[unclesomebody]

I've just arrived back in the UK and thought I'd report back on the new hip place to stay in font. Most of your probably know that Neilh (of UKB) has just moved out there and set this little enterprise up. Some facts;

Multiple gites for rental, from 1/2 man to 4/6 man (this will perhaps get larger too).
It has it's very own climbing wall for wet days or for maintaining your prime conditioning on long trips (pics to follow).
It's gated at the front and all around (thus exceptionally child friendly)
In fact, they probably have everything you need if you're travelling with a young child!
Internet will be available (most likely via wifi for all!)
It is located in Herbeauvilliers, which is 2 miles from the Buthiers Massive, and 15 miles to font (along the roads, not as the crow flies!);



What comes next is my opinion;

It's very cheap when compared to other gite accommodation I've stayed in. It's way better because you're renting from someone who's not trying to squeeze every last penny out of you for cleaning/electricity/sheets etc. It's run by nice people. I wouldn't stay anywhere else now this is available.

I know some other UKB peeps have stayed there recently so perhaps they could use this thread to post their opinions/reviews/ideas. I'm guessing neilh will read this at some point, so this thread should be a useful medium.

Contact info: website coming as soon as I remember the address. PM neilh for more info.

[slackline]

Contact info: website coming as soon as I remember the address. PM neilh for more info.

The web-site is www.maisonbleau.com now't much there at the moment but you can subscribe to a mailing list to stay on top of everything.

[Paul B]

I stayed here with Nat recently, i'd echo everything that uncle has already said (good write up), its the best place i've ever stayed in Font and there was no robbing frenchman at the end who tried to charge me an arm and a leg for the logs I used to heat his house.
The bit that we stayed in was very nicely furnished and we found the kitchen to be really good (although I believe neil wasn't content with it and would be replacing it with something even better).
 
Basically next time i'm off to Font this is going to be the first place I try for accommodation.

[Fiend]

Good effort Neil. By climbers, for climbers eh!

Good write-up uncleposeur. Good idea putting the maps in, useful.

[Sloper]

Having just returned I'd say, the place is the business and Neil really goes out of his way to help out with the little things that make all the difference, esp if you're taking your family (i.e. changing mats, cots, buggies etc).

All in all the apartment was one of the nicest gites we've stayed in and as people have mentioned the lack of hassle from lying cheating owners is a major bonus.

The only criticism is that Neil has been far too lazy to through a canopy over the forest and install air conditioning and lights, the weather was utter gash, but at least we've worked out that going bouldering with a baby is possible.

[neil h]

cheers guys, My internet is playing up ony been able to get on very briefly

Web site will be up and running very very soon I promise

Just a quick one to say stage 1 of 4 in the woody is complete, so you can train if its wet. The wall will be 4 times this size and fully matted out by christmas








On the accom front, I have 1 gite that slepps 4 and one studio that sleep 2 ready, so If you want it just give me a ring 07983636035 sorry for the english phone number but I cant trust the french line at the moment untill its set up

We can discuss price over the phone


cheers

[Jaspersharpe]

 

It's looking awesome Neil. 

[dave]

looks good neil. you should add an air-hockey table and a tandoor oven to complete the facilities. And remember nothing spells out class like dimmer switches in the toilets.

[SA Chris]

Or in the case of some places in France

l remember nothing spells out class like toilets.

Looks great. I reckon UKB could do an annual block booking of one room.

[neil h]

just a quick update:


I have put a very basic site up, there is info on the 2 gites avalable there, and the location and contact

Sorry all who have submitted email, but I cant seem to get my mail to work, french telecom hey

www.maisonbleau.com

[BenF]

I reckon UKB could do an annual block booking of one room.

What, we all squeeze into one room, once a year?  If so, count me in.

Count me in anyway, I'm gonna be contacting Neil soon.  Unless all you lot have taken all the bookings.

[Houdini]

Not long returned from nearly a month @ Maisonbleau.


I don't owe Neil_h cash and I did not know him before now.  I write this because I want to and wish him and his family all the best with both their move to le foret and their new business.

Myself and the FinnDeep (read: bums) moved into the studio-gite expecting a place to doss, wash, and fight.  We got exactly that: compact & bijou dear readers, compact and bijou.  No messing around with the price - couldn't have been cheaper or more cheerful.  We asked or expected nothing more; Neil had barely moved into his own gaff...

Couple of days later he'd shoe-d us out into his 4 bed gite (!) so as to transform the studio gite with full cooking/washing/sleeping facilities.  We thought Christmas had come early.  We moved back into the studio when Sloper and family arrived.  Fuck me if we weren't given a full upgrade (again) as soon as they left for the UK. Now, I don't mean to say that Neil and Family are running a charity doss-house (he had work still to do in the studio and quid pro quo we helped build his training facilties) just that he really impressed us by going the extra mile and then some to make our trip extremely comfortable.

The grounds themselves are lovely, tres rustique.  The training facilities are well-radge (built by a herd of specially imported master craftsmen, no less).  There is ample, safe parking behind thick stone walls.  The large gite is pukka: roomy, light, warm and well-appointed.  The studio-gite represents blinding, cracking value; you'll not find better unless you've family in Font.  All in all, if you're in Font to pulldown, you'll be there out-of-season for the cool temps and the Maisonbleau out-of-season prices are unbeatable.  Forget Formule 1 - you can do so much better with your hard-earned.

