WHERE IS THE GITE IN RELATION TO THE CAMPING? The gite is located in front of the farmhouse and faces due South with clear, unobstructed views to the horizon (camping in front of the gite is not permitted) and the terrace and private garden are for the exclusive use of the gite. The camping pitches are located behind the farmhouse and to the East. Our small camping site is designed for touring caravans, camper-vans or tents. We have do not have fixed mobile-homes or caravans for rental. Click here to see your view from the Gite and please note that camping is NOT permitted within this view. Click here to see a plan view.

THE GITE SEEMS ALMOST TOO CHEAP!  WHAT'S THE CATCH? No catch - just competition! Nowadays, there  are so many self-catering gites near Carcassonne to choose from that I have to keep my self catering holiday rental prices realistic and value-for-money. On my website gite page, what you see (and read about) is exactly what you get because I don't want my holiday rental customers to be disappointed when they get here. If there is an issue that might effect the enjoyment of your holiday, then I will publish it on my website because I want you fully aware of all the facts before you send your deposit. My honesty is your guarantee.   
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FINAL CLEANING. SHOULD I PAY OR DO IT MYSELF? That's your choice, but the gite must be left immaculately clean - and I do mean immaculately clean! Second-best or a quick shimmy-over will not do. You are expected to do your own cleaning day-to-day but come the last day, the whole gite should be in the same pristine condition as when you found it. Think of it, you are packing, mindful of the time and the kids and all that. Probably best to pay the extra 50 euros / £35 for a final clean if you are in any doubt and be done with it. It's something else less to think about and, afterall, you're on holiday!  If you want to do the final cleaning yourself and it is found not to be up to my wife's exacting standards, then I reserve the right to keep 50 euros / £35 from your security deposit!
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YOU WANT A SECURITY DEPOSIT WHEN I RENT THE GITE. WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT? It's not a con! When you rent the gite I need money to offset my insurance premium excess in the event of a claim. For example, say my policy excess was £100 (which it is). The first £100 of my claim is not insured, so if you broke a double-glazed window costing £150 to replace then I would be £100 out-of-pocket. My insurance company would pay the £50 but not the first £100. It's as simple as that. I'm not concerned about broken glasses or other fair wear and tear because that's life as a landlord! Check your own contents / buildings insurance policy and look for the bit which your insurance company won't pay in the event of a claim. On your day of departure, I look around the gite and make sure all is as it should be. If something major is damaged, then we talk and I may keep your security deposit until I get the bill for repairs. Of course, I will refund any difference to you should the value of repairs or replacement be less than your gite rental security deposit. In France, security deposits are called a "caution" (pronounced: "cor-she-on") and are standard business practice with self-catering holiday or "gite" rentals in France. If my insurance company would pay all of my insurance claim then I wouldn't bother with it, but they don't, so the holiday gite rental security deposit is here to stay!
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CAN I USE THE CHEMICAL TOILET IN MY CARAVAN? Yes, but you may not be able to empty it at our camping site because we use a septic tank system and do not have the facilities at our campsite to dispose of chemical toilet waste unless it has been treated with a natural or biological product which is environmentally-friendly and safe for septic tanks such as T-blett ® Outdoor Toilet tablets (also known as Toi-blett ® Outdoor ) or Aqua Kem Green liquid from Thetford Aqua Products.
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DO YOU GET A LOT OF SUNSHINE AND IS IT HOT IN THE SUMMER? Our region claims to have 300 days of sunshine a year and the weather in the South of France is normally mild, sunny and warm in the Spring and Autumn and hot in June, July and August. Check our Temperature chart for further information. 
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DO YOU GET HOT AND HUMID EVENINGS? Hot? Yes! - but never humid.
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DO YOU GET THE MISTRAL IN CARCASSONNE? No, that's a Provence phenomenon. Here's some info on the Mistral. Here at Camping La Royale near Carcassonne, we get the Autan  or Marin.
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DO YOU HAVE AN INDOOR RESTAURANT AT YOUR CAMPING SITE? We serve gourmet table d'hôte alfresco, weather permitting. The nearest indoor restaurant is 15 minutes walk away and other restaurants are dotted about the villages in the mountains of the Montagne Noire behind us. There is a vast selection of restaurants, bars and cafés in Carcassonne.    
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DO YOU HAVE A SWIMMING POOL? No. However, by car, you are just 5 minutes away from the nearest indoor/all-weather pool and children's adventure playground at Cuxac, 15 minutes from mountain lakes for swimming at " Les Montagnes " which has an aqua-playground in the water for the children and 50 minutes from the clean and sandy Mediterranean beach at Narbonne Plage. You can even try " Carcassonne Plage " which is a huge, beautiful lake with a man-made beach on the outskirts of Carcassonne. There is also an open air lido in Conques sur Orbiel which is 10 minutes in the car from La Royale.
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WHAT ABOUT WHEELCHAIR ACCESS TO THE GITE? The front door of the gite is about 15 metres from the gite parking area. The garden and the inside of the gite are on the same level except for two steps leading up to a landing where the shower-room and toilet are located. In my opinion, these tallish steps would be impossible to negotiate unaided in a wheelchair. Two helpers would be required to lift the wheelchair past these steps.
