Situated in the Languedoc region in Southern France just a few miles from the coast you will find this luxurious mini small-holding of just three luxury villas.
This family run micro resort offers amazing family friendly holiday packages with children’s club, lovely accommodation, great leisure facilities & activities, breakfast, two evening meals and childcare plus Pilates and other fitness instruction and gym!
We asked owners Emma and Phil why they decided to move their family here and a little about their daily lives.
So who are the family?
We are a family of four Phil, Emma and two children. A three year old bubbly girl called Anya, and a creative 6 year old boy called Austin. We lived in Brighton in the UK and then gave up everything to move over to France and start a business.
What inspired you to start your own holiday business?
My husband had less work and was in the house more which meant that me (Emma) using our sitting room as my work space for group pilates classes and massage was not practical. As our income lessened we started to create ideas how we might change our lifestyle and offer our children the opportunity to learn a language at an early age. We studied and did due diligence on Gite businesses in France. I was motivated to offer mothers help. I had a tough recovery after my pregnancies and I realised that any proper break away that somehow kept the baby close to mum while she might also get some respite or time for herself was indeed a business worth it’s gold.
What was the toughest part about setting it up?
For myself (Emma) it was getting to grips with the french language; joining all the social french systems and dealing with all of the financial and investment aspects to creating and setting up the business. I attended a lot of the French lifestyle seminars and collected information of property hunters; financial experts, lawyers and looked for information on different regions in France. Fortunately, my husband’s strengths are my weaknesses and we managed to work together to form our business ideas.
And what was the most memorable/enjoyable?
Memorably, arriving in Canet and visiting our prospective property in the pouring torrential rain and thinking that this was definitely the right choice. It was strange as rain is not a frequent occasion here but it was even picturesque and bright in bad weather. Enjoyably, the second visit lying on the soft sand beach.
What couldn’t you live without and why?
I couldn’t live without the amazing sun rises and sun sets, mountains, beach or the interesting and humbling, birds and animals I see on a daily basis. I am very lucky.
What does your average working day involve
At the moment we are working a renovation so we are doing crazy jobs on top of a normal family life. We get up and drop the kids and then nip to Spain to get our pillar toppers, and plants, or visit 2 or 3 local DIY stores to buy paint, curtains, lights, or cleaning equipment. We paint and sand walls; and do cleaning, cooking and washing for the family. Other essential jobs are organising the right workman for the job and working through quotes. Keeping up with the massive amount of paperwork that needs to be scanned and sent to the accountant. We field enquiries from guests. We regularly visit the bank and need to work with the laborious banking system to keep up payments to the workmen…
What advice would you give to families wanting to holiday with you and why is your place so special?
If you need a break in a beautifully landscaped and picturesque place with all the holiday essentials close to you then grab this opportunity. Locally at our property we have created cosy spots and facilities for you,and, regionally, we can guarantee you soft sand beaches; portes; mountains; villages; sports; history and a list of excellent restaurants. Globally, you can even travel to Spain within half an hour or walk to a natural lake (Etang) which has groups of Flamingos; coypu; beavers; herons; cormorants; ducks; kingfishers, seagulls and so much more.
If you could pick just two attractions/places to visit in your area what would they be?
Personally, I think a calming walk along Canet promenade over to the Etang to find a secret collection of magnificent birds is a treat. Or visiting Collioure with it’s hidden bay; boutiques; history layered castles and view point restaurants.
Is there anything you would like to highlight that might be interesting to families with babies/toddlers/young children who are thinking of staying with you?
Cosy accommodation; plenty of baby facilities; our children who always love to play with others; facilities on site for exercise, relaxation and sun bathing. Good food, fun and plenty of well organised children’s activities that may help mum and dad spend time together. Interestingly, previous guests have also highlighted our safe perimeter fencing; relaxing pool area with pool towels, Wifi and the useful programmed SAT Nav we can issue to guests. Most people are surprised by our excellent service for massage, pilates or post natal recovery.
In one sentence can you explain what life is like where you live?
Warm, hearty, friendly people in a scenic panaromic landscape, full of historical sites, and community walking paths.
Visit our website for more details on their child friendly holiday villas.
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