L'atelier The atelier
The Invitation
A Retreat With a Purpose
Seven nights of summer at the château, and an invitation to embrace the art of living well. As the long, golden days unfold across the Pyrénées, the week balances exploration with repose: the hidden brocantes and antique dealers of the valley, French cooking with the château’s chefs, a day out on the river or in the mountains, the restoration up close, and French cinema beneath the stars. Between them, the château is a place to rest: the pool, the grounds, good food and long conversation, and the quiet luxury of having nowhere else to be. Nothing on the itinerary is compulsory, and every meal and every drink, alcoholic or not, is included.
In Short
Seven Starry Nights, at a Glance
- Length
- 7 nights / 8 days
- Price
- €4,800 per person, sharing a room; all meals, wine, the activities and the transfers included
- Experience needed
- None. Most people who come have never done it before
- Where you sleep
- In the château itself — bedrooms, not a nearby hotel
- Meals
- A traditional French breakfast, luncheon and dinner each day, with desserts, prepared by the château’s chefs
- Drinks
- A private selection of wines, sparkling wines, apéritifs and spirits with every meal, and the château’s own botanical syrups
- Evenings
- Apéritifs, dinner by candle and lamplight, and a film night with the projector if you would like one
- Laundry
- Laundry and ironing facilities for guests
- Transfers
- From Toulouse on the first day, and back on the last
- To hold a place
- A deposit. The balance is taken closer to the date
- Not included
- Flights, and anything you buy at the brocantes
En images In pictures
Seven Starry Nights, in Pictures
Up through the meadow 
Through the grounds together 
On the terrace 
Candlelight in the salon 
Dinner by candlelight 
At the table together 
Setting out into the valley 
Walking in the hills 
The valley from a balcony 
From the kitchen 
A dessert in gilded glass 
Lighting the candles 
A long table, lit with tall candles 
A garden sofa facing the mountains 
The château above the roses 
A long table on the terrace, the mountains beyond 
The park, running to the mountains in the mist 
From the air, the mountains behind 
The château over its garden, the mountains beyond 
Sofas on the lawn, facing the mountains 
A wheelbarrow of wine in the meadow
Dates
Choose Your Stay
Le déroulé des journées The shape of the days
The Experience, Day by Day
Seven Nights at Gudanes
It is a retreat, so every activity on it is optional: join what you like, and leave what you do not. The rest of the time is free time, and it is yours.
Le temps libre Free time
Free time is yours to spend as you choose: relaxing with a glass of local wine on the terraces, a swim in the pool, a game of tennis or table tennis, or nothing at all.
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Premier jour
Day 1: L’arrivée Arrival
We meet in Toulouse and travel up into the Pyrénées together. Then the gates, the drive, and the château at the end of it: welcome drinks, luncheon, your room and a first walk through the grounds. In the evening, château-style apéritifs on the front terrace with the Pyrénées in view, then a garden-inspired welcome dinner in the Salon de Printemps.
- Après-midi Welcome drinks, luncheon, and the grounds
- Soir Apéritifs on the terrace, and the welcome dinner
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Deuxième jour
Day 2: Le château The château
The morning begins with yoga for anyone who would like it, then a tour of the château and its restoration: the rooms brought back, the rooms still waiting, and the story of how the château is returning. Luncheon at the long table, then a patisserie class in the château’s pastry kitchen. In the evening, a tasting of French wines in the medieval kitchen, beside the cellar, then dinner by candle and lamplight.
- Matin Yoga (optional), then the tour of the château
- Après-midi A patisserie class in the pastry kitchen, or free time
- Soir A wine tasting in the medieval kitchen, by the cellar, then dinner
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Troisième jour
Day 3: À Mirepoix Market day at Mirepoix
Out to Mirepoix for its Monday market, one of the finest in the region, spread beneath the timbered arcades of a medieval square, then the brocantes and antique dealers of the valley on the way back, where the bargaining is half the pleasure. Back at the château, a tasting of Ariège cheeses from the market, and in the evening, dinner at Maison Beaucoup in Les Cabannes, a nineteenth-century presbytery restored by friends of the château, where the menu follows the seasons.
- Matin The Monday market at Mirepoix
- Après-midi The brocantes, then Ariège cheeses from the market
- Soir Dinner at Maison Beaucoup, in Les Cabannes
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Quatrième jour
Day 4: La restauration The restoration
Crêpes for breakfast, then a morning with the restoration itself: how the work is done, why the walls are left as they are, and the chance to work alongside the restoration team on the château’s eighteenth-century frescoes. In the afternoon, the table tennis tournament, pétanque on the lawn or the pool, and in the evening a barbecue on the terrace, weather permitting, then a French film beneath the stars, with popcorn.
- Matin A crêpe breakfast, then the restoration and the frescoes
- Après-midi The table tennis tournament, pétanque, or the pool
- Soir A barbecue on the terrace, then a French film beneath the stars, with popcorn
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Cinquième jour
Day 5: Dans la vallée Into the valley
An optional day out in the Ariège: a guided descent of the river by canoe or kayak from the lake at Sinsat, or a walk up into the mountains, as the season and the weather allow. Or stay behind, and keep the day for yourself. Back at the château, cocktail hour with the château’s own botanical syrups, then dinner at La Maison Lacube on the village square in Les Cabannes, a family house of five generations whose table comes from its own farm’s Gascon black cattle and pigs, and from some forty Ariège producers.
