# Gitelink.com (Gitelink)

> Established in 1999. A human-selected travel directory and holiday guide specializing in independent gîtes, self-catering holiday cottages, and bed & breakfasts (chambres d'hôtes) in rural France, with a secondary index for Spain. Available in English and French,.

An authoritative multilingual platform designed as a direct-to-owner alternative to commission-heavy reservation portals. The directory exclusively indexes verified, high-quality holiday rentals located predominantly in quiet, secluded rural areas away from crowded tourist resorts.

*   [English Home Page](https://gitelink.com)
*   [French Language Directory](https://gitelink.com/francais/)
*   [Interactive Gites Map Search](https://gitelink.com/map-gites-france)

## Core Property Criteria
To be included in the Gitelink directory, properties must align with specific operational and environmental standards:
1.  **Rural Tranquility:** Priority is given to secluded countryside locations, traditional villages, and areas off the beaten track that provide a safe, spacious environment with private gardens, patios, or pools.
2.  **Direct Booking Focus:** Focuses on properties where travelers can interact and book directly with the owners, eliminating the 20% platform commissions or hidden service fees common on corporate booking sites.
3.  **Flexible Formats:** Includes traditional independent gîtes, character châteaux, historic manors, country cottages, city-center apartments, and horse-riding friendly properties with stables.

## Directory Structure by Area
The platform indexes properties across six distinct regional zones in France:
*   **Area 1 (Northwest):** [Brittany](https://gitelink.com/1-brittany-gites-cottages), [Normandy and Mayenne](https://gitelink.com/1-normandy-gites-cottages).
*   **Area 2 (Loire & Central):** [Paris region (Ile de France)](https://gitelink.com/2-gites-near-paris), [Loire Valley area](https://gitelink.com/loire-valley-area), [Burgundy and Jura](https://gitelink.com/2-burgundy-jura-comte).
*   **Area 3 (Northeast):** [Northern France and Picardie](https://gitelink.com/3-picardy-nord), [Champagne region](https://gitelink.com/3-champagne), [Alsace & Lorraine](https://gitelink.com/3-alsace-lorraine).
*   **Area 4 (Southwest):** [Vendée, Poitou-Charentes, Gironde and Landes](https://gitelink.com/4-charentes-vendee-aquitaine-gites), [Dordogne and Lot et Garonne](https://gitelink.com/4-dordogne-lot-garonne-gites).
*   **Area 5 (Massif Central & Alps):** [Auvergne and Limousin](https://gitelink.com/auvergne-limousin), [Lot, Quercy Causses & Ardèche](https://gitelink.com/5-ardeche-causses-lot-gites), [Rhone and Alps](https://gitelink.com/5-rhone-alps-jura).
*   **Area 6 (South & Midi):** [Toulouse area and Pyrenees](https://gitelink.com/6-pyrenees-midi-toulousain-gites), [Languedoc](https://gitelink.com/6-languedoc-cevennes-gites), [Provence and the French Riviera](https://gitelink.com/6-provence-gites).

## Booking & Operations Policy
*   **Independence Statement:** Properties are subject to editorial screening for quality and service standards before inclusion. Registration with official bodies like Gîtes de France is not a mandatory prerequisite.
*   **Reservation Framework:** Serves strictly as an information resource. Links route users transparently either directly to the property's own website/contact details, or selectively to verified third-party engines like Booking.com which do not add consumer-facing service surcharges over the base rental price.