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What we're looking to create at Grillou is just the kind of
peaceful, laid back retreat that we'd love to find
ourselves staying at. That means lots of space,
simple, stylish, flexible and eco-friendly accommodation, comfortable
furniture, good showers and beds, books, WiFi
access, plenty of places to loll around and read in
sun or shade depending on season ... plus flexible
arrival and departure days, peace and quiet (so
sorry, no kids!) and good, hopefully like-minded
company if you want it. When all is done and dusted
in early summer 2010, we'll have space for two
couples to stay with us at any one time.
Grillou is our
home, not a business; we welcome guests because we
enjoy it, not to make loadsamoney (though if it
helps pay for the odd treat for us from time to
time, so much the better). That means that we don't
set out to fill our all of our accommodation all of
the time - which means, in turn, that we can be much
more flexible over your arrangements and do our best
to create with you the kind of holiday or break that
makes the most of your time and ideas.
l'atelier
d'artiste
accommodates one
couple. It's a huge space of 110 m2, over two levels
(which usually equates to at least a three bedroom
gîte round here!) over two levels, originally
converted by the previous owner from barns and a
cowshed into an art restoration studio and workshop.
We've renovated the whole area using natural
materials, and furnished it in a contemporary French
country style with a mixture of reclaimed and new
furniture.
Downstairs there's
an open plan kitchen with oak units and worktops, a
four ring gas hob, full size electric oven, fridge
with freezer and a dishwasher. It's been designed by
cooks for cooks, and so you'll find plenty of good
pans and utensils, sharp knives, gadgets, kettle,
coffee maker, toaster, cook books plus simple but
stylish white crockery and decent glasses. The
kitchen is stocked with a supply of basic foodstuffs
(with more available in our honesty 'shop' ),
dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid and
environment friendly cleaning materials. There's
also a dining area which seats four people in
comfort, and a sitting area with sofa and comfy
chairs. The whole area is painted and colourwashed
with natural paints and washes, made in-house using
natural pigments of French yellow ochre and green
earth.
Upstairs there's a
huge, triple aspect, cathedral ceilinged space for sitting and
sleeping, plus a bathroom. This floor has the original ferme
(triangular roof truss) plus huge sliding glass
windows that have been made to measure to fit the
original barn openings, which not only maintains the
original 'sense' of the building but gives great
views over the surrounding hillsides and woodland, and allows a phenomenal amount of light into
the space. The sitting area has two sofas, a
television with French plus some English, Spanish,
German and Dutch channels, and a combined hi-fi/DVD
player/iPod dock. The sleeping area has a king size
(160cm wide by 200cm long) double bed and the usual
storage for clothes and incidentals. All the walls
have been rendered with fine hemp and lime; woodwork
is largely of reclaimed chestnut.
The bathroom was
created from the former grenier (grain store) and
has a tiled 180cm x 120cm shower which can decently
hold two people, a glass bowl sink on an acacia
slab, a wall hung WC and enough space to sit and
relax. The room is finished in a mixture of gypsum
plaster, hemp and lime render, tadelakt and
reclaimed chestnut.
Access is from the
gardens; there's a gravelled terrace with small
table and chairs directly outside, and a larger, private dining terrace
with table, four chairs, umbrella and barbeque a few
steps away.
Minimum stay in
L'Atelier d'Artiste is three nights, with arrivals
and departures possible on any day of the week.
You'll find all our 2010 prices
here. Our prices are
inclusive - there are no hidden extras for
sheets, towels, electricity or final cleaning, and
no security deposit. Breakfast may be booked as an
optional extra, and dinner is available three
evenings a week.
Photos coming soon, when we're presentable!
la
p'tite maison
is next door to L'Atelier
d'Artiste and also accommodates one
couple, on a chambre d'hôte basis (room and
breakfast). Once a farm worker's house, it now forms
a completely self-contained suite of around 65 m2 on
three levels, with access from
the dining room / library in the main house.
Downstairs is an
large hall area leading into a salon with sofa and
comfy chairs, a television with French plus some
English, Spanish, German and Dutch channels, and a
combined hi-fi/DVD player/iPod dock. There's also a
dining table with two chairs, a small silent (and
hidden!) fridge and some crockery, cutlery and
glasses so that you have the means to put yourself
together a picnic supper. Oh - and there's a kettle,
and a tray of tea,
coffee and tisanes, naturellement. The salon
is painted with our in-house natural paint, this
time a warm terracotta colour made from natural
earth pigments of burnt sienna, red and yellow
ochres.
Upstairs there's a
landing leading to a double height bedroom with a
leather double (140cm x 190cm) bed and pillow topped
mattress. Bedlinen is Egyptian cotton; towels and
bathrobes are white and fluffy. A flight of stairs
leads to a mezzanine level chill out area with yoga
mats, massage oils, floor cushions, wicker chairs,
and CD player. The bedroom is painted with natural
paints and washes made using natural pigments of
natural sienna and yellow ochre, and curtains and
drapes are made from Indian sari materials. The
shower room has a tiled 90cm x 90cm shower with
glass door, a contemporary wash basin and lots of
oak, and there's a separate WC.
