Gardoussel Retreat Newsletter January 2009
30940 Saint-André de Valborgne, France
tel : +33 (0) 4 66 60 16 78 www.gardoussel.com
Dear friend,
As I write, our poolside hut is being erected just beyond where I’m sitting with my laptop. Having a pool – purchased at the end of last summer - has been a huge boon to Gardoussel and a welcome addition in this hot summer weather. This week we have also installed picnic tables, more deckchairs and hammocks and now a hut for pool paraphenalia will complete our riverside terrace. Our own kids love the new pool and although the river runs just next to this special spot, I must admit it’s extremely handy to have a sparkling pool that’s always deep enough to swim in, just a short walk from the main buildings.
The summer is whizzing by. Our first poetry-writing event at Gardoussel kicked off the summer season at the end of June. Tutor Esther Morgan led a brilliant week for a small but perfectly-formed group of writers, who leapt into the daily writing sessions with enthusiasm and produced some great work with the help of Esther’s inspiring teachings. We hope to develop our creative writing program further next year.
This week sees our annual yoga retreat with Jean-Francois Beaulieu. Although we have experienced slightly lower numbers for our summer courses this year across the board, Jean-Francois’ popularity does not seem to be suffering unduly from the credit crunch! We have a full house this week, in fact a slight over-subscription, but we are very grateful for that.
One retreat that unfortunately has had to be cancelled due to low numbers is Crysse Morrison’s Creative Writing retreat at the start of August. Crysse was as disappointed as we were that she would not be coming across this year, after the huge success of her course last year, but we look forward to inviting her across again in 2010.
Our next retreat will be Art & Yoga with Karen Stamper from 8 – 15 August. There are still a few spaces left on this event so if you are interested, let us know as soon as possible (see below for the full event blurb).
If holiday courses are seeing a slight decrease in popularity this year, then self-catered personal retreats and gite rentals seem to have picked up the slack. This would seem to make sense, as it is a cheaper option than a full-board retreat with tuition thrown in. We have been inundated with enquiries this year for our two gites and most of our summer weeks are now filled. The only remaining slots between now and the end of September are the weeks Sat 29 Aug – Sat 5 Sep and Thrs 17 – Thrs 24 Sep for gite rentals.
Other news: Maggie, one of our in-house cooks for the past two years, will be leaving us at the end of August to continue her travelling adventures in Guadeloupe. She has been a huge help to us in the kitchen, working alongside Frances, and her sensitive touch and culinary know-how has made her very popular with our guests. We wish her all the best in the next exciting stage of her life.
Our organic vegetable garden, launched this spring and cultivated by local gardener-cum-honey producer Jean-Claude, has been very fruitful. The idea of using seasonal produce grown organically and as locally as possible, is something we have been slowly putting into place for some time. Staple foods including grains and cereals we buy from organic distributer Celnat and our excess fruits and vegetables are purchased from a certified organic producer near Alès. This coupled with our new garden means that all the meals prepared at Gardoussel are now 95% organic.
That’s all for now. See our program below for details of what’s still available this year. Wishing you all a continuing sunny summer, whatever the weather!
With much warmth,
Sharon & Alex
Remaining Summer Program 2009
* 8 - 15 August : ‘Art and Yoga’ (in English) Cost: £760
Refresh, recharge and relax as you learn to draw, paint and improve your yoga practice in a supportive, creative and inspiring environment. The Art workshops will be fun and designed to inspire confidence and creativity using a variety of different materials and techniques including pencils, paints, charcoal, pastels and collage. They are ideal for beginners and those who ‘dabble’. The Yoga workshops are suitable for all levels and will work to stretch out your aches and stiffness, align your joints, calm the nervous system and quieten the mind.
Gîtes
Our 2 beautiful, independent gîtes (holiday apartments) are available for weekly rentals for those who want to do their own thing at Gardoussel Retreat. We have 2 gîtes available:
* le Pigeonnier has two twin/double bedrooms and a sofa bed in the living room giving it a capacity of 6 people. It has a large kitchen with an open-plan living/dining room and a shaded, completely private terrace for outdoor dining. Also a shower room and separate toilet. 450€ per week
* le Gîte Vert also has two twin/double bedrooms and a sofa bed in the living room (total capacity 6 people). It has a living/dining room and a modern fitted kitchen as well as a terrace overhung with rambling vines for outdoor dining. 430€ per week
Both gîtes are available for let from Saturday to Saturday. Guests have the use of our loft workspace and outdoor yoga deck in addition to our 18 hectares of meadow and woodland – perfect for bodywork, ball games and exploring! There are also swings for children and a badminton/volleyball net. A cot can be provided on request.
Guest Rooms
We have five independent guest bedrooms in addition to the gîtes. All have been tastefully renovated and are available for rent in addition to one or both of our gites. This can suit larger groups or families holidaying with a friend or another couple who wish to share a gite experience but don’t necessarily want to rent two gîtes. 220€ / week or 32€ / night per bedroom
* la Bergerie :
A former barn adjacent to the main property containing three en-suite bedrooms, two with a double and a single bed, and one with four singles.
* le Nid :
At the heart of the main building, le Nid was recently converted to create two three-person bedrooms, each with a mezzanine and a shared adjoining bathroom.
Therapies
Various extras are available at Gardoussel, all provided by experienced, fully-qualified practitioners. Take your pick from massage (Ayurvedic and Swedish), craniosacral therapy, reiki, acupuncture, Ayurvedic consultations, cookery classes and group yoga classes (min. 5 participants).
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