of response you get. You may be surprised.

Certainly. If you have stayed at a place you think others should know about, please send us an e-mail and tell us about it. We will contact the establishment and ask them if they would like to be listed. It costs them nothing and we will only list them with their approval.

No. The basic listing is free. Your establishment, photo and information, will appear in both the Flash Zoom Maps and the Searchable Table.

Owners/managers of guest accommodation need more than a web site, they need a web presence. There are several avenues you can pursue, most of which are quite expensive, limited in scale, and tend to take control the lines of communication between you and your customer.

We noticed these limitations and to counter them we developed the free Hôtels & Gîtes Directory. It is expensive to maintain but some of the costs are offset by site sponsors and premium listings. Our primary business is web development for the French tourism industry. The directory is a natural offshoot of that business and allows us to interact, even if briefly, with a great number of people like you. We won't try to sell you anything, but you now know we're here when you need our services.

Certainly, but a web site is indispensable in today's travel market. In France, over 50% of all travel is booked online. The percentage is even greater in other countries. If you simply don't want a web site, then send us a good photo. A really good picture can say a thousand words so choose the best photo you can to place in the directory.

Yes, with several methods:

Visit the "advertise with us" page for more information. (It is available at the bottom of this page.)

Site sponsors help us offset the cost of operating the Hôtels & Gîtes Directory. The rate to sponsor the directory varies by month, length of rotation, and if you wish to share the rotation with others. On average the rate to sponsor the site is 300 Euros/month. For more details, visit the "advertise with us" page. (It is available at the bottom of this page.)

Simply send us an e-mail with the name of your establishment and the mistake you found. A common problem people find is that the e-mail address listed on their information page is not their actual e-mail address. This is intentional to keep spam bots from using your e-mail address to send you spam. Your e-mail address is encrypted to prevent theft.

If you wish to remove your listing, send us an e-mail and tell us that you wish to be removed from the site. Also, if you can, tell us why you wish to be removed. We are always looking to improve the service. If you change your mind and wish to re-list, you must again send your information through the form.

We are Lorem Ipsum Design, a French company based in Tours, France. Our Siret # is: 49398009800013.

Hôtels & Gîtes is actually part of a larger company called Lorem Ipsum Design. Our primary business is web development for the French tourism industry. Other business concerns are translation services and business logistics in France for English speaking companies.

To discover more about Lorem Ipsum Design, visit our web site.