Thank You

In the midst of arranging some bookings and a whole pile of lovely emails come flooding through the mailbox. Thank you all again for your comments, trust me they do make a difference and it feels like we're doing something right here! This morning spent some time and drank a few cafes with our lovely neighbours - they saw as a few years back as the " The English who are taking over everything" and now regard us as friends which is nice. Funny how back in the UK some deem the word English as very un-PC?

Over the last few years we have actually made more friends than we ever did in London and that was alot! Mostly they're all French - never been one to understand why many British people move abroad but hang onto British ways and meet with other British people, buy British food and talk only English! Maybe it's me, maybe not...We have met some lovely English people though I have to say....

Tomorrow morning its our usual jaunt to Emmaus on the Beziers to Pezenas road - its well worth a visit. I love looking through the bric-a-brac collection which amongst all the rubbish and broken glassware you find a few gems like a whole set of 1930s cooking bowls and vintage signs for the walls. It's all cheap and its all for a good cause. They open at 9ish and close for lunch at 11.30am so be warned - if you turn up late the place will be closed although they did open in the afternoons.

Catch Up

It's been a while since my last post so thought I would catch up on a few things.

The Easter holidays came and went and at Maison De L'Orb we were fully booked with several guests extending their holiday for a few days. Thanks to you all who came and thanks again for your kind emails you sent when you returned home. Several are due back again having seen a few properties they liked and requested a second viewing so all being well they may have found a new home. We decided to open the garden for breakfast dining giving everyone a great view while dipping pastries into their cafe and sampling our new menu which does include a full English breakfast with real English bacon (unlike the bacon at Auchen which although advertised as English is certainly not...The breakfast is cooked to order so not instantaneous!!

We also arranged a trip to Chateau Grazen on the way to Faugeres where we had a great lunch and sampled (and bought) the local vino. This is a great place to visit and have a lazy lunch preceded over by great hosts and great food to boot. As luck would have it there were several English people there who also live in the region and gave their positive verdict on moving to France which I guess can be daunting for many people.

We were also able to experiment with our evening menu and the feedback was great especially the trifle which contained more alcohol than fruit...for some reason...

We are thinking of opening up our garden next year for a restaurant. We have the room, the summer kitchen, the view and the ground rent is obviously free...feedback welcome and also what kind of food would be great. We have several investors looking to do this as this would be seperate from the B & B business but welcome any suggestions you may have.

Easter

Easter arrives again as does the rain clouds but as least its giving our garden a good soaking. We are now fully open for the season and thankfully fully booked for the Easter holiday. It's great having a few months to yourself to potter around and now we have ten guests to look after, feed, pamper and hope that they come back again either later this year or next. Apart from one couple, the other guests are all from the UK and all looking to relocate to this region with Beziers being the chosen hot spot. Interestingly, the town has been mentioned alot in the British press recently as well as the airport with its new improved flights fromn London Luton three times a week making Beziers an ideal spot for a quick getaway. They all agree that this area is up and coming and has changed alot in recent months and years. More and more building, the up keep of historic building, decent shops, a short distance to the beach and a comfortable tranquil area to look around and relax. Lets hope thy find a home they have been looking for.

Sete

Sete is such a beautiful town, not far from Beziers either by car or train and is recommended. Park up the car, walk up the side streets to the main town. It feels like a sunnier Venice. Bars and Cafes are in abundant.

April at Maison De L'Orb

So, where were we..sunshine last weekend and now a few days of rain but at least it gives the garden a good soak through. Spring in Beziers and especially at the Maison De L'Orb sees everything come back to life. The herbs are growing,the trees are budding and the vines are starting to come through.

Inside the house, we have now completed the winter make over of the bedrooms and have now started a quick revamp of the dining area - it will have to be quick we have guests nest week. Normally, we would have opened all throughout the winter but we wanted time to freshen up the rooms for the season as well as take some time out before the season starts. Many people enquire when booking if they can dine outside, simple answer if of course - yes. This year we are also able to offer a four course evening meal for €25 per person (discount for children)and will shortly be releasing our new menu. All the food is home cooked and we are able to accommodate dietary requirements although not able to confirm that everything is nut free. Plaese email me for furtehr info at mark@maisondelorb.com