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Description of holiday guesthouse near St Girons, Midi-Pyrenees

Lost in the woods in the foothills of the Pyrenees, a sunny green oasis of silence … a sensitively restored farmhouse, full of charm and character and spacious, comfortable and well equipped. Here you’ll find peace and tranquillity, broken only by birdsong and cow bells, along with stunning scenery, good food and a host of extras.

Set in beautiful, natural, wooded gardens in the heart of a 'parc naturel', Maison Grillou offers beautiful, flexibly designed chambre d’hôte and self-catering accommodation, with good showers, beds and linen, a mixture of reclaimed and contemporary furniture, lots of books and music, plenty of places to sit, eat or read, a host of other extras, and a very warm welcome. Breakfast is included for all guests; dinner is available 3 times a week. Arrive and depart on any day, even in high season; minimum stay is just 2 nights. Ariège is the ‘other’ south of France: a rural and sparsely populated area of outstanding natural beauty, laid back charm and good living. Explore green foothills and majestic Pyrenean peaks; potter round local markets and medieval towns; walk on peaceful paths and drive on quiet roads; marvel at the sheer variety of flora and fauna and stand and stare at breathtaking views. We’re just 90 minutes from Toulouse or Carcassonne airports with good links to the UK.

L'Atelier d'Artiste is a huge (110m2) spacious and light converted barn with cooks’ kitchen, sitting and dining areas on the ground floor, sleeping plus further sitting areas on the first floor, a great bathroom with a shower big enough for two in the old grenier (grain store), and two terraces outside. Although L'Atelier is fully equipped for self-catering, we include breakfast to ease you gently into each day.

Next door to L’Atelier and once a farm workers’ house, La P’tite Maison is a separate chambre d’hôte suite (65 m2) on three levels with a large double bedroom, mezzanine chill out area, and shower room upstairs, and its own sitting room downstairs. Breakfast is included, and crockery, cutlery and glasses are provided. Although each is completely self-contained, the two spaces can be linked to form superb accommodation (open plan kitchen-dining-sitting room, separate sitting room, two bedrooms each with their own shower room and WC) for two couples booking together.

Our grounds surround the house; there are various garden areas with tables, chairs, seats and sun loungers. Our land is hilly and rocky and runs off into woodland all the way round; the whole environment is natural and unspoilt. We’re not overlooked and can see no other houses. There are mature cherry, plum, walnut, apple, pear and fig trees, and we grow – organically – many of the vegetables and herbs that we serve for dinner. There are various terraces, barbecues, a fire pit for campfire evenings, a covered dining space in one of the barns and - new for 2013 - a summer kitchen. A veritable orchestra of insects and birds plays here every day; bats live in our roof spaces; lizards bask on the rocks; owls call through the night. And then, of course, there are the stars …

Having run a small restaurant before we moved here and been early members of the Slow Food movement, food – local, seasonal, sustainable - is our passion: we offer a four course dinner, with aperitif, wine and coffee, three times a week. You’ll find sample menus on our website. Vegetarians are more than welcome; we particularly enjoy cooking with vegetables.

Maison Grillou is our home; if you're staying with us we hope it will feel like your home too. We're not posh or grand, but we hope that the magic of this place and the genuine pleasure that we take in welcoming people here will combine to make your stay with us a very special one.

Accommodation, Facilities and Services

Suitability:	Not suitable for children or infirm, No Smoking, Pets Considered
General:	Central heating, Internet Access, Computer, Hairdryer
Bedrooms:	2 Bedrooms, Sleeps 4 2 Double/s with ensuite
Bathrooms:	2 Bathroom/s 2 Shower/s, 2 Wash basin/s, 2 Toilets/s
Lounge:	Seating for 4 people TV, CD Player, Radio, DVD Player, Books/Magazines, Selection of Films, Selection of Music Each suite has its own private sitting room with comfortable seating for 4 people.
Dining Area:	Seating for 4 people L'Atelier's dining table seats 4; the table in La P'tite Maison seats 2.
Kitchen/Utility:	Oven, Hob, Grill, Fridge, Freezer, Kettle, Toaster, Coffee maker, Dishwasher, Washing machine, Ironing board, Iron L'Atelier has its own kitchen with the above features. La P'tite Maison has a kettle, plus cutlery, crockery and glasses. Both suites have access to barbecues and a fire pit.
Outdoors:	BBQ, Private garden, Shared garden, Terrace, Sunloungers, Patio table, Patio chairs, Sunshade New for 2013 - a summer kitchen in one of the barns.
Access:	Car essential, Off road parking, Stairs Access via a non-paved but hard forest track - suitable for all cars except a low slung sports car or similar.
Services:	Daily maid, Linen provided, Towels provided, Cleaning included
Meals:	Breakfast, Evening meal Table d'hote dinner - 4 courses, plus aperitif, wine and coffee - available 3 times a week.
Facilities in each room:	Ensuite, Tea/Coffee making , TV, Internet access, CD Player, Radio, Fridge, Hairdryer

