Frequently Asked Questions ...

It is obviously a must-have accessory for our guests!
Therefore, a mobile barbecue is made available, which can be used near the terrace.
We only ask you to empty the BBC and clean the grids at the end of your stay.

Sheets, pillowcases and duvets are at your disposal and the beds will be made upon your arrival.
Dish towels are available in the kitchen.
On the other hand, bath towels and pool towels are not provided.
It would be nice to undo used beds and to put the dirty laundry into the baskets the day of your departure.

Unless previously agreed, you are asked to leave the logis at the latest at 10 a.m. so that cleaning and disinfection can be carried out correctly.
Arrival is normally planned from 4 p.m., but earlier arrival is sometimes possible; if you are interested, do not hesitate to contact us by phone around 2 p.m.
Do not forget to call us about 1h before your arrival so that we can welcome you on the spot.
Important: If you cannot arrive before 8 p.m., please let us know so that we could leave you a key in the Masterlock© keybox. You will then be provided with an access code by SMS.

The access is easily practicable for a family car or a SUV, but it is sinuous and passes under trees that do not belong to us and that we can not cut. As a result, the easy circulation of a very large, very high or very long vehicle (like motorhome or minibus ...) is not guaranteed.

You will find enough space to park at least 2 to 3 vehicles under the tree shade.
A locked garage allows storing bicycles and small engines.

The swimming pool is approximately 4 m by 10 m [~13 ft by ~33 ft]; the depth is variable, ranging from 0.6 m [~2 ft] near the access steps to around 1.6 m [~5 ft] on the other side.
It is secured by an alarm reacting to the fall of a body (which obviously does not prevent you from watching the children). It is not heated, as this is generally unnecessary in the Gers from mid-June to mid-September (with a noticeable exception in 2021 unfortunately!🥶😷).
Disinfection takes now advantage of salt electrolysis process preventing the irritating presence of chlorine in the pool. The water, although very slightly salty (10 times less than sea water however), is not at all aggressive for the eyes of swimmers.
Water filtration is automatic and a robot is available to remove leaves that may have fallen into the pool.

La Bastida is nestled at the end of an endless path: the passage of vehicles is therefore extremely rare.
It goes without saying that there is neither factory nor highway nor railway or airport less than 50 km away.
Speaking of aircraft, we cannot exclude the passage of a small tourism plane or a police helicopter once or twice a month, but it is not disturbing. On the other hand, a hot air balloon may fly over the house if the wind blows in the right direction; it is not very common, but it could happen two or three times a month in the summertime.

The place is not particularly infested with mosquitoes, but we cannot exclude the presence of a few specimens on summer evenings. Please note that in the rooms, at least one window is equipped with a blind-type mosquito screen, allowing you to keep the window wide open without being bothered by these insects whose bite is generally not appreciated.
We nevertheless recommend having a repellent at your disposal if you wish to enjoy the terrace or the swimming pool in the evening.

Dormice (Glis glis) are small rodents of 15 to 30 cm long, with large black eyes and a bushy tail, cute to observe, but who occasionally have the unpleasant habit of taking refuge in inaccessible areas of houses (attic, various conduits ...) and to engage in sometimes noisy chases during summer nights.
These are completely harmless small mammals, which do not cause any significant damage because they feed on garden products, but can waken up the citadin sleeper in our quiet countryside environment.
These animals are not protected in France, but trying to poison them is a very bad idea and trapping them is regarded as utopian because they are very smart; only ultrasound devices can possibly be effective in repelling them, but these can also be annoying for your pets.

The Gers loves the sunflowers (Helianthus annuus): you will see them in the fields from May (young shoots endowed with heliotropism) to August (in bloom, facing the east/southeast). However, their culture alternates one year in two with that of cereals; fortunately, all farmers in Gers are not synchronous!

The Gers (you will pronounce or not the final "s") is a French department of Gascony in the Occitanie region. Its prefecture is the city of Auch. It draws his name from the Gers river tributary of the Garonne river.
Lectoure is located in the northeast, in Lomagne gersoise, in the former territory of Armagnac [Source: Wikipedia].

The nearest city is Lectoure, 9.5 km; you will find just about everything you are looking for (except US fast food, but there is now a McDonald’s at the entrance of Fleurance - 16 min by car!)
A booklet is at your disposal that informs you in particular on:

• doctors, pharmacies, veterinarians and hospitals,
• stores as well as market days,
• cash distributors, banks, garages and post office,
• tourist attractions and sports and/or cultural activities in the area,
• local restaurants and wine producers in the region.

La Bastida is built in a valley which is unfortunately not well served by mobile telephone networks: Bouygues is doing well, Orange does not pass all the time, 3G is struggling but 4G is improving year by year and now allows you to connect to SFR.
Fortunately, roaming will automatically find the best network for your mobile phone equipped with a foreign SIM card.
However, we have put a fixed telephone line at your disposal allowing you to call free of charge in metropolitan France and in the countries of the European Union (fixed telephones only).

You have a high-speed ADSL internet connection (↓~13 Mbps / ↑~1 Mbps), with free and unlimited access, coupled with a local Wi-Fi network whose range is however limited by the thickness of the walls.
Sorry, fibre is not yet very widespread in our Gers campaigns!

A 32" flat screen allows you to watch HD digital satellite television (Hotbird 13E and Astra) that gives you access to all free French channels (equivalent to TNT SAT).
Some foreign channels can also be accessible on a computer via the Internet.

Because we do not want to force you to separate from your pets, dogs (just like cats and redfishes ...) are welcome to La Bastida, except in bedrooms for obvious hygiene reasons.
However, we do not accept dogs in categories 1 (attack dogs) or 2 (guard and defence dogs: Pit-bulls, Rottweiler, Tosa...).
We also recall that, although far from any road, the property is not fenced.