Meet the Gite Owners: David & Nicola Warren, La Motte Parent

Meet David and Nicola Warren, the owners of La Motte Parent Gites gites in Brittany:

Q: How long have you lived / owned your gite in France?
We signed the final parts of the contracts for La Garenne and La Pompe on the 23rd April 2010 on the assumption that, if the date was good enough for St. George and Shakespeare, it was good enough for us. We spent the first summer doing them up and bringing them up to the standard that we would expect from first class gite accommodation. Not that they were in poor condition it was mainly decorating but they both needed wood treatment and La Pompe needed a kitchen area. 2011 was our first renting-out season.

Q: What do you love about France?
There are many things we love about France including, obviously, the food but, above all, it is the slower and quieter pace of life that is so much more conducive to relaxation than at home.

Q: What made you choose the region in which you have settled?
We wanted somewhere that is within easy reach of the UK but with an entirely different culture. Having spent many a happy holiday in the Region when the kids were young we knew Brittany fairly well and, in the event, it turned out to be both where we began and where we ended our search.

Q: Tell us three things you like best about your Gite
Our gites are set on the edge of the small town of Plouguenast and look out over open countryside yet we are within walking distance of the local shops and amenities. Above all we like the peace and quiet.

Q: What one thing would your previous guests say about your Gite?
I think it would be ‘comfort’. We have done as much as we can to make the gites feel like a home from home.

Q: What is your favourite attraction near to your Gite?
I would say the beach at Les Godelins near St. Brieuc where steps take you down to a long stretch of sandy beach. It is about 40 mins. by car. The sea there is excellent for bathing and there is a bar / cafe in which to relax afterwards. My wife would probably say the riding centre at Loudeac, though.

Q: What’s the oddest thing about the French culture that you’ve experienced?
It has to be the seeming impossibility to get things done from time to time. Even the simplest things can occasionally be ‘like pulling teeth’. On these occasions we have to remember that one of the reasons we chose France was because of its ‘lay-back’ culture.

Q: Which do you prefer and why – Entrecote Frites, Fish ‘n’ Chips or a good curry?
When in the UK we miss the the type of Entrecote et Frites that only the French can make but, when in France, especially after a couple of weeks, it definitely has to be Fish and Chips.

Thank you David and Nicola. Visit their website at ParentGites.com.