Introducing the Cottage des Hortensias

Some of you may have noticed  that over the Christmas break I added our new self-catering cottage to the website. 

Called the Cottage des Hortensias (because of the magnificent Hydrangea that sits in the courtyard), it’s a 2-story, 3-bedroom, 2-bath accommodation that sleeps six. Located a stone’s throw from the château, it used to be the concierge’s house and abuts the back of the farm that used to be part of the estate.

We had been wanting to renovate it ever since we moved here, but it always seemed a daunting task. Unlike the other cottage, it hadn’t been lived in for years and was in a state of acute disrepair. So we kept putting it off, until just over a year ago. 

Inspection showed that the roof and structure were very sound, so we decided to take the plunge and renovate and remodel from top to bottom. First, we knocked down flimsy partitions and removed all the old plumbing and wiring. Indoors, we brought everything up to code, insulated the heck out of it, and totally modernized it. Outdoors, we transformed the overgrown courtyard into a private patio.

Once the tradesmen had left, Virginie set about working her decorating magic, mixing modern and old, as she loves to do, while I took care of the final finishings and carrying heavy pieces of furniture. The result is a very warm, light-filled house with old, natural hardwood floors. 

We invite you take a look at the photos. And please let us know if you have any questions. In the meantime, these two photos give you an idea of the before and after. 

BEFORE: Living area seen from kitchenAFTER: Living area seen from kitchen

Cottage rates for 2012

After talking with guests over the past couple years, we’ve decided to simplify the rate structure for our self-catering cottage. Here are the new rates for Cottage du Potager:

• €900 per week (7 nights, starting on any day of the week)
• €150 per night (mid-week or weekend. 3-night minimum stay)

Our cottage rates include everything such as utilities, linens, internet, taxes and cleaning. There are no extra charges. All you have to bring is food. 

We’ve also reconfigured the cottage. Going forward the maximum capacity is six people (instead of eight). There are two studio bedrooms upstairs. We’ve done this because we’re about to start renting out our new cottage, which will have a maximum capacity of seven. More on that soon.

First photos of the new cottage

It’s been a long time, but we’re just about finished with the renovation of our second self-catering cottage. Our plan is to start renting it by the year’s end. 

Virginie has been furiously decorating away over the past few weeks. She has strictly forbidden me from publishing any photos until the rooms were the way she wanted them. And here are the first ones.

The above photo is of the master bedroom upstairs. To the right just behind the wardrobe is the door to the upstairs bathroom, which runs the width of the house. There’s another bedroom on this floor. It sleeps three and is destined for children. 

More photos coming soon.

Drop-in visitor

This little guy dropping in yesterday, quite literally. Some friends were coming down the driveway when suddenly this Eurasian Hobby fell out of the sky, right in front of the car. The victim of a dogfight with another bird of prey.  

As luck would have it, our friend’s son is a apprentice falconer. He just completed a summer job at the Espace Rambouillet, a local Birds of Prey Center (recent post). He and his dad drove him to the Espace this morning for a check-up. Looks like one of his claws might have been damaged. He’s is good hands now.  

World Dance and Music Festival

The Chateau de Maintenon (here and here) is hosting a World Dance and Music Festival this year. There are dancers and musicians from India, Poland, South Africa, Argentina and Slovakia. Yesterday the participants went on a parade through the streets of the town. So I stopped by with my camera. 

 See the whole collection (Flickr) >