camellas – lloret maison d’hotes

Sometimes you just get lucky and stumble on to magnificence. That is how I would describe our somewhat last minute discovery of Camellas Lloret. In the middle of a family road trip from the Cote d’Azur to Pyla-sur-Mer via Carcassonne, we opted to slow down instead of pressing on to the Bassin d’Archachon.

Unlike the rest of the trip, we hadn’t plan our stay in Carcassonne and were trying to avoid booking a touristy, forgettable, over priced hotel.My go to source for trust worthy boutique stays, TabletHotels.com, led us to Camellas Lloret, which turned out to be an unexpected highlight of our trip.

After a five hour drive from Valbonne and a few hours exploring the medieval town of Carcassonne, we arrived to the welcoming owners of Camellas Lloret, Annie and Collin. Upon opening the heavy, aged wooden door we entered a lush walled garden, and felt as if we were entering the home of some old friends. The stress of finding a last minute place to stay and the crowds from Carcassonne had vanished from our memories as we entered this oasis of calm and comfort.

“camellas-lloret provides a true boutique experience, with the comfort of a fine hotel and the familiarity of a family home, where you can slow down, sip the wine and dream the dream with us.”

Camellas Lloret is a beautiful guest house featuring four stylish bedrooms, all with private baths stocked with Aesop products, as well as a rustic garden apartment that was previously a wood shop. The kids took one of the “fancy” rooms in the main house, as they called it, and my wife and I were privileged to stay in the more private garden apartment, which even has a small kitchen.

The style of Camellas Lloret is one of understated beauty and charm- an eclectic mix of modern design with a touch of brocante, as they say here in France.The guest house feels untouched by time with preserved architectural details and unique arrangements of vintage art, books, and other relics throughout the rooms and common areas.

At the heart of Camellas Lloret is a lush walled garden and terrace, with comfortable outdoor furniture that invite you to enjoy a quiet moment around the slow burning fire pit. Never too far out of sight and keeping a watchful eye on the guests is the Jack Russell Terrier, Pixie.

Camellas Lloret is one of those special places that you don’t want to leave and can’t wait to come back.With the sandy beaches of the Archachon Basin calling us, we had to leave Annie and Collin’s magical guest house before we were ready.I envision us returning again soon to this delightful part of France, for more conversations about expat life in France and to wander through the local villages that we missed. It is hard not to envy the life that Annie and Collin have created in Montreal. We are all fortunate that they have opened their doors and are sharing it with us all through Camellas Lloret.

Update, March 2021: Annie and Collin have supposedly sold Camellas Lloret and the rumor is they are working on some new projects. I hope to get an invite to see whatever projects they launch next. Maybe summer of 2021?

According to their Instagram account @septembermooreprojects,

“coming summer 2021: 2 boutique vacation cottages in Montreal France, available by the week”

https://www.camellaslloret.com/