Price quoted in £ Sterling

Price quoted in € Euro change currency £ € $

Rates

Period	Per Night	Breakfast Included	Minimum Stay
All year	€78.00	Yes	2 Days

Please Note: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.
Currency conversions are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Deposit/Booking Notes: Prices shown are for a stay of 2 to 4 nights in La P'tite Maison. Please see our website for prices for longer periods and for L'Atelier d'Artiste. All prices include breakfast. Dinner available 3 times a week (28 euros per person). Please contact us for up to date availability - we don't use availability calendars because our extreme flexibility on arrival and departure dates makes it impractical. We'll always respond within a few hours, usually less.

Location of holiday rental near St Girons, Midi-Pyrenees

Holiday Type:	Rural, Mountain, Historic/Sightseeing
Local Activities:	Swimming/Watersports, Skiing/Snowboarding, Walking, Golf, Fishing, Climbing, Horse Riding, Cycling/Mountain Biking, Local Market

Location description

Ariège is the ‘other’ south of France: a rural and sparsely populated area of outstanding natural beauty, laid back charm and good living. Explore green foothills and majestic Pyrenean peaks; potter round local markets and medieval towns; walk on peaceful paths and drive on quiet roads; marvel at the sheer variety of flora and fauna and stand and stare at breathtaking views. The Ariège is just about as far south as you can go and still be in France - amazingly we’re farther south than Nice - and is bordered by Spain and Andorra. There are just six main towns, the largest of which has a population of just over 15,000, many small villages and hamlets, and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country. The Pyrenees are rarely out of sight and form a stunning backdrop all over the department, with the highest peaks rising to around 3000 metres.

Ariège is perfect for walking with well marked paths at all levels (we provide maps and guides, rucksacks, walking poles and binoculars), including a variant of the St Jacques de Compostelle pilgrim path, which passes just a few minutes from Grillou. A Voie Verte (green road) has been created from an old railway track and now links Foix with St Girons, passing through our village of Rimont, and offers easy walking or cycling with lovely views. If that all sounds too much like hard work though, you can let a donkey or even a llama take the strain!

Medieval cités, Cathar castles, lovely Romanesque churches and authentic bastide towns and villages are all on your doorstep. There are lots of prehistoric sites, including some of the most extensive caves in Europe. You can climb or ski in the high mountains, go canoeing, gliding or paragliding, spend a couple of hours in a thermal spa or dance the night away at one of our many festivals. And it’s all totally unspoilt, totally uncommercial. Okay, we’re biased … but this really is a magical area!

Other activities

Local produce, farm trails, donkey trekking, Cathar castles, arts and crafts galleries and workshops, birdwatching, flora and fauna, astronomy (exceptionally clear skies with little light pollution).

Local events

Lots of festivals all year round, but especially in summer - folklore, classical music, world music, food and drink and much more. The Tour de France passes through the department every year.

Tourist attractions

Too many to list, but the department has some of the most extensive prehistoric caves in Europe, with many open to the public. The nearest, at Le Mas d'Azil, is 15 minutes drive from the house.

Nearest Airport:	Toulouse Carcassonne Tarbes/Lourdes	85km 85km 120km
Nearest Railway Station:	Foix	20km

Directions

Maison Grillou is just 3 kilometres from our nearest village, Rimont, almost at the end of an ungravelled (but perfectly driveable) woodland track. In spite of our rural and unspoilt location it’s really pretty easy to get here. Toulouse airport, 90 minutes drive, has three flights a day from London Gatwick as well as flights from various other parts of the UK; Carcassonne, at the same distance, is well-served by Ryanair. If you want to come by train, there’s a daily sleeper train from Paris Austerlitz direct to Foix, leaving at around 22.00 and arriving at 6am (and back, at approximately the same times). Bookings open three months before travel. Otherwise, travel by Eurostar to Lille or Paris, onwards by TGV to Toulouse, then change for the local line to Foix. By car the drive from the Channel ports will take you 10-12 hours.

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