L'atelier The atelier
The Invitation
A Retreat With a Purpose
Four nights spent at the château, with the brocantes, the kitchen and the restoration all in the mix, and nothing to plan around. Most of all it is the full Gudanes experience: a retreat, with the pool, good food and wine, and the château shared with a small group. Nothing on the itinerary is compulsory, and most afternoons are your own. Every meal and every drink, alcoholic or not, is included.
In Short
Noël at Gudanes, at a Glance
- Length
- 4 nights / 5 days
- Price
- €3,200 per person, sharing a room; all meals, wine and the activities 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
- Every one, cooked in the château kitchen, with drinks throughout
- Evenings
- Dinner together, and a film night with the projector if you would like one
- Laundry
- Laundry and ironing facilities for guests
- Transfers
- Not included on these dates. The château is an hour and three quarters from Toulouse-Blagnac by road, and three minutes from Les Cabannes station
- The days
- Spent at the château itself, with no outings to plan around: the making, the meals and the rooms
- To hold a place
- A deposit. The balance is taken closer to the date
- Not included
- Flights, and the journey to the château
En images In pictures
Noël at Gudanes, in Pictures
Icing the gingerbread château 
Under the lights 
The Christmas table 
The tree in the library 
A wreath on the gates 
By a snowy window 
Trees and gifts 
The gates in snow 
The château in snow 
The staircase, dressed with a garland and candles 
The Christmas table 
The staircase at Christmas, candles lit 
A pastry wreath on a floral plate 
An iced cake by candlelight 
The dessert table under the chandelier 
A long table, lit with tall candles 
Two galettes on the board 
A glass of wine on the marble mantel
Dates
Choose Your Stay
Le déroulé des journées The shape of the days
The Experience, Day by Day
Four Nights at Gudanes
Nothing on it is compulsory. Join what you like, and keep the afternoons for the pool, the grounds and a glass of something.
-
Premier jour
Day 1: L’arrivée Arrival
Make your way to the château in the afternoon. Then the gates, the drive, and the château at the end of it: your room, a first walk through the grounds, and the first evening at the table.
- Après-midi Arriving at the château
- Soir The first dinner together
-
Deuxième jour
Day 2: Le château The château
The morning begins with yoga, 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. The afternoon is yours.
- Matin Yoga, then the tour of the château
- Après-midi The pool, the grounds, or a book
- Soir Dinner by candle and lamplight
-
Troisième jour
Day 3: Les ateliers The sessions
A day of the workshop’s own sessions at the château, with a cooking class in its kitchen and time between for the grounds.
- Matin The sessions
- Après-midi A cooking class
- Soir Dinner, and the evening in the lounge
-
Quatrième jour
Day 4: Le dernier jour The last day
A last morning with the workshop, and the afternoon your own. In the evening, a formal dinner in the Salon de Musique, by candlelight.
- Matin The last session
- Après-midi Free time
- Soir Dinner in the Salon de Musique
-
Cinquième jour
Day 5: Le départ Departure
Breakfast, a last look at the château, and the journey home.
- Matin Breakfast, and the journey home
En option Snow permitting
If the snow has come, there is the chance to ski nearby. It depends on the weather, and the ski pass and ski hire are an additional cost.
A typical shape. 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.
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, cooked in the château kitchen, with drinks throughout, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, mostly local
- Your room in the château, with three bathrooms on the ground floor shared between the group
- The activities: the workshop's sessions at the château, a cooking class and morning yoga, all optional
- Everything on the itinerary, materials included
- A formal dinner in the Salon de Musique, by candlelight
- A tour of the château and its restoration
- 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, write to us.
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