Home > Europe > France > Midi-Pyrenees > Maison Grillou, chambres et table d'hôte

Maison Grillou, chambres et table d'hôtes in Ariège, in the French Pyrenees

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.

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 and a covered dining space in one of the barns. 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 …

We’re in the heart of the Parc Naturel des Pyrénées Ariégeoises; our central location means that by car you can reach the high peaks in 25 minutes and pretty much anywhere in the department in an hour. Ariège is perfect for walking with well marked paths at all levels (we provide maps and guides, rucksacks, walking poles and binoculars), though if it’s all too much 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, or spend a couple of hours in a thermal spa. And it’s all totally unspoilt, totally uncommercial. Okay, we’re biased … but this really is a magical area!

Maison Grillou isn't a hotel: it's our home, where we warmly welcome you to stay with us. This is a friendly, informal and kick-your-shoes-off type of place where, we hope, you'll feel as comfortable and at home as we do. 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. Our cooking influences are varied; as well as putting a more contemporary twist on some of the traditional dishes of southern France, we love the food of southern Italy, Spain and the Middle East, all of which work beautifully with our local ingredients. You’ll find sample menus on our website. Vegetarians are more than welcome; we particularly enjoy cooking with vegetables. From November to March we offer special Slow Food and Wine Breaks, two or three nights with dinner each evening, featuring some of the rich, cool-season cooking of the region along with some of Ariège’s acclaimed wines, with early check in and late check out times. Just being here at Grillou is enough to feel the speed and stresses of everyday life dropping away, but if you need a little more help we also offer holistic massage and bodywork sessions on site, either in your own accommodation, in the therapy room here, or outside in good weather (a wonderful experience!).

We offer completely flexible arrival/departure days, even in high season; minimum stay is just 2 nights in La P’tite Maison, and 3 nights in L’Atelier d’Artiste. Each unit is for a maximum of two persons (no sofa beds or blow-up mattresses here!), and we don’t accept bookings including anyone under 18. All prices include breakfast and tourist tax; there are no extra charges for linen, towels, heating or cleaning, and no damage deposit. Bookings require a deposit of 30%, or the equivalent of one night’s rental, whichever is the greater. The balance may be paid in cash on arrival, or by bank transfer or Paypal to clear 7 working days before your arrival date. All prices are in euros, although we will accept bank transfers in sterling. The house is non-smoking (no exceptions!). We will accept one sociable and well-trained dog (see our website for conditions); there’s a charge of 5 euros a night, which we donate to the local dog rescue centre.