News and Photos « Chateau de Villars – Gluten Free Holidays in France

Hello everyone!

Hello Everyone!

Our 2012 season is officially open! Our sixth season and we look forward to welcoming first time visitors as well as many returning guests. We have a new website www.dordogneluxuryholiday.com Take a look. It links you to everything that’s going on at the Chateau!

We’ve been busy these last few weeks, not least welcoming three new lambs to our growing flock of Jacob sheep!

This years renovations are all done. The new front doors are in place – they look exactly the same as the old ones – except now they are better insulated. A couple of new windows – the last ones that need to be double glazed – in the entrance room to our Dordogne bedroom. A new bathroom with a walk in shower for the Bandiat bedroom. New dining tables for the terrace – especially helpful on restaurant nights when it might be tables for 12 or for 4. A few new touches in the bar to allow for extra glasses and bottles for the many special cocktails and drinks we mix each season for you!

With our sponsor JUVELA (the leading supplier of gluten free prescription products in the UK), we are introducing Special Monthly Discounted Holidays – some of our bedrooms at an over 20% discount for certain weeks. Take a look on our Holiday Dates page!

La Maison des Sabots, the 18th century house we renovated, just up the street from the Chateau, is now finished. Guests can stay on a B&B basis or self-catering (in one case, with a delivery of gluten free bread every couple of days). You can see Sabots on our new website www.sabotsvillars.com

The winning photographs of the 2011 Guest Photo Competition have been selected by this year’s judge Laurence Girard. Laurence is an accomplished upholsterer. She and her husband are also antique dealers based in Villars. They have been friends for many years. The winning photos are shown below. Congratulations!

Eileen Gawrys: Relaxation Poolside, Winner Portrait; and Joan Riddell: The Walnut Grove, Winner Black & White and Chateau de Puyguilhem, Winner Favourite Image. Yes in her third attempt, Joan won in two of the categories! And special mentions went to runners up John Duncan, Grahame Vine, Ken Rooke and Kate Vine.

On Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sunday lunch, between April and the end of October, our restaurant is open to those who are not staying with us – by prior reservation only. The restaurant is always open to those staying with us for a full week or more. We welcome those wanting to take over the entire Chateau for a birthday party or other celebration (up to 20 people).

If you would like a special holiday planned for you and your friends – whether a short 4 day Weekend Break, a full week or 10 day holiday, let us know. We can make your celebration or reunion a special event! For any holiday, by arrangement we can include trips further afield to Bordeaux, St Emilion or Aubeterre, for example!

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 – each year that list gets longer and with returning guests the friendships grow stronger!

We enjoy hearing from all of you and receiving your news and photos. And we thank all our guests for all the generous and supporting comments written in the Journals we have in each room and for the photographs you send. You can read more about us and see up to date photos on the Chateau’s Facebook page (facebook.com/chateaudevillars) – you can become a fan of the Chateau on the business page and this also provides a way to catch up with friends you made.

We want to welcome you to Château de Villars in 2012 for our 6th season for a ‘Gluten Free in France’ holiday and for some Rest, Relaxation and Rejuvenation! Come and join our house party! Come and enjoy the Dordogne!

With best wishes

Sincerely,

~ Bill Davies & Kevin Saunders

May 2012

And some extra notes ………..

The 2011 Summary

2011 was a wonderful year with so much to be thankful for – especially for the guests who have returned, who have visited for the first time, and whose laughter and pleasure at being here has made everything so delightful for us as we work hard to give all of our guests the holiday of a lifetime.

We welcomed many returning and new coeliac guests and their partners. From as far afield as Hawaii, Canada, the USA, New Zealand, and Australia and as diverse as England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Spain, Holland and Norway – sometimes the language gets confusing!

In July 2011 we hosted two 10 day Paint & Sketch holidays with Jane Smithers (www.janesmithers.com). The Chateau was full of creative energy! Jane is taking a break in 2012 and Christine Juson will be joining us in August 2012 to lead our sixth annual Paint & Sketch holiday (read about this on our Relax & Learn holidays page).

September brought our ‘Markets & Cooking’ week. Guests enjoyed a relaxing week while learning some special gluten Free cooking tips and doing some hands on work themselves in the Chateau kitchen and in the newly renovated 18th century kitchen in the adjoining Sabots House – where a few dinners took place during the week’s holiday. We will be offering this week again in late September 2012.

October is often a stunning month. Perfect for our ‘Walk the Perigord’, a weeklong walking & strolling holiday which will be returning again in 2012 at the same time of year. Autumn often proves to be particularly beautiful – warm splendid autumn light (but chilly evenings). Marvellous for walking and biking. So don’t forget the calm of these months in the Perigord Vert when considering a holiday here in 2012!

We had a great time hosting a golden wedding anniversary for a British couple and their 18 guests (the Chateau’s long dining table had to grow a little longer for this event!). In November, we hosted a gala fundraiser for the same number of people, benefitting Cancer Support France

B&B and Self catering at the Chateau

The Les Corgis studio apartment is now available – a large private suite with its own private entrance, (bedroom, kitchen and living room combined) and large luxury bathroom with a wonderful Italian style shower. Les Corgis is available to those who want to self cater, with the option of our delivering fresh gluten free bread to you each morning and providing special gluten free products from the Chateau’s pantry.

The Trincou 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). Adding glamor to the special evenings when guests dine outside on the beautiful covered terrace, there are now Moroccan chandeliers hanging in the Catalpa tree. And when rented as a Gite, there’s a washer/dryer available. And if you are coeliac and want to self cater, we will bake fresh gluten free bread for you each day and deliver it to your door!

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. So join us for a short break!