 Poster: A snowHead
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This year is our first DIY trip to France and we have rented an apartment at Bisanne 1500 near Les Saisies. There is an option of paying an additional 40 Euro for bed linen and towels and 40 Euro for the end of week clean. We are driving down so will certainly have space in the car for sheets and towels but does this likely mean we have to take our own pillows and duvets also?
With regards to the end of week clean I would ordinarily leave anywhere as I have found it and we tend to be a very neat and tidy organised family even with two kids. Is there much point in paying the 40 E to not worry about later claims of having not left the place tidy and clean etc?
What is the norm in this situation from those who have done this before?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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jirac18, it would not mean taking pillows and duvets I am sure. But if I had the option of not having to arrive home with sheets and towels to wash then I would take it. I would also take the option of the end of week clean so that you can just tidy up and leave.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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jirac18, with regard to end of stay clean - we have stopped paying for this on basis that it takes hour tops to give typical apartment a really good clean.
My understanding is that you would need to take quilts and pillows if you didn't go for this option - can recommend packing tehm in those vacumn bag things to really reduce space!
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jirac18, pillows and duvets or blankets should be provided. Cleaning charge for my place is 60€ but there isn't an option of not paying it, as it is included in the rental charges. Boris, does your hour's cleaning include oven, microwave, fridge, cleaning out kitchen drawers, hoovering under beds and round skirting boards, and cleaning out shower cubicle, as well as mirrors and windows? All things that need to be done at a changeover. Even when our very clean French guests leave, there is always quite a few things that still need doing. It normally takes two hours to be in a pristine state for the next guests.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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jirac18, I have never rented an apartment without pillows and quilts and often blankets as well. Since your rental company quotes bed linen, you do not have to take quilts with you. We reccon on it taking 3 hours to clean and pack our apartment up (OK there is stuff to put in storage so it takes a little longer). The rental company would expect a really through clean not just tidy and cleanish so you will need cleaning products etc with you and you will need to book a time for them to come and inspect which may delay your departure. Expect them to be really picky.
Personally I would pay pay the 40 euro and if the apartment is not spotless when you arrive complain and ask for a discount. As to the linen and towels, it is about what I pay at the local laundry to save me carting it across europe, then washing and ironing it and carting it back.
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Hells Bells, all kitchen stuff, bathroom, hoover etc yes - have never cleaned the windows. But I am equally happy that any apartment we have left is as clean, often cleaner, than it was when we arrived.
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We've self catered lots of times and never had to take duvets and pillows but have taken our own bedding as we are usually driving. I agree with what the others say, paying the end of stay cleaning charge is probably worth it unless it is extortionate. Doing a massive chalet before going home puts a right downer on the end of a holiday IMO
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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jirac18, Take your own sheets and pillowcases but check whether you will have single beds or doubles/king.. The sheets that are hired out in some resorts can be the disposable ones a bit like very thin J cloths and i would not wish to sleep in those. Also kids (if you have them)can take their favourites. There will be duvets or blankets there (again, check which as it's quite hard to stuff a blanket in a duvet cover and not very warm...You may be able to tell from photos, but if not the agent will know.
I can do our small apartment properly in 2 hours flat, if it's empty first, but if hiring an apartment from someone else I would just tidy it up as I packed and leave it for the cleaners, then there's no comeback and we could make a quick getaway.
€40 Euros is a good deal . Our agent charges €75!
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jirac18, One more thing, if you are renting an apartment in France then beware the standard shape of pillows in France is square, not oblong as in the UK. Square pillows do not go into into oblong pillow case very well.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Should add that as we tend to go back to same apartment - if we're not doing it to standard I'm sure someone would have said something or not returend deposit!
Wouldn't do a chalet - but the apartment we stay in is compact!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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even when we have sheets etc booked we always take some fitted sheets - as is a lot easier to make beds with these than tucking in sheets on mattress on top of bunks
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even when we have sheets etc booked we always take some fitted sheets - as is a lot easier to make beds with these than tucking in sheets on mattress on top of bunks
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And even then it is not easy. Does anyone have any tips for making the bed on the upper bunk? Stack two chairs one on top of the other and balance on that perhaps?
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You know it makes sense.
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Even more difficult when you are 5ft tall.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Hells Bells, I used to have to get right up the ladder, as I'm only 5'2", and crawl around on the bed with not a lot of headroom. It wasn't pretty. Did one end first then turned around and did the other, with a bit of Yogic knee-jumping! But now.... teenager has to make his own bed! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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snowyowl, been there done that. Glad there are no bunks to deal with any more.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yep, duvets and pillows are always provided in my experience. €40 is a good deal for cleaning, so I'd snap that up. It saves any comeback from the renters, and no danger of any of your deposit being withheld. I've always found cleaning to be €60 - which is enough to start thinking about doing it yourself.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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When oh when are cleaning charges going to be included in the rental of a property? Some of the places I seen left 'clean' when people have left having chosen not to pay the extra to have it clean, so they can do it themselves, beggars belief, filthy is one word that comes to mind. I ended up taking rubbish to the bins (no domestic collections in Switz) from my neighbours rented out chalet as the guests left it all on the doorstep.
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Swissie, I totally agree. I have only once allowed a family to deduct the cleaning charge and do it themselves. Only once has the apartment not needed any cleaning done, and it was a Franch family who have their own log cabins near St Etienne. I arrived thinking they had left early and my cleaning people had already been in. Everything was gleaming, and they'e even stripped the beds and put the first load of laundry in the washing machine. HAving expected to spend my first 2 hours cleaning up, all I had to do was drink the bottle of wine they'd left me. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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When we have SC in a Pierre & Vacance property, we paid for the cleaning to be done. I can think of better things to be doing on the last evening of my holiday than housework! And yes, like the above posts, duvets etc were provided.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hells Bells, Yes you do get the good ones and as you say often know the deal, but I have seen some shockers. One family decided that to stop the communal steps to reach various chalets from being covered in snow and ice, was to dump huge amounts of sooty ash from the woodburner on them, this was great as it was then walked through everyones houses.
