IL Postcard

Yes, You Can Still Find a French Cottage for Less Than $100,000

Date: 11/27/2007

The European
Vol. 1. Issue no. 51
November 28, 2007
Paris, France

Country living for less

by Leigh Fergus

If you dream of a quiet life following the rhythm of the seasons in the heart of the lushest countryside in France, check out the Limousin.

Situated between Paris, the wine country of Bordeaux, and the mountains of the Massif Central, this region is ultra green with a high count of tiny picture-postcard villages, lakes, and historic sites. The Knights Templar made it one of their bases, the French resistance movement hid in its woods during WWII, and much of the country’s best fresh produce comes from its farmland.

Ungentrified

I like the region because it’s real rural France and hasn’t been gentrified. Apart from the urban center of Limoges, the rest is rolling countryside, thick forests, and hamlets. Up to now it’s been ignored by all but French tourists. They come here in the summer to return to a life they enjoyed as children. In the summer you can paddle in streams, pick fruit in the orchards, fish in the lakes, and cycle on shady country lanes away from heavy traffic. And return in the winter for cross-country skiing and hearty stews.

VEF French Property gave me several good leads for houses in the Limousin, including a rustic stone cottage to fix up with exposed beams in the town of Bourganeuf, famous for its castle. The cottage is on its own land and has a living room of more than 400 square feet with fireplace. The price tag is 60,500 euro ($89,700).

For 1,000 euro more, you can buy a larger, finished country house. Immoboulevard’s agents—who are often Dutch and tri-lingual—showed me a three-bedroom house in the area recently. I liked the old wooden floors and the stone sink in the kitchen. I could just see myself turning part of the garden into a vegetable patch—and the vaulted stone cellar was the cherry on the icing. For 62,500 euro ($91,300), this would make a great vacation home.

The weekly newspaper De Particulier à Particulier is a good source of information and properties. Through the paper’s website I arranged to see a traditional stone house close to the Cantal mountains with a fenced garden. The house is ready to move into, with electric heating plus wood-burning stoves—there’s no shortage of logs in this wooded area. The property has two bedrooms and room for another, and also a garage and an old stable for 84,000 euro ($124,400).

Where otters live

Also on the site was a small village house in need of repair with two plots of land for 44,000 euro ($65,150). Set in a forest, but only 18 miles from Limoges where there’s an airport and a good train service, is a two-bedroom house for sale with a barn, garage, and a third of an acre. The price is 70,000 euro ($103,700). This house is in the village of Sauviat-sur-Vige—the clean water of the river Vige attracts otters and other rare animals.

Property hunting resources to try:
The website (with listings in English) and weekly newspaper De Particulier à Particulier puts buyers and vendors directly in touch without going through an agency. Website: www.pap.fr
Immoboulevard, website: www.immoboulevard.com
VEF French Property, website: www.vefuk.com

[ Editor’s note: I’m working on a more detailed report about this region right now, detailing the travel and investment opportunities in the Limousin and why you should buy here now.]

Yotel

by Naz Heazle

It has happened to us all at some stage…you arrive at the airport to find that your flight has been delayed, and not just by a few minutes, but by hours. Airport seating isn’t exactly the most comfortable place to wile away that time, and there is only so much coffee you can drink or duty free shopping you can do. That is why the Yotel could be the answer to every exasperated, delayed traveler’s prayer.

“What is a Yotel?” That was the question my friend Catherine asked when I told her I had reserved our accommodation at London’s Gatwick airport. Yotel is the brainchild of British entrepreneur Simon Woodroofe. Combining elements of Japan’s capsule hotels and British Airways business class sleepers, he came up with the idea of providing air travelers with a place within the airport where they can relax for as many hours as they need. Yotel provide cabin-style rooms that can be reserved by the hour—perfect for those delays or the time between connecting flights. You can relax, freshen up, and prepare yourself for the rest of your journey without having to leave the confines of the airport.

Cabin-style rooms

Comfort and convenience is what Yotel is all about. The cabins come in two categories, standard and premium class. The difference is in the size of the cabins—standard cabins are 75 square feet, and the premium cabins are 107 square feet. Each is equipped with all the facilities you’d expect to find in a regular hotel room. My premium cabin was a twin, with bunk style beds (double beds are also available). The beds are both comfortable and roomy and the walls of my bottom bed were also padded, just in case I happened to roll too close to the wall during my snooze. Each cabin also has its own en suite bathroom and shower facilities. This area was also quite spacious, but is separated from the rest of the cabin by a see-through glass door. Let’s just say, you certainly wouldn’t want to be shy around the person you are sharing the cabin with.

