Speciality Holidays at La Maison du Chateau

Painting Holidays
Wine weeks and weekends

Painting Holidays
 
La Maison du Chateau has proved to be a perfect venue for painting holidays.
 
Our aim is to give you a wonderful painting holiday with excellent tuition in this enchanting manor house set in its own idyllic park.

This part of Burgundy with its beautiful light, rolling country, rivers and canals, historic chateaux, abbeys and fortified towns is a superb location. We couple all this with delicious food and wines from the region and a really good house party atmosphere.
 
Our resident tutors, give one to one tuition which is helpful to both experienced painters and beginners.
 
Susanna and Nicholas Lyell organise and host the holidays. Susanna tutors some of the weeks herself and Nicholas, who also paints, has a detailed knowledge of the excellent local wines, which are wonderful value. He is very happy to advise on wine purchases and visits/tastings.

The stimulating daily lecture/demonstration, optional, is followed by individual teaching/critiques/discussion. Those who wish to, paint before breakfast to catch the early morning sun or rising mists. The Park, the church, the river, and the reflections in the tree-lined Canal de Bourgogne are all wonderful subjects whether in the freshness of spring or the glorious colours of autumn.

painting of manor imageWe make expeditions to paint some of the marvellous towns, abbeys and chateaux nearby, including the Abbey of Fontenay and the great Basilica at Vezelay. We have also been invited to paint interiors in some of the loveliest privately owned chateaux of the region.

La Maison du Chateau with its park is a magical place. There is a large studio on the first floor of the adjoining barn, with French windows leading down stone steps to the heated swimming pool and the gardens and park beyond. The 24-acre park is bordered on two sides by the wooded banks of the river Armancon, where we have a rowing boat and private fishing. There is a grass tennis court and a tall chestnut avenue leading to the back gates. The bird life and wild flowers are in abundance and the Spring and Autumn colours are breathtaking.
 
A special feature of our painting holidays is the delightful house party atmosphere. Dinner round the big dining room table is always great fun with Nicholas' impromptu wine tastings and our French cook Delphine's delicious cooking. Whenever we can, we eat lunch outside under the trees by the pool, or Delphine prepares us an elegant picnic for our expeditions. 

For non-painters, in addition to the joys of the house and park, there are lovely walks and bicycle rides through the adjoining village, along the Burgundian Canal and up into the hills.
 
painting of manor house imageThere are the expeditions to be made in company with the painters, or separately, to the vineyards and cellars of Chablis and Beaune. We can also arrange wine tastings at home and our cook is happy to share her cooking skills. Golf, riding and hot-air ballooning are also available.
 
The house itself is elegant, warm and comfortable, with a log fire in the drawing room. We have two studios; the smaller, working studio in the Gate House and the magnificent studio cum music room, with a grand piano, where we hold our 'end of painting week' exhibitions.
 
Hosts: Nicholas and Susanna Lyell
 
Media: Watercolour, oil, acrylic, pastel, and mixed media.

Suitable for all abilities, beginners to professionals. Daily optional lectures. Emphasis is on individual teaching / appraisal.

Price: £995 per person (7 nights)

Discounts for non-painters (£100); those sharing a double en suite bedroom (£25) and those who have been before (£25).

Included in price: All tuition, food and wine/drinks. Also any cookery demonstrations and in-house wine tastings.

Dates:
2009
16 May - 23 May
(Fully booked)
 
26 September – 3 October
(Fully booked)
   
 
2010
22 May - 29 May
 
25 September – 2 October

Tutor: Susanna Lyell

For availability: Please contact Louisa on 01582 840635 or info@lmdc.co.uk for further details.

In addition to our hosted Painting Holidays, we welcome any groups who would like to host their own painting weeks at La Maison du Chateau. We are happy to offer any advice you might need to help you organise your holiday and you would also have all the help you needed from our wonderful cook and maids.

If you are interested in organising your own painting holiday at La Maison du Chateau please contact Louisa on 01582 840635  info@lmdc.co.uk for a quote and further details.


Wine Week (to be confirmed)
 
Our resident tutor and guide for the week is a Master of Wine with a special knowledge of the wines and growers of Burgundy.
 
The theme of the week will be small, intimate visits to some of the very best producers of both well known and less familiar wines in Chablis, the Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune; and some of the smaller north Burgundy vineyards like Irancy and St Bris. It is a perfect opportunity to buy both the great wines of the region and some wonderful examples of local vignerons. There will also be gastronomic meals, tastings at home, and some visits to the beautiful and historic abbeys and chateaux of Burgundy. 

For those of you who enjoy walking or bicycling, apart from our own lovely park bordered by the wooded banks of the river Armancon, there is the Canal de Bourgogne just the other side of the village. The towpath lined with poplars, and the wooded hill beyond, will be spectacular in their autumn colours.  

La Maison du Chateau is elegant, warm and comfortable, with a log fire in the Drawing room, a charming dining room and petit salon, and delightful bedrooms overlooking the park and the village above all with bathrooms en suite.

We welcome those wishing to organise their own Wine Week/Weekend at La Maison du Chateau. Our wonderful cook and maids would be delighted to offer their support.
 
For details of dates and prices for

Wine weeks & Culture Weekend in Burgundy

please email or telephone us on 01582 840635.


Other ideas for group holidays: Bridge, Cooking, Historical/Cultural Tours, Music, Pilates, Walking.

If you would like us to organise any such week at La Maison du Chateau, please contact us by email or telephone 0044 1582 840635

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