Chambres d'hotes with a difference in Ariège-Pyrénées

MAISON GRILLOU, CHAMBRES D'HOTES AND HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION WITH A DIFFERENCE IN THE FRENCH PYRENEES

who are we?

We're Kalba Meadows and John Curtis; we're both English by origin, and after many years of travelling in France we finally settled here in January 2007. We chose Ariège because of its stunning scenery and greenness, its open, welcoming and slightly radical nature, and because we both love the mountains here. Grillou was the first house we looked at, and it chose us.

Before moving here we created, and ran for 8 years, a small and successful restaurant with rooms in the small north Norfolk village of Cley next the Sea. We're not restaurateurs by profession - we come from the worlds of social work and psychotherapy - but it was an amazing, if rather full-on, time during which we met all sorts of lovely people. We've come here now to live more slowly and more simply; to take space to grow more vegetables, walk in the mountains and listen to the birds; and to share this magical place from time to time with others.

There's (a lot!) more about us on our blog Slow Living in the French Pyrenees.

slow food, slow living

The Slow Food movement was started in Italy in the 1980s by Carlo Petrini, in reaction to the opening of a McDonald’s ‘restaurant’ at the Spanish steps in Rome. Since then it has grown to a worldwide organisation, with some 100,000 members; its symbol is, appropriately enough, a snail. As well as encouraging people to give time to the preparation and enjoyment of food, Slow Food seeks to rediscover, protect and relaunch forgotten skills and products.

Which is all really good stuff, but not quite enough. So at Grillou we’re into living, as well as eating, slowly. That means taking time to cultivate and appreciate the simple things, living in a more measured and mindful way and doing things at the right, not the fastest, speed. What turns us on is the process, not the product.

ten things that make grillou different

one
Space. Lots of it. Both of our guest accommodations offer you very much more space than is usual: 110 square metres in L'Atelier d'Artiste, 65 square metres in La P'tite Maison. Although each is about the normal size of a two or three bedroomed gîte, we never accept bookings for more than two people in either. You will always have plenty of room to spread out and feel at home, plenty of space to breathe.

two
Our location. Complete silence, complete privacy, and beautiful naturally rocky and wooded grounds guarded by four very ancient oak trees. We're not overlooked and have no near neighbours.

three
Flexibility. Arrive and depart on whichever day you choose, even in high season. We ask only that you stay with us for a minimum of 2 nights in La P'tite Maison, and 3 nights in L'Atelier d'Artiste.

four
What we offer. We include breakfast (even if you choose to cook for yourself in L'Atelier d'Artiste) to ease you gently into each day, and dinner is an option 3 evenings a week. All linen and towels are provided; beds are made up; bathrooms stacked with toiletries, hairdryer, tissues, lotions and potions and a box of 'emergency' supplies; there are binoculars in your room and rucksacks and walking poles are available; crockery, cutlery and glasses are provided in La P'tite Maison - as well as, of course, L'Atelier - so that you can put yourself together a picnic (we'll do the washing up). We want you to be able to spend your holiday ... on holiday, not in the supermarket, so in L'Atelier we provide basic foodstuffs such as coffee, tea, herbs, spices, flour, sugar, oil etc, plus dishwasher and washing machine tablets, environment friendly cleaning materials, loo rolls, kitchen towels and so on. If you ask us to we'll even shop for you before your arrival. Massage and bodywork sessions are available on site.

five
The quality of our furnishings and fittings. We've furnished your parts of the house with the same love, care and attention as we have ours, spending many many months scouring sale rooms, antique dealers and private sellers looking for pieces that were crying out for the Grillou treatment. Where it matters - beds, kitchen, sofas, shower rooms - we've gone for good quality contemporary stuff. L'Atelier's kitchen is equipped with everything you need to cook up a several-course gourmet feast. We've used lime wash and other natural paints, coloured with earth pigments from Ocres de France on all the walls; linseed oil and wax on much of the woodwork.

six
Our food. We're passionate about it - choosing it, growing it, cooking it, eating it, sharing it.

seven
Transparent, clear and inclusive pricing. There are no supplements for final cleaning, and no damage deposit (we prefer to trust that our guests will let us know if anything gets damaged during their stay). All prices include breakfast. You'll only pay extra for dinner, if booked, and for any massage/pulsing sessions.

eight
Green thinking. We've been deep into this one for a long time: we do (of course) all the usual things: low energy light bulbs, keeping waste to a minimum, composting, reusing, recycling, minimising our use of electricity, heating oil and water, etc etc. We also grow - naturally - whatever we can, buy locally, make as much as possible at home using the best ingredients we can find, and make/use environment friendly cleaning materials (we get through a lot of white vinegar and sodium bicarbonate!). Lots of places now do much of that, thankfully. But we also think differently. We've deliberately opted out of what's generally called the consumer society: we buy what we need, don't do 'brands' and don't feel the need to own the latest bit of gadgetry. Grillou is our home, not a business; we welcome guests because we enjoy it, not to make a stonking great profit (though if it helps pay for the odd treat for us from time to time, so much the better) and we prefer to do what we love to do well and with all of our energy and enthusiasm, all the way through the year. 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; it also means that we can offer you really good value. Win-win.

nine
Slow. We were early members, movers and shakers in the Slow Food scene in the UK. Now we don't just eat it, we live it, and are lucky enough to be able to offer an environment where others can experience it too.

ten
Tranquillity. We feel that what we have to offer at Grillou is best suited to adults, and so we don't take bookings including anyone under the age of 18.