Cooking and cultural holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees
Description of Cooking and cultural holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees
COVID19
Holidays Post Lockdown & 2021
Your safety is paramount, so we have incorporated a minimum disinfection period of 5 days between each holiday we offer (we provide a number of different activity holidays). This will mean there is enough time to clean and disinfect our boutique hotel, all equipment and transport, ensuring we are safe and ready for your visit.
More than ever, the emphasis is on small groups. The combination of couples, friends, family members or solo travellers will determine the maximum number on any particular holiday (from 2 to 8), so please enquire for availability.
The deposit is just €150, and we are only asking for the balance to be paid three weeks in advance of departure date.
If you have to cancel, any advance payment may be transferred to another holiday, or another person, with no time limit.
We look forward to welcoming you to our corner of the Spanish Pyrenees.
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This cultural holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees is a week long, small group tour that also includes one of the region’s most important cultural aspects: cuisine. With three cooking workshops included in our week, staying in our renovated 17th C stone farmhouse, you can also enjoy trips to nearby medieval monasteries, visits to spectacular landscapes such as Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Parks, as well as the Natural Park of Sierra de Guara.
Our farmhouse has been lovingly restored to a very high standard, whilst maintaining all the character. From the antique light fittings and furniture to the art, everything is proudly Pyrenean. There are seven spacious, woodbeamed bedrooms, with mountain views, all ensuite. We also have a spacious sitting room, with wood burning stove, so it is cosy all year round and a wonderful place for our guests to chill out after a day of activities and sight seeing. We have a maximum 8 guests on each small group holiday. We also offer Wi-Fi.
The price of the holiday includes just about everything except your transport to get here, and we do offer transfers from Zaragoza, for a charge of €70 pp return. Please note that we do not charge a supplement for solo travellers.
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Reviews
6 Reviews of Cooking and cultural holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees
Reviewed on 20 Jun 2019 by Jane Hofto
Our holiday immersed us in beautiful scenery and fascinating culture: tiny villages, beautiful historic towns, castles and monasteries, amazing rock formations, and enthusiastic producers of wine and olive oil Read full reviewReviewed on 17 Apr 2019 by Patrick Harris
We loved the variety on offer, which included walking in the hills, visits to nearby historic towns, castles and religious buildings, wine tasting and, of course, cookery lessons. Read full reviewReviewed on 07 Apr 2019 by Bill Wild
I think most memorable was the incredible hospitality of Lucy and Simon. We also particularly enjoyed the cooking classes and I am now enthused to even do some cooking at home! Read full reviewReviewed on 06 Nov 2018 by Eric Webb
The entire holiday was a delight: culture, scenery, walks, cookery sessions, the food, the wine, the house, our hosts + family, their dog! (And the cats!) Read full reviewReviewed on 05 Jun 2018 by Claudia Sanzone
This was one of the best small group experiences we've had, and we've been traveling the world for at least twelve years. Read full reviewReviewed on 15 Apr 2017 by Ross Gould
Hiking in the fresh air of Spanish Pyrenees and being up close to many of the endangered lammergeier, or bearded vultures, soaring near the cliffs. My wife and I had a lovely week. The mix of hiking, local cultural visits, tastings and home-cooked meals made a splendid holiday. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
Planet
We are passionate about the environment and the wildlife where we live. The Ordesa National Park is a World Biosphere Reserve and a ‘Special Protection Area for Birds’ with over 171 species, including the rare Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus Barbatus). We support the Lammergeier Conservation Foundation by using guides from the Foundation, visiting the raptor feeding stations with guests and selling the Foundation T-shirts. This helps fund a breeding program in our area which has had great success. Our walks are led by experts in the area (or accompanied by information packs when self-guided) and ensure that fragile environments are not degraded in any way when walking.There are also well over 100 species of butterflies and moths in our area, including the rare and beautiful Isabelina Moth (Actias Isabellae) and the Giant Peacock Moth (Saturnia Pyri). We have been successful in hatching the eggs and releasing the caterpillars for these moths.
At the farmhouse we have geothermal heating and hot water with minimal environmental impact. We also harvest rainwater for both the irrigation of our vegetable patch and garden, and for the washing machine.
We recycle all we can, including building materials and furniture. For example all the vanity units in the luxury bathrooms are unique secondhand pieces of furniture, adapted with a granite top and basin. All the furniture in the house is antique or secondhand and has been or is in the process of being restored by Simon, your host. Many of the external doors are secondhand and have been adapted. The beams and stone from the four year renovation of the property have been reused throughout the building process. We continue to reuse this material now as we landscape the garden.
People
We support the local economy wherever possible by employing guides, experts and teachers from our area. We offer English lessons to our guides, providing them with a greater opportunity for work.We involve our neighbours with our holidays, offering the possibility to visit their houses which have changed little through the centuries. This gives a unique insight into the culture and traditions of the high Pyrenees. In return we make donations to the village fund, for amongst other things the maintenance of our historic chapel of San Urbez (hermitage).
We also offer a guided visit to the chapel of San Urbez, explaining stories about our saint, his miracles and the architectural features. For this, we ask our guests for a donation in the chapel collection box.
We are involved in trying to preserve and restore the local pathways, acting as volunteers as the need arises. We will be running a path clearing holiday in the future which we hope will also ultimately benefit the community as a whole.
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