Hello Everyone!
It is an extraordinary opportunity to live in such a historic building and in so beautiful a location - and to share it with you. We continue to find great satisfaction in providing wonderful holidays to those who are coeliac, their partners, families and friends, or those who have other special diet requirements. And in making new friends along the way!
To our refurbished bedrooms and bathrooms, with their new curtains, carpets, bedlinens, towels, and Chateau dressing gowns, we’ve added some new reading chairs for quiet, relaxing times in your own room. The pool has a new handrail, pool cover and heat for the colder days – as well as additional lounging chairs for the pool deck. There’s a new covered area for outside storage of the bikes and an entrance from it into the exercise room and new garden terrace . The plantings around the Trincou Cottage (the ‘Summer House’) continue to mature and new flower and vegetable beds are underway. Our BBQ nights around the pool and our ‘Brantome’ lunchtime picnics proved such a casual dining success that we’ll celebrate that way once each week when there are warm days & evenings.
We’ve increased the number of full board “Gluten Free” weeks we’re offering in 2008. We look forward to welcoming both new and returning guests. Whether coeliac or not, your dining experience here is a gourmet one, not to be forgotten! Bill is perfecting new menus for 2008 from our updated kitchen - and a Chateau Cookbook is in the works. As always, our kitchen is always Gluten Free and avoids all cross contamination issues.
For even more holiday choices here, our ‘Relax & Learn’ weeks in 2008 are full board ‘Gluten Free’ weeks. These specially themed holidays for 2008, often repeating successful weeks in 2007, range from our Bergerac Wineries week in October after the wine harvest, to a Writer’s Retreat led by a published American novelist Mary Alice Monroe, a Yoga week when yoga for all levels will be offered twice daily by our returning Yoga Guru Laurie Amerson, a week of ‘Creative Photography’ for some perfect holiday memories by way of a ‘Carnet de Voyages’ led by Kevin, and, in the heart of summer, a week of ‘Watercolouring, Painting & Drawing’ in inspiringly beautiful locations led by American artist Jane Smithers. For 2009, we are already planning a week of Bridge and a week of Autumn Walks. All of these ‘Relax & Learn’ weeks are ‘Gluten Free’.
The Trincou Cottage (the ‘Summer House’) is available as a Gite for families or friends wanting to spend time at the Chateau on a self catering holiday (you can find out more about this on our website www.chateaudevillars.com).
Outside of our full Board holiday weeks, the Chateau is available for B&B (two night minimum) with the option of evening dining from our Gluten Free Kitchen.
We’re available for special event parties – such as family reunions, weddings, commitments, birthday and other celebrations. A family can take over the whole Chateau and ask us to do the arrangements and catering.
Our new exhibition room will see an exhibit of guest photographs from 2007, entered in the 2007 Chateau de Villars annual Photography Competition! Below are the winning images and runners up from the 3 categories of Portraits, Landscape & Markets. Winners will receive a Chateau gift – as well as a bottle of ‘Bubbly’ to greet them when they next arrive! Our thanks go to our three judges for the competition – Jill George, Director the Jill George Gallery, London, England (www.jillgeorgegallery.co.uk), Diane Kempler, Senior Lecturer (Ceramics) Emory University, Visual Arts Program, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (www.visualarts.emory.edu) and Jane Smithers, Artist, Cashiers, North Carolina, USA (www.janesmithers.com).
The Photography Competition proved to be a lot of fun. There were many excellent entries in all the categories from many 2007 guests. We hope many will be included in the exhibit this summer. A special mention goes to Brian and Rosemary Lee for entering a wide screen Movie of their week in Villars! Thanks to everyone who participated and sent in their images! So now, get your cameras clicking for the 2008 competition and let’s see your award winning images!
We’re looking forward to an exciting 2008 season. We want to welcome you to Château de Villars for ‘Gluten Free’ holiday for some Rest, Relaxation and Rejuvenation!
Sincerely,
~ Bill Davies & Kevin Saunders
December 2007
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