Minimum stay in La
P'tite Maison is two nights, with arrivals and
departures possible on any day of the week. Prices
include breakfast and can be found
here.
Photos coming soon, when we're presentable!
outside
there are
various garden areas where you'll find tables,
chairs and sun loungers. The grounds of just over
half a hectare are managed for wildlife, and (with the exception of L'Atelier's dining terrace and our own private
terrace) open to and shared between ourselves and
whoever happens to be staying at Grillou at the
time. We have mature cherry, plum, fig and walnut
trees and a large potager (kitchen garden) which is
managed organically and produces a copious amount of
vegetables in season; we're in the process of
planting some fruit bushes and young fruit trees.
There's a fire pit if you fancy a campfire evening,
and we're planning an outside summer salon in one of
the barn areas as well as the management of a part
of our woodland (above the house, with a fantastic
view of the Pyrénées when the leaves aren't on the
trees but currently very overgrown) to create a wild
sitting area.
Our land is
unfenced and runs off into woodland all around; the
whole environment is wild, natural and completely
unspoiled - manicured lawns and weed free borders
are not the order of the day! - and having
thought about it long and hard we've decided not to
go down the swimming pool route, partly because to
be honest we'd both find it hard to justify
ecologically, and partly because anything but a
natural swimming lake would be a blot on our lovely
landscape ...
nature with a
touch of nurture
We'll serve you
breakfast (included for guests in La P'tite
Maison, an optional extra if you're staying in
L'Atelier d'Artiste) between 8.30 and 10.30, in the
dining room or on the terrace depending on the
weather: fresh juice, cereals, different breads
(home made using organic flours, or fresh from our
village boulangerie), viennoiserie (croissants, pain
au chocolat or pain aux raisins), local yoghurt or
fromage blanc, fresh fruits and compôtes, home made
jams, local honey, coffee, tea or chocolate, plus
maybe a sweet or savoury 'cake', eggs, cheese,
charcuterie ...
As ex-restaurateurs we're passionate about produce
and cooking and so dinner will be on offer
usually three times a week if you want it: four courses of local /
seasonal food with an apéro, wine and coffee thrown in for a
fixed price. Our speciality is cooking with
vegetables: we'll be making good use of the produce from our potager and as many of the
fantastic local cheeses as we can find space for;
we'll also be serving
local charcuterie, meat and fish as a part of our
menus, although we can
cook for vegetarian guests on request. Dinner will be in true table
d'hôte style, with all of us eating together, and
we're hoping for some really good, convivial,
multi-lingual evenings!
Otherwise you can try some of
our local restaurants, cook for yourself if you’re
staying in L’Atelier d'Artiste (or order a Grillou-style
‘ready meal’), or feast in the garden from some of
the delights of the local traiteurs. During the day:
walk in the mountains or foothills, cycle, climb,
ski, swim in the gorgeous Lac de Mondély (recently
listed as number 2 in the Sunday Times 'Best
European Beaches for 2010' feature and where the
water’s usually a good 28 degrees in summer) then
relax on its beach afterwards, do the round of
some local festivals, covet all the produce at the
markets, take long slow lunches, browse in our
library, chill, cycle, take
short trips to discover the local Romanesque
architecture or Europe's most extensive prehistoric
caves or Cathare castles or our extraordinary local flora,
write, go mushroom hunting, take the binos and watch
lammergeier and eagles, count the butterflies, take
a hamper and settle down at 1500 metres to gaze at
the high peaks …
Or you could just stay put:
read or sleep under a tree in the garden, sit and
marvel at the birdsong in spring and early summer,
count lizards, work on your tan, sit silently and
hope to spot a deer, paint, write, meander to the top of the
track to watch the sun go down over the mountains
... cool drinks and ice creams provided on hot
afternoons.
booking
In a
nutshell, not quite yet. We'll open bookings as soon as we
can guarantee to have everything ready and
completely guest-worthy by the time you want to
come. That means not only that all the finishing
touches have to be finished, but that we've sat in
all the chairs, cooked in the kitchen, eaten at the
table, showered in the showers and slept in the
beds! Watch this space from April onwards, or
sign up for our newsletter. If
you're on our mailing list and you make a confirmed
booking for our first year, you'll find a special
treat or two waiting for you at Grillou!
And
coming soon: loads of photos, inside and out; lots
more local information; and a brand new bi-lingual
website ...
© Kalba
Meadows 2009-10. Last update 15
February 2010.
Award winning neighbourhood
restaurant with rooms, unique seasonal vegetable
cooking and fine organic wines; long, slow,
pleasurable dining; chic, boutique style acc
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