Ah, Chateau de la Fare – what a beautiful property and whose custodians are such interestng and wonderful people. We were able to spend an entire week at this lovely chateau that is quite hidden in the trees. Driving up the road it can hardly be seen from either direction, and yet upon recognition, it has such a majesty about it.
Built on a large rock and the surrounding grounds filled in, it stands on a peninsula meters above the fields below. This truly felt like a castle with the enormous wooden door and large stone walls. Nestled in the Cevennes mountains not far from Ales, it feels very ‘green’ in this region in contrast to the previous terrain we were just in between Bordeaux and Narbonne.
The plan was to station ourselves here for an entire week due to the plethora of day trip opportunities to places such as Pont du Gard, Avignon, Nimes, Uzes, and Arles. Walks in the local fields and into the small town of Malataverne were equally delightful and refreshing. The smell of fresh organic bread in the local town was well worth the walk.
Early June turned out to be a fantastic time to travel to this area. It was warm but not scorching. I had no idea of the state of the castle prior to the finished rooms seen on TV. Walking through the upstairs dilapidated, neglected cement and rafter rooms gave a glimpse of the amount of renovation Philip and Janet have had to perform so far. More evidence came as we realized they were working from 8:30am until well into the night to finish one particular room.
A number of suites are now finished, each complete with a grand bedroom, on-suite bath, living room area and small kitchenette. In addition, guests have access to the main kitchen and rest of the chateau to get a feel for how life used to be - minus the servants of course!
On our last day when the camera crews arrived, we better understood their feverish activity. What an amazing result and I look forward to watching these seasons. It seems the US is about two seasons behind Europe.
If you would like to stay at this wonderful castle, contact Philip and Janet at chateaudelafare@gmail.com or go directly to their website: https://www.chateaudelafare.com.
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