House

ROOMS:

We keep our rates as accessible as possible to be able to accept attendees at all stages in their careers. The exchange between established attendees and those who are just starting out is a valuable part of the experience, for both. In order to do so, we accept attendees on a variety of "formulas". Attendees either come on a paid retreat stay, a partial barter or full barter (see barter page) or as recipients of the fellowships we offer (see fellowship page).

[please click on the room links below for more information and pictures on our website]

Thalia (Comedy): a large double room with antique furnishings, a fireplace with a large wood mantle, and two large French windows overlooking the valley. A newly renovated walk-in ensuite shower. Shares a toilet across the hall with two other rooms. 750 Euro for one person; 900 for two. Rents with Melpomene as room with suite, for 1200 Euro, depending on availability.

Melpomene (Tragedy): a large double bedroom adjoining Thalia, with tall French windows overlooking the valley. Has one twin bed settee; second twin bed can be added for extra charge. Also furnished with antiques. Shower and toilet across the hall. (There are two other public toilets in the house.) 700 for one person; 850 for two. Rents as study with Thalia for two people, for 1200 Euro, depending on availability.

Euterpe (Music): this lovely double has stenciled walls, a fireplace and a beautiful ensuite shower. It shares a toilet with Melpomene and Thalia. (There are two other public toilets in the house). 750 Euro for one person; 900 for two.

Erato (Love Poetry): our honeymoon suite. This room has ensuite bathroom (tub, shower and toilet) with a window looking south as well as two tall windows facing west over the valley. Fireplace. 850 Euro for one person; 950 for two.

Clio (History): one of our two ground floor rooms. Double bedroom with ensuite bathroom (tub, shower and toilet) as well as a decorative fireplace. Two tall French windows overlook the valley. 850 Euro for one person; 950 for two.

Calliope (Epic Poetry): our master suite has an ensuite spa bathroom (a deep, long tub with a view of the valley and a separate walk-in shower). Has its own very grand, well-furnished sitting room with four large windows overlooking the valley and two fireplaces that mirror each other. Bedroom, also with view of valley, is a quiet haven with a queen-size bed. It is also on the ground floor. 950 Euro for one person; 1350 for two.

The library, kitchen and dining room are named after muses Polyhymnia (Oratory, Sacred Poetry), Urania (Astronomy) and Terpsichore (Dance, Choral Music), respectively.

La Muse has high-speed WiFi internet access. People can also connect via an Ethernet cord (bring your own) in Urania, a small but charming common office nook for attendee use.

La Muse also manages cottages in the village situated beside the La Muse building to enable attendees with children to attend. Cottage renters are La Muse attendees. They are welcome at La Muse to use the common areas, including the terrace, garden, library and studio, with respect to quiet hours. Cottage attendees are included in all La Muse gatherings, but are asked to cook and take their meals at their cottage, due to noise and space concerns at La Muse.

Chapelle Cottage
A sweet 2 BR cottage next door to La Muse with a spacious modern kitchen, new appliances, and all the amenities and pleasantries: washer, dryer, dishwasher, WIFI, a big and beautiful fireplace, and a spacious courtyard garden, with views of the valley from both the house and the garden.

This house is ideal for a couple; a family; two couples; or two individuals collaborating on a project.

The first bedroom has a double bed. The second bedroom has a twin bunk bed. (All mattresses are new and good quality.) The table can be removed and bunks put side by side to accommodate a second couple; a table can be installed when house is rented by a couple to create a separate workspace (so, 1 BR, 1 workroom, living room, kitchen, one shower, one toilet).

(1800 Euro for one three-week retreat; if two couples wish to apply together, price would be 1300 Euro per couple.)

Larger groups can be accommodated.

Please visit our website for more more information on our library, our 2 studios, our exhibitions and more...

ABOUT:

La Muse, some sections of which date back to the 12th century, is built into the side of a mountain with local stone and chestnut wood. The original structure was a weaver's (a Cathar) house, which was expanded over the centuries by a landowner and his family to include neighboring houses and streets, thus becoming a very large manor house, or, in French, Maison de Maitre.

Attendees will be happy to hear that we are modernized where one wants to be, with broadband WiFi access in all rooms, central heating (for winter), enough hot water to clean an army, good plumbing, and new mattresses and box springs in every bedroom.

Essentially, rates include the bedroom as well as use of the library (with individual desks as well as large tables), a shared studio space, a kitchen, a salon/dining room, WiFi, the terrace and gardens. For those who prefer private workspace, the bedrooms have desks, and two rooms have a private workspace (see Calliope and Thalia/Melpomene). La Muse is spread out, so a great feeling of space is found inside the house and into the valley.

The building fronts onto Rue de la Place, a tiny road that leads only to the lower part of the village, and carries hardly any traffic. The bedroom windows, library and kitchen all open onto the garden and valley from the back of the house, where there is no road or traffic, and no other houses.

Attendees enter La Muse through the garden gate and terrace doors into the kitchen and dining area, or the library. To access the bedrooms, attendees climb one flight of stairs for Clio and Calliope, or two flights of stairs for Erato, Euterpe, Thalia and Melpomene.

All the bedrooms have original fireplaces, mouldings, and terra cotta tile floors. The corridor that runs the full length of the front of the house also has windows overlooking the village lane. The bedrooms have high ceilings, original details such as Caunes marble windowsills and fireplaces, and doppled window panes.

The spacious library (24 feet by 18 feet approximately) has tiled floors, stone walls and massive wooden beams for the ceiling. The double French doors open out onto the terrace. The one-meter thick walls keep this room cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

La Muse sleeps 6 attendees or 6 couples, and is available at discounted rates for group bookings. To accommodate larger groups, people who want to come with their family or for shorter visits, we manage the rentals of several small houses in the village. Attendees who rent cottages are welcome to use the La Muse library, WiFi, art studio and terrace.

No comments: