Let me introduce myself ...
I am Karine, your host.
I was born near Paris; after my business school studies in Strasbourg and Rome, I moved to Luxembourg.
After 23 years working in Italian, Japonese and Deutsch banks, I had to break free and found my way to a new life which led me to the Cantal region.
Today I can welcome you thanks to Angelo, 20 years older than me, who devoted himself body and soul to the restructuring of the House.
I can speak French, English, Italian and Spanish.
As a nutrition passionate, I am particularly keen on gastronomy and cooking and I give priority to human relations as well as I promote a healthy life style.
I now provide a sort of ‘mother hen’s style butler service’ to my guests, taking much care to make their stay in Cantal be a unique moment of flavours and memories.
... And what about you?
Do you have the urge to explore, to share experiences and to engage with a regions culture while on holidays in a locale that is the perfect mix of the urban and the rural?
Do you like to wake up at the break of dawn to take advantage of all that the day has to offer?
Are you a passionate gourmet who seeks out new culinary experiences?
Does the idea of disconnecting from all your electronic devices to socialize and to connect with real people appeal to you?
Do you enjoy a family atmosphere, imbued with warmth and conviviality?
Do you enjoy the idea of discovering the cultural heritage, nature and wildlife of your holiday destination?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, and no matter if you live halfway around the world or just down the street in our beautiful village …
… We would like to welcome you to the ‘Maison du Chevalier des Huttes’ !
Once upon a time at the Maison du Chevalier des Huttes
Located in the very heart of the village, the House is buzzing during summer (comings and goings, garden crops, local celebrations, hike returns, sightseeing tours, …). The House hence calms down in winter for the warmest cocooning. Should you prefer a quiet and even more gourmet stay, you will choose spring or autumn to come to us.
The House is the ideal place for your holidays, for stays in the frame of your professional activities (business trips; team building sessions; …), or to celebrate personal events (honey moon, birthdays or anniversaries, …), or simply to enjoy a unique and gourmet break (for instance for a long weekend) in the heart of Cantal, …
The House is not a hotel, it is a family house where guests are welcome as family members and get along with each other, in line with the House lifestyle and with respect for everyone’s privacy.
Let us take care of your stay in our exceptional manor …
Guests enjoy breakfast time to plan their dailies activities and say goodbye to the ones who are leaving. You will hence leave for an active day in Cantal until you return in the late afternoon. We will be delighted to offer you a snack should you come back at tea time.
Dinner will be integrated in your stay at the House. It is served for the whole guests around the family table. This is an opportunity to cordially exchange with the other ones and also to enjoy the meal which I prepare with much care for your pleasure before a comfortable night. We will also have pleasure to advise you on potential visits in the region during our conversations.
Depending on your stay and on the availabilities, we can arrange for wellness sessions. These may include at the House a shiatsu massage with Catherine when she is at Vic (she comes for you at the House), or, next to the House, going for a reiki time at Léon’s or a nail care at Charlie’s, or having an appointment with Christiane, our naturopath neighbour. These independent services shall be paid directly to the service providers themselves.
In the meantime, I can also provide specific workshops on nutrition and cooking depending on your own wishes.
Do not hesitate to express your needs when booking at the House !
Let's eat together !!
The guest table is the House’s essence, its identity and reason for being.
The kitchen is at the heart of the House life, it is the main room, the House forum.
You can pass through your bedroom but you will always go back to the kitchen to come to me, to meet the others, to chat together, to have a drink, to read or to have breakfast or dinner …
A shared guest table is the basis of conviviality.
Hence, booking a room entails that you will necessarily share the guest table in the evening (please refer to ‘The Arrangements’ for more details).
I wish I could share great moments around a gourmet table, like the tables served at the time of Monet, taking the most of a good, healthy and essentially organic food, ,… I wish I could reinvent the local with forgotten products and eat meals my grand parents used to cook, … But I keep being inspired by today’s tastes and dietary habits ...
Being ecoresponsible
Adopting an eco-responsible approach inside a historical and listed building dated 1598 could be seen as very challenging.
However, beyond the premises and their arrangement, we work for the respect of the environment in the day-to-day life, through iterative behaviours (waste sorting, light, energy, water saving, laundry management, use of basic cleaning products, …) and simple convictions.
Also, our approach mostly arises from passion for health and nutrition.
The nature and quality of our meals will remain absolutely essential at the House. Raw products, mostly local and organic, become source of our inspired homemade table. Eating at the House is choosing a healthy but greedy and balanced nutrition.
And the moments of conviviality, together around this table, make the human dimension of this experience.