- Matin Canoe or kayak on the Ariège, or a mountain walk (optional)
- Après-midi Out in the valley, or free time
- Soir Cocktail hour, with the château’s botanical syrups, then dinner at La Maison Lacube, in Les Cabannes
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Sixième jour
Day 6: La cuisine The cooking class
A morning walk to the local market with the chef, then cooking classes in the château kitchen, sweet and savoury, some inspired by the château’s own eighteenth-century cookbook. In the afternoon, a chocolate-making class with the château’s chefs, or free time. In the evening, apéritifs with a talk on the history of the French table, an informal dinner in the château kitchen of what you cooked, and board games and cards in the lounge after.
- Matin The market with the chef, then the cooking class
- Après-midi A chocolate-making class, or free time
- Soir A talk on the French table, and dinner in the kitchen, then board games and cards in the lounge
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Septième jour
Day 7: Le dernier jour The last day
A last morning with the restoration, a late luncheon in the Salon de Porcelaine, and in the afternoon tennis and pickleball on the château’s court, racquets provided, or free time. In the evening, an eighteenth-century banquet in the Salon de Musique, by candlelight, and dancing after.
- Matin The last morning with the restoration
- Après-midi Luncheon in the Salon de Porcelaine, then tennis and pickleball
- Soir A banquet in the Salon de Musique, and dancing
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Huitième jour
Day 8: Le départ Departure
A last petit-déjeuner, a last look at the château, and back to Toulouse together, leaving at eleven: to the airport, the station or the centre of the city, as you prefer.
- Matin A last French breakfast, and back to Toulouse at eleven
Les divertissements Also on the programme
The Château’s Own Entertainments
All included in the retreat, and every one of them optional. The classes, tastings and evenings are for workshop guests: they are not part of a nightly stay.
- Le ciné-clubFrench film nightBeneath the stars, with popcorn
- Le barbecueA barbecue on the terraceWeather permitting
- La dégustationA wine tastingIn the medieval kitchen, beside the cellar
- Les fromagesAriège cheesesFrom the market at Mirepoix
- L’heure du cocktailCocktail hourWith the château’s own botanical syrups
- La pâtisserieA patisserie classIn the château’s pastry kitchen
- Le chocolatChocolate makingWith the château’s chefs
- Les crêpesA crêpe breakfastOne morning, before the day begins
- Le tournoiThe table tennis tournamentFor anyone with a competitive streak
- La pétanquePétanque on the lawnThe game of the south of France
- Le tennisTennis and pickleballRacquets provided
- Les jeuxBoard games and cardsIn the lounge, after dinner
A typical shape, and every activity on it optional. The order of the days is set for each workshop and sent to you before you arrive; outdoor plans follow the season and the weather. Itineraries are subject to change.
Pour qui ? Who for?
Who Comes
Is It for You?
If you love old houses, good food and the French way of taking time over things, yes. Nobody needs to know how; the experience is made for curiosity, not expertise.
Couples, friends travelling together and those who come alone are all equally at home. The group is small, the days are unhurried, and no other guests share the château.
Included
What Is Included
The full experience, at one price: a night's stay is a room and breakfast, a workshop is everything below.
- Every meal, prepared by the château’s chefs: a traditional French breakfast, luncheon, dinner and desserts, from local and seasonal produce
- A private selection of wines, sparkling wines, apéritifs and spirits with every meal, soft drinks, and the château’s own botanical syrups
- Your room in the château, with three bathrooms on the ground floor shared between the group
- The activities: cooking classes, bargaining at the brocantes, morning yoga, kayaking or hiking, and a barbecue in the grounds, all optional
- The excursions, and everything on the itinerary, materials included
- A formal dinner in the Salon de Musique, by candlelight
- Dinners at Maison Beaucoup and at La Maison Lacube, in Les Cabannes
- A tour of the château and its restoration
- The transfers from central Toulouse, there and back
- Free time with the pool, the tennis court, the gardens, table tennis, the lounge and the terraces
Prices are per person, sharing a room.
Guest Quarters
Les Chambres
The three bathrooms on the ground floor are shared between the workshop guests; each room has lamps and power points. Prices are per person, sharing a room. Coming alone, you can share a room with another guest travelling solo, or have a room to yourself for €2,400 more; tell us when you register.
Reserving
How It Works
A 10% deposit reserves your place; the balance is due thirty days before the stay, or in full if you are booking within thirty days of it.
Your place is confirmed as you register, and held from that moment. You will receive a reference code and a link to manage your registration and payment.
The walls of the room you work in are protected — conserved, never replaced. The bed you sleep in, the linen on it and the bathroom on the ground floor are not. The imperfection is deliberate. It is also what the restoration mornings are spent on.
Hold your place
Your place is confirmed as you register, and held from that moment.
Monument Historique · Classé A Class I Historic Monument, restored under French heritage law since 2013