Volunteer in Southern Normandy, France
Description
I am the proprietor of a large Chambres d'Hotes in a quiet village in Southern Normandy, just north of the town of Avranches. I was formerly a teacher (Head of Business and Economics in a large Comprehensive school) in England but have now organised a busy Bed and breakfast business here in Normandy. I have a french business partner - she is taking a Masters Degree in international business. My brother and other family live in the neighbouring village of Montviron.
The village is quite small so evening entertainment could be a problem. It is a peaceful and relaxing environment. In return for 3 to 4 hours work a day, accommodation and meals are offered. I have a spaniel, a willing bicycle, and live in some beautiful Normandy countryside!
Le Luot is about 90 minutes from the Channel Ports of Caen and Cherbourg, and 3 hours from Paris. Its peaceful, quiet but a great place to live!!!
There is to be done in the garden but mainly in the house. There are rooms to clean and prepare - and meals to cook. The work takes time but should prove enjoyable and relaxing. Above all we look after our guests! it would help if you can speak conversational french.
The village is quite small so evening entertainment could be a problem. It is a peaceful and relaxing environment. In return for 3 to 4 hours work a day, accommodation and meals are offered. I have a spaniel, a willing bicycle, and live in some beautiful Normandy countryside!
Le Luot is about 90 minutes from the Channel Ports of Caen and Cherbourg, and 3 hours from Paris. Its peaceful, quiet but a great place to live!!!
There is to be done in the garden but mainly in the house. There are rooms to clean and prepare - and meals to cook. The work takes time but should prove enjoyable and relaxing. Above all we look after our guests! it would help if you can speak conversational french.
Area
Normandy
Type of work
Language practise,Helping with Tourists,
Help in the house,
General Maintenance,
Cooking / shopping,
Gardening
Work
LOOKING TO 2012 - its going to be VERY BUSY!
We are looking for volunteers who can cook a tasty meal, speak conversational french (preferably!) and dont mind working hard preparing and cleaning rooms for our b&b guests!
We would consider long stay offers and more than willing to have you come out for a taster during a quieter period.
The guests start arriving end of March and then we are very busy until end of September. Until March its mainly maintenance, decorating and gardening.
From March onwards there needs to be a willingness to prepare rooms with great care and to cook some evenings! There could be 20 plus guests at any one time.
We are looking for volunteers who can cook a tasty meal, speak conversational french (preferably!) and dont mind working hard preparing and cleaning rooms for our b&b guests!
We would consider long stay offers and more than willing to have you come out for a taster during a quieter period.
The guests start arriving end of March and then we are very busy until end of September. Until March its mainly maintenance, decorating and gardening.
From March onwards there needs to be a willingness to prepare rooms with great care and to cook some evenings! There could be 20 plus guests at any one time.
Languages spoken
English and French
Accommodation
Your own room and a shared lounge.
What else ...
Helper: Maggie Mahony
Date: September 13, 2011
From: Canada
Profile: click here
Hey Roger! My stay was beyond great. Roger is possibly the nicest host one could hope for, always accommodating and willing to show you around Normandy. In my short stay there (two weeks), I managed to do quite a bit of sight-seeing, which, due to Le Luot's off-the-track location, required a car - which Roger was always happy to provide!
The house itself is beautiful, definitely the kind of place I wouldn't mind paying to stay at in the least, and I feel lucky to have helped out there. The work is pretty straight-forward; there's general cleaning, ironing (how's that coming along, Roger? :P) occasional cooking and duvet-stuffing (don't worry, there's a technique!).
In short, I'd like to say THANKYOU!! to Roger (& Elise!) for a wonderful time in Normandy, and definitely encourage all you prospective helpxers to give it a go.
P.s; send my love to VJ and the goat!
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Helper: Sarah Scheenstra
Date: April 29, 2010
From: United States
Profile: click here
My friend Megan and I stayed with Roger from March 28 to April 1 and had a lovely time! La Merveille was my first volunteer experience and I would highly recommend it!
Roger was a perfect host and very kind! We stayed in one of the beautiful rooms of the B&B and had full access to tea, coffee, the refrigerator etc whenever we wanted.
Our responsibilities primarily consisted of washing all of the B&B windows, thoroughly cleaning all of the floors, and the cooking. It never felt like too much work but it also felt good to be giving back to Roger and helping him out a bit too.
I would highly recommend having a bit of cooking experience going in and bringing some easy tasty recipes with you if you go here. Roger took us grocery shopping and we were able to choose what vegetables/foods we wanted and then he bought everything for the week and we cooked it! It really worked perfectly!
Since there were no guests at the B&B while we were there, Roger graciously took us sightseeing all over Normandy - to Mont de Saint Michel and to the D-Day beaches. He was a warm and generous host and we really enjoyed getting to know him!
Le Lout is quite isolated, and if you don't have a car, be warned that public transport does not really exist in the area and you will probably have to hire a car to go sightseeing.
Be warned that Roger does have a very enthusiastic and energetic dog named VeeJay! I'm not a big dog person but managed with VeeJay just fine - he also provided lots of laughs as he drove shotgun with us everywhere we went.
Overall, I would highly recommend Roger as a host!
Add Reply / Comment
Helper: Sara Piaskowy
Date: July 21, 2009
From: United States
Profile: click here
Staying with Roger from June 21st to July 3rd and was my first volunteer experience and I am very pleased with how well it turned out! As agreed upon beforehand, I worked a few hours a day and the times when I worked were very flexible. Each day Roger and I agreed which tasks I would work on. Roger was a great host to work with. He was always appreciative of what I had done and often worked along with me at the same time.