If that isn't enough don't forget that the Maisonbleau family are climbers themselves and are happy to climb with you even if you smell a bit and haven't shaved for a month.  As Unc' says, I can't imagine staying anywhere else in future.

While I would not recommend you do this yourselves, it is possible to reach Maisonbleau and still get out climbing without a car (not everyone drives or has a car):  Get to Paris however you like; take the train to Malesherbes; then a €15 taxi or 5km jog/walk/hitch to Herbeauvilliers.  Piss.  Buthiers is a blinding massif; well-off the beaten track (and 40mins easy walk from the gites) polished it is not. In the many times I walked/ran or biked to the place I only ever saw two other climbers (bizarrely, two pals of mine from the UK); no-one goes there (Shhhhh!).  There are some gobsmacking classic climbs here.  The orange and black circuits are top.  Over the road is the Canard Massif, again, some shithot, proud lines to be had here.

Food.  Yes there is the Intermarche just out of Malesherbes and a few small shops in town, but if you are interested in great fresh produce then the Wednesday market (morning to approx. 1 pm) in Malesherbes is awesome.  Meats, poultry, freshwater fish and  seafood, clothing, cheeses, all fruits and veg of the highest quality I found.  Even got me a cute robotic dog that yaps, walks and begs on it's hind legs for a paultry €7!  So great!

Enough spray, find out for yourselves. 




(Cheers Neil!)

[Nibile]

just visited the website.
g/f asked "my god whendo we go?" straight away.

[Houdini]

The unremitting steepness of the Ape Zone (Alaine de N'eur resting on a heel n' claw on the 1st wingless ascent H8+)




Mmm...  Simian.   

[Sloper]

Was that road kill too?

If so folks you can save even more of your hard won benefits, eat roadkill! Who knows you might even get some wild boar or venison, we had to satisfy ourselves with a malard even so it the best wild duck ever.

[Houdini]

Er... No.


I'd taken the Orcs' BMX to go to Buthiers.  (It's Sunday:  Hunting day)  I returned & was about to open the gate
when out of the sky a pheasant fell.  I saw it was hobbled & figured it looked scrummy so was on it like Catweasle!  It ran into Neils' hedge alongside his livingroom, I found it hiding and dispached it forthwith.  Later, an autopsy from Dr. Puurtinen revealed it had taken BB in the spine & foot.  Catfood.

We thought it may have belonged to the old dear next door: one moment I am unburdened by game, next I'm doffing an imaginary hat and closing the gates behind me.

It was a young (soft fleshed) male so didn't require hanging.  Alas it was fried.  But didn't hang around long.

 

[Houdini]

[Stef]

Hi, I'm a local climber in Font and  I run a Gite + B&B at a walking distance for the Elephant, Dame Jouanne, and 5 km for the 3 pignons.
I don' really agree with you that every local gite owners tries to take away from you every of your last penny. Heating is a real cost, I agree, but when you accomodate 4 poeple for 200 euros for a week(+/- £ 125) at low season, it cannot be all inclusive. You can check my place (www.bonadresse.com/ile-de-france/gite-la-chapelle-la-reine.htm) and on different forums (UK + US and other european), I am no kinda crook, and always trie to help the poeple comming to my place. Very cold for excelent friction here these days, but sio cold that you can stay in the forest 1 or 2 hours only. Than you need so warm. Take care, cheers, merry xmas, Stef.

[Houdini]

The last time I was in a French-owned gite, the lady who inspected the property before we left (in order to return it fully or try to squeeze more out of the desposit) insisted I pay for the re-painting of my room as one wall had a few black shoe-marks on the paint.  I pointed out that only I had used this room and that I was wearing and had always worn white-soled shoes. 

Cheeky cow!

[Dr T]

Hi, I'm a local climber in Font and  I run a Gite + B&B at a walking distance for the Elephant, Dame Jouanne, and 5 km for the 3 pignons.
I don' really agree with you that every local gite owners tries to take away from you every of your last penny. Heating is a real cost, I agree, but when you accomodate 4 poeple for 200 euros for a week(+/- £ 125) at low season, it cannot be all inclusive. You can check my place (www.bonadresse.com/ile-de-france/gite-la-chapelle-la-reine.htm) and on different forums (UK + US and other european), I am no kinda crook, and always trie to help the poeple comming to my place. Very cold for excelent friction here these days, but sio cold that you can stay in the forest 1 or 2 hours only. Than you need so warm. Take care, cheers, merry xmas, Stef.

he's telling the truth - straight up - I've stayed at this guy's place a number of times and am going back in Feb'
His breakfasts for the B&B are great but it's the banter that makes the place...
highly recommended...

[Houdini]

I'd say Stef has real boulles plugging his own business in this thread 

[a dense loner]

it is a thread about font accommadation tho. i really don't agree with anyone who thinks every gite owner is out to stiff them. stef is quite right to point this out.

[Houdini]

I can't moderate but I would remove stefs' link.  He can plug his trade, say in a new thread.  He may have an opinion but the clue's in the THREAD TITLE.  Tres cheeky.  This thread is for Maisonbleau.

[neil h]

I agrea with both parties here,

yes the thread is about maisonbleau, but If it was about stefs place I would probably do the same, The point is there is now some good accomadation in font for climbers by climbers, Both mine and stefs place.

Merry christmas all


By the way, the weather out here is tops its been about 3 degrees for the last 10 days, and projects are going down all over the place, Blue skies and no mist in the morning, I dont think font has evey been any better.............



neil

[Jim]

Looks excellent Neil. Look forward to visiting with my girls later on this year.