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DO YOU KEEP TOURIST INFORMATION? Tons! The most popular are the walks and car tours around the regions' villages and beauty-spots. We have information on the medieval castles, prehistoric caves and much more. The wine tasting information is popular too. If you have a particular hobby or interest, we will do our utmost to gather as much information about it as we can to give to you when you arrive.
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ARE THERE ANY GOLF COURSES NEAR YOU? Yes, the nearest in Carcassonne, 9/18 holes. We have full details together with the tariff.
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THIS IS OUR FIRST HOLIDAY IN FRANCE AND WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT MAKING OURSELVES UNDERSTOOD? Understanding a bit of French is desirable but not essential. Many French people in the tourism industry speak a little English, so normally, in the end, you can always make yourself understood. But we are also here to help, if you wish. In my opinion, the French always appreciate your attempt at speaking their language, no matter how difficult it may be for them to understand what you are trying to say - so don't forget your dictionaries!
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DO YOU HAVE A BAR? Not a "bar" as such, but we are licensed to sell beers and wines for consumption on the premises.
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DO YOU HAVE A CAMPSITE SHOP WHERE WE CAN BUY ALL OUR FOOD?  No, but we do keep a few essential items in case of emergencies. There is a well-stocked "corner-shop" nearby and the nearest supermarkets, INTERMARCHE, ALDI and NETTO are 20 minutes by car on the road into Carcassonne. Once you are in Carcassone town, there are many different supermarkets to choose from.
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WILL MY MOBILE PHONE WORK AT LA ROYALE? Yes. Nobody has reported any signal problems yet, regardless of the network provider.
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IS THERE AN INTERNET CAFE NEAR YOU? Yes, in Carcassonne town-centre. It is also Wi-Fi enabled. You pay by the hour.
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IS LA ROYALE WI-FI ENABLED? No. There is not enough bandwidth available at La Royale to make WI-FI viable. 
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WHY DO YOU CALL YOUR CAMPING SITE "DELUXE"? Many larger camping sites will offer a wider range of facilities such as an on-site supermarket, a swimming pool, an adventure playground and a discotheque for entertainment and that's why they have 4 or 5 stars. Here at Camping La Royale, we focus on the simpler things in life like ultra-clean toilets and showers which are inspected and cleaned at least twice a day. We make sure that the hot water and soft toilet paper never runs out and that there is always liquid soap in the hand dispensers. There is even Eau de Cologne in the ladies facility to freshen up - you just help yourself. Our campground grass is regularly cut, the flowers and shrubs are kept neat and tidy and the whole campsite is checked for litter every day.  Our campsite may not have a long list of facilities, but for it's small size, it is very well equipped. Much care and attention to detail is taken to ensure that your camping holiday experience is a pleasant one. Our reputation as a good camping site is our best advertisement which we take pride in earning.  
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DO YOU HAVE ANY MUSIC IN THE EVENINGS? Yes. Smooth mellow music plays softly every evening in our courtyard which is a great place to sit, chat about the day and enjoy a glass of something and perhaps meet new friends. [Boring? -Ed] Or you might enjoy some Samba or Latin? [Yea! -Ed] Can you groove to the Latin beat? Samba is apparently "Très Cool" [pronounced "tray cool"  -Ed] as the French would say here, in Southern France.  
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WHAT HAVE YOU GOT ON YOUR CAMPSITE TO ENTERTAIN YOUNG CHILDREN? Adventure playgrounds, public swimming pools, lidos and lakes built for swimming with aqua-playgrounds are a short drive from Camping La Royale. Our camping site has a field to play ball-games, fly a kite and a seesaw. So if your children's entertainment on a camping site is paramount, you need to choose one of the bigger campsites in the Aude region for your camping holiday in Southern France.
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WE WOULD LIKE TO RENT YOUR GITE BUT THERE ARE MORE THAN SIX OF US. WHAT CAN WE DO? The gite has three bedrooms and sleeps 6 persons in proper beds. However, there are two small settee/sofa beds. Don't forget that there is only one toilet, one wash-basin and one shower room in the sanitary section of the gite building so things could get a bit crowded!  Or, you may wish to book additional camping and bring your own tent. If it is a very small 2-person tent it can be sited in the gite garden or if you have a larger tent, then it can be sited within our camping zone. All you pay is our standard camping rate per person whether you use our camping site facilities or not. Don't forget, we do not supply tents, you must bring your own.
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WHAT DOES YOUR CAMPING PRICE INCLUDE AND ARE THERE ANY HIDDEN COSTS? There are no hidden camping costs and no complicated campsite prices. I charge per-person and that keeps your camping holiday costs easy to ready-reckon. Afterall, how big is a large tent, or how small is a caravan awning, or exactly what size is a normal caravan? Who knows?  Yes, there are some people who bring huge tents or large caravans but those campers normally have a large group, so it all works out fair-and-square. Click here for the camping tariff. Does the camping price include tourist tax? Yes!   Do I need coins for the toilet? No!  Do hot showers cost extra? No!  Do you charge for my car? No!  Where can I park my car? Well, when the camping site is very busy, i.e. during July, I will ask you to park your vehicle in the private camping-site customers car-park which is free, just 50 metres away. Why? Because this creates more camping space, less noise, fumes, potential danger and minimises damage to the grass camping land. When the camping site is not so busy, i.e. in May and June, you may park your car next to