Upon arrival to this estate, we felt like we had chosen the perfect holiday cottage. We were greeted by scenery from a tour guide photo shoot: vineyards, forests, lots of trees and two lovely stone houses. The cottage we stayed in was surrounded by grape vines, olive and fig trees. The exterior of the place was lovely.

In fact, there were little things that we found to be lacking and annoying. We discovered cutlery for 20, but only two coffee cups (perhaps we were to use the soup bowls?) There were no lids for the pots - we used frying pans. When we asked for a kettle, we were told French boil water in a pan. There were no dinner plates, but dozens of dessert ones. The linen was mismatched and although there were plenty of pillows, they seem to be filled with rags making them most uncomfortable. The sofa was soiled, as were the table cloths we found and the bed coverings. With no screens on the doors or windows, we either had no air flow or faced a battle with insects both of flying and crawling variety.
I shudder to think what it is like in July/August as there is no ceiling fan or air conditioning. The barbecue was on its last legs being full of holes that allowed the coals to fall through.
Upon finding no towels, we were told it would cost an extra 10 Euros a week for this luxury.
We were also hit with a 150 Euro deposit that was not written into the contract. Three days before we left, we were told either to clean the place ourselves or pay an extra 30 Euros, which explained why the general cleanliness of the cottage was low with cobwebs throughout.
I don't want to sound negative or petty, but with a minimum of investment this place could have been a gem.
We never felt the warm welcome that we received at Les Carmes. When we asked for Internet access, we were told to use the one in the Tourist Office. Unfortunately, our stay coincided with several holidays when everything was shut down. These are the little things that make or break a holiday, especially when we had to be in contact with other family members who were joining us. Luckily I had a cell phone, which saved us. I know that being on holiday doesn't depend on satellite TV or telephone access, but minimum contact with family at home is sometimes necessary.
I would neither return nor recommend this place to friends.