Some of the tasks I completed included weeding the front garden, trimming weeds, planting flowers, preparing rooms for incoming guests, and cooking the evening meal. Overall the work was stimulating, not overly intense, and I really liked the chance to feel like I was earning my keep.
One of my favorite aspects of the experience was interacting with the guests. I liked helping with the outdoor BBQ, being able to answer questions, and help with anything they might need. While I was only there for two weeks I met some really neat people!
There were a few days when there were no guests so I was able to do some sightseeing. Roger was incredibly kind and offered to drive me to various places.
It is definitely out in the country, but it was exactly what I was looking for and a wonderful break. The landscape was peaceful, green, and filled with cows! I am into photography and there was certainly a lot great scenery to shoot. I also helped Roger by photographing some of the rooms to put up on the B&B website.
I was given a very nice room with my own bathroom and always felt like my privacy was respected. Roger is good company and has the right attitude about HelpX being a two way exchange. I felt like there was good balance of give and take on both ends. If you are looking for a place in the country where you can meet interesting people and contribute to the workings of a lovely Bed & Breakfast, this is the place and Roger is the host!
Date: September 13, 2011
From: Canada
Profile: click here
Hey Roger! My stay was beyond great. Roger is possibly the nicest host one could hope for, always accommodating and willing to show you around Normandy. In my short stay there (two weeks), I managed to do quite a bit of sight-seeing, which, due to Le Luot's off-the-track location, required a car - which Roger was always happy to provide!
The house itself is beautiful, definitely the kind of place I wouldn't mind paying to stay at in the least, and I feel lucky to have helped out there. The work is pretty straight-forward; there's general cleaning, ironing (how's that coming along, Roger? :P) occasional cooking and duvet-stuffing (don't worry, there's a technique!).
In short, I'd like to say THANKYOU!! to Roger (& Elise!) for a wonderful time in Normandy, and definitely encourage all you prospective helpxers to give it a go.
P.s; send my love to VJ and the goat!
Add Reply / Comment
Helper: Sarah Scheenstra
Date: April 29, 2010
From: United States
Profile: click here
My friend Megan and I stayed with Roger from March 28 to April 1 and had a lovely time! La Merveille was my first volunteer experience and I would highly recommend it!
Roger was a perfect host and very kind! We stayed in one of the beautiful rooms of the B&B and had full access to tea, coffee, the refrigerator etc whenever we wanted.
Our responsibilities primarily consisted of washing all of the B&B windows, thoroughly cleaning all of the floors, and the cooking. It never felt like too much work but it also felt good to be giving back to Roger and helping him out a bit too.
I would highly recommend having a bit of cooking experience going in and bringing some easy tasty recipes with you if you go here. Roger took us grocery shopping and we were able to choose what vegetables/foods we wanted and then he bought everything for the week and we cooked it! It really worked perfectly!
Since there were no guests at the B&B while we were there, Roger graciously took us sightseeing all over Normandy - to Mont de Saint Michel and to the D-Day beaches. He was a warm and generous host and we really enjoyed getting to know him!
Le Lout is quite isolated, and if you don't have a car, be warned that public transport does not really exist in the area and you will probably have to hire a car to go sightseeing.
Be warned that Roger does have a very enthusiastic and energetic dog named VeeJay! I'm not a big dog person but managed with VeeJay just fine - he also provided lots of laughs as he drove shotgun with us everywhere we went.
Overall, I would highly recommend Roger as a host!
Add Reply / Comment
Helper: Sara Piaskowy
Date: July 21, 2009
From: United States
Profile: click here
Staying with Roger from June 21st to July 3rd and was my first volunteer experience and I am very pleased with how well it turned out! As agreed upon beforehand, I worked a few hours a day and the times when I worked were very flexible. Each day Roger and I agreed which tasks I would work on. Roger was a great host to work with. He was always appreciative of what I had done and often worked along with me at the same time.
Some of the tasks I completed included weeding the front garden, trimming weeds, planting flowers, preparing rooms for incoming guests, and cooking the evening meal. Overall the work was stimulating, not overly intense, and I really liked the chance to feel like I was earning my keep.
One of my favorite aspects of the experience was interacting with the guests. I liked helping with the outdoor BBQ, being able to answer questions, and help with anything they might need. While I was only there for two weeks I met some really neat people!
There were a few days when there were no guests so I was able to do some sightseeing. Roger was incredibly kind and offered to drive me to various places.
It is definitely out in the country, but it was exactly what I was looking for and a wonderful break. The landscape was peaceful, green, and filled with cows! I am into photography and there was certainly a lot great scenery to shoot. I also helped Roger by photographing some of the rooms to put up on the B&B website.
I was given a very nice room with my own bathroom and always felt like my privacy was respected. Roger is good company and has the right attitude about HelpX being a two way exchange. I felt like there was good balance of give and take on both ends. If you are looking for a place in the country where you can meet interesting people and contribute to the workings of a lovely Bed & Breakfast, this is the place and Roger is the host!
My Photo Album
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Host ref number: 4472679354a5
Feedback left about host
Laura stayed at this large Chambre d'Hote for two weeks this Autumn. The quality of her work really had to be admired with rooms immaculately prepared and cleaned. She showed that she could cook delicious meals, was always willing to learn and try new things, and was extremely relaxed and courteous with all the guests. She is a cheerful and more
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