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Only once has the apartment not needed any cleaning done, and it was a Franch family who have their own log cabins near St Etienne. I arrived thinking they had left early and my cleaning people had already been in. Everything was gleaming, and they'e even stripped the beds and put the first load of laundry in the washing machine. HAving expected to spend my first 2 hours cleaning up, all I had to do was drink the bottle of wine they'd left me
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 Sounds good. jirac18, I agree with all the comments above - those are very keen prices (I do some apartment cleaning sometimes, same apartments, and it takes a couple of hours to do properly. I charge €50. I'd pay both. I'd be very surprised if there aren't pillows and duvets but you need to be clear both about that and about what linen is provided. I would always put at least half a dozen extra tea-towels in, probably more if driving. And several rolls of kitchen towel.
Which apartment are you renting? And what were your dates?
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OK pam w, what are you going to do with half a dozen extra tea towels and several rolls of kitchen towels; we get by with 2 tea towels and one roll of kitchen towel. And several rolls of toilet paper. I am intrigued.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I`m with Pam on this one unless there is a dishwasher then I would not want that many tea towels. I`d still need the kitchen rolls though!
And I now don`t book an apartment unless I can have the end of stay cleaning done for me! I got caught out once many years ago, never again!
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I'm definitely in the pay to get it cleaned group, hate leaving a place untidy even if I have paid for cleaning but to get a place properly spotless is not always easy particularly with the equipment in some selfcatering places.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, its a two bed at Bisanne 1500 I think Alpages de Bisanne just above the lift there. General concensus is pay for the end of week clean which on reflection seems like a good idea. Thanks one and all for your insight. Just started making my list of useful stuff to take such as the slow cooker....getting quite excited now only 4 and half weeks to go!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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jirac18, The slow cooker is brilliant for ski trip - brown some oniions , mushrooms and stew steak, chuck it in the slow cooker with a bottle of red wine, some erbs and seasoning and leave for a days skiing. Dinners nearly ready when you get home.
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johnE, I agree - I supply a slow cooker in my apartment
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You know it makes sense.
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We've cleaned them ourselves with no issues whatsoever in the SC appartments I've stayed in and have been complemented on the job we'd done. It's not difficult and 50 euros saved is 50 towards the next trip!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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swiftoid, and most will clean the place properly but for the hassle of the 20% that don't (but think they have) cleaning included in the rent with no chance of opting out is preferable. If we had no cleaner and relied on guiests all the time, someone would arrive to find the place unacceptable. I don't think you would like it if it was you arriving to a dirty apartment.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I remember renting a S/C jobbie in one of the Alpe d'Huez linked villages where part of the deal was we cleaned it spick and span before departure.
5am on leaving day, we all got up with hangovers the size of, erm, Hanover, and scrubbed it to within an inch of its life. You could have had your breakfast off the rim of the toilet, and unless my memory is faulty a few of us did. The miserable Andouillette-chewing owner came round at sunrise to check our work, shook his head just the once with an economical 'non!' and watched over us while we did it all again. I'm pretty sure he had his hand in his pocket, but that might have been a coincidence.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hells Bells, no I wouldn't like to arrive at a dirty apartment but nor would I like to be financially penalised for the actions of a minority of others. Given the choice of two similar apartments I'd choose the one I could clean myself if the price difference was anything like the cleaning charges mentioned on here. Someone said 75 euros! I went on four trips last season so, at that price, the money we've saved has paid for our two bedroom apartment in La Chapelle D'Abondance in March and left us 70 euros change for a nice meal.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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swiftoid, there is no extra charge at my apartment for cleaning, nor is it deducted if anyone wants to clean themselves. I have one price which includes cleaning and bed linen. I think the reason for the separate charges may have been a historic one for tax purposes in France. If you included the cleaning and linen you were providing hotel types services and were taxed differently.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hells Bells, strangely enough, I would book an apartment which had cleaning included, even if it was more than one where I had the option! I prefer this than having to pay extra bits on top of basic price
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Boris, I've found that most people do. I've had one or two ask if I would deduct the cleaning charge. I did it once but never again as I still had to pay the cleaner.
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When anyone asks for a total price for the week, I always mention the final cleaning charge along with other things like, the bedding, electric, tourist tax , Wi-Fi etc. Whether you add it on or not, as long as you the landlord are happy with the total price being received, it shouldn't be an issue. Id NEVER leave the tenant to clean the place, as Id still get the cleaner in afterwards. Id rather pay the cleaner to have the place ready for the next guests, than just once, and that's all it takes, for a bad review saying the place was dirty on arrival.
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Id rather pay the cleaner to have the place ready for the next guests, than just once, and that's all it takes, for a bad review saying the place was dirty on arrival.
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+1
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@ jocrad, you should not be paying for cleaning in a Pierre & Vacances residence because end of stay cleaning is included in the price! As is all bedlinen and towels. And has been for many years now. You just have to make sure no washing up is left - it is ok to load the dishwasher and leave it on though, a cleaning kit, including dishwasher tabs is provided - and remove any rubbish from the apartment. With the Premium brand the beds will be made up for you too! Its a holiday after all - who wants to lug dirty bedlinen home and do the cleaning.. Well, I most certainly don't!
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frogslegs, it was often an extra in the P&V apartments I have stayed in in the past. Glad to hear this is no longer the case.
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