If you’re not tired enough to sleep and just want to relax, there is plenty of entertainment on offer. The flat-screen TV has free Internet access, over 50 television channels—everything from the BBC to Dubai Sports—a selection of movies (these are an extra £5 /$10 each) and music. Feeling a little hungry? Once again, the TV can provide you with this. Select your food or beverage of choice from the on-screen menu and it will be delivered to your cabin by a member of staff, on call 24 hours a day.

The décor of the cabins are as you would expect—simple and practical, with a mainly white and chrome color scheme and low-level purple tinted lighting. They are big enough that you will have enough space for two people plus luggage but not so big that you could invite your cabin neighbors in for coffee and a chat. But then, the whole point of them is that they are a place to kick back and relax before making the two-minute walk to the check-in desks for your next flight.

How to Yotel

Prices for the standard cabin start from £25 ($52) for four hours (minimum time required) and can be booked on the hour or half-hour.
Yotel are currently in operation in London’s Gatwick (in the South Terminal) and Heathrow (Terminal 4) airports. A third is scheduled to open in Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport in early 2008. For more information and bookings, see www.yotel.com

Lesbos: Greece before mass tourism

by Steenie Harvey

Along an olive grove path, one fellow walker spies what he thinks are cannabis plants. Before anyone goes grabbing handfuls, Iannis assures us they’re not, they’re Monk’s Pepper ( Vitex agnus castus). In medieval times local monks brewed up a tea from the plant to help maintain vows of chastity.

In just three hours, I’ve learnt an amazing amount about Greek botany, archaeology, and the mysteries of the Byzantine church. All thanks to Iannis Troumpounis, owner of Hotel Votsala on the east coast of the Greek island of Lesbos.

Outside the sleepy, seaside village of Pyrgi Thermi, the Votsala staff have recreated what Greek vacations were all about before mass tourism. It’s a world away from the lesbian hotspot of Skala Eressos, my first Lesbos stopover.

Bathe in healing waters

You’ll find no theme nights here, discos or even a TV in your room. And while you can take to the sea on free pedalos, there’s not even a swimming pool.

It’s tempting to lounge in the flowery seafront garden with a book (the Votsala is well stocked), but you’d be missing a lot. Pyrgi has been inhabited for over 5,000 years and an archaeology site is right beside the hotel. Along the beach, and buried in the waterfront hillside, you’ll still find shards of ancient pottery.

The “Thermi” part of the village name comes from its hot springs and Roman-built thermal baths, and for 5 euro you can still bathe in the healing waters. The goddess Artemis, protectress of springs, was worshipped here.

Along with Ionian and Corinthian columns—some transformed into church altars—ancient Greek inscriptions decorate the stonework of many village buildings. Harking back to when the Romans were here, even the “new” Agios Nicolas church has marble relief panels commemorating acrobats and gladiators in its walls.

True believers in philoxenia or kindness to strangers, Iannis and his wife Daphne offer a program of daily activities. These include birding, orchid-spotting, and archaeology walks, cookery classes, boat trips, and visits to the historic island capital of Mytilini, complete with old Turkish houses and ouzo distilleries. Turkey, too—it’s almost within shouting distance. Prices are very reasonable: today’s three-hour walk costs 6 euro.

Around 60% of the guests return. Some have been coming for 10 years straight. Nights in the bar are like a house-party where everyone knows each other—which is often the case. And drink measures are generous and cheap.

Rooms are simple, but breakfast is superb. Tables groan with pomegranates, fresh yogurt and local honey, eggs, meats, cheeses, homemade jams and pastries such as custard tarts and spinakopita (cheese and spinach pie). And to encourage you into local tavernas, Iannis and Daphne only cook dinner or hold a barbecue twice weekly.

The Votsala opens from Easter to October. Including breakfast, doubles from 42 euro ($59) low season, 74 euro ($107) in July and August. Website: www.Votsalahotel.com

Flying News

by Leigh Fergus

If you’re feeling sun-starved, you’ll be happy to hear that Transavia is now flying from Paris-Orly to Tenerife and Las Palmas in the Canary Isles this winter. A round trip to either destination in January costs 180 euro ($268), including tax. Website: www.transavia.com

The Vatican’s own low cost airline now flies out of Rome to popular pilgrim destinations such as Lourdes in France, Mount Sinai in Egypt, and Fatima, Portugal. Vatican Airlines, operated by the Italian cargo company Mistral Air, has plans to charter planes to religious sites in Mexico and Israel next year.

Links between Norway and southern Europe will improve next summer with Norwegian Air Shuttle announcing flights from Oslo and Ibiza in the Balearics, to the Greek islands of Kos and Rhodes, and Rijeka in Croatia. One-way tickets to Ibiza and Rijeka start from 42 euro. These summer flights generally are scheduled from mid-June to mid-August. Website: www.norwegian.no/sw7127.asp