The end of the year is a very special time in Collioure.  The French thoroughly enjoy their Christmas festivities during the month of December with markets, incredible chocolates and holiday pastries, special food dishes and lots of family time.  Then they finish off the holiday season with a huge celebration on New Years Eve, which continues right through to New Years Day.

Collioure is no exception when it comes to parties and festivals during the season.  The town prepares for New Years Eve by selecting a theme each year.  Last year was Nuit Blanche and this year is Comic Strips.  Visitors prepare in advance and plan their attire accordingly. 

People gather to eat, drink and be merry. A table on the beach can be booked in advance where you can either purchase food or bring your own.  There are oysters and champagne served on the beach along with small plates of appetizers.  Thousands of people along with their children come out for the evening to enjoy dancing and music until the wee hours of the night.  At midnight they have an incredible fireworks display that lasts for 25 minutes.

See the video below that we filmed from 2013.  It shows the last couple of minutes of the stunning fireworks display.  The town spares no expense for this elaborate show.

Collioure is a wonderful place to be during the holidays.  These festivities are something special that we will look forward to enjoying when we live there in the winter months.

Bonne Année to all our friends and family.  Looking forward to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.

This month marks the first year anniversary that we have had our apartment in Collioure.  It is hard to believe that last time this year we were excitedly decorating and preparing a welcoming space, creating marketing material including a website, finalizing contracts and an information binder and posting our place on multiple vacation rental websites.  Once everything was set and the flurry of work was completed in early January, we sat back to watch and wait.  It turns out our wait wasn’t very long since we had our first guests stay in February.  The initial feedback was excellent and it was official – we had a functioning rental property in France!

To us, customer service has and always will be key.  We kept in touch with guests during their stay and always asked for feedback.  As a result we made a few tweaks here and there as we realized things along the way. There have definitely been some learning curves as we were enlightened about what is important to certain people and we also know now that we won’t make absolutely everyone happy, all of the time.  We are aiming for consistency and providing a welcoming and comfortable place for people to enjoy while on holiday.  As a result, the vast majority of people who have visited the apartment have been very pleased with their choice.  As we hit our groove and the summer months filled to capacity, we knew we were doing something right!

This past year we have had 37 different families or couples stay at our apartment.  They have come from a variety of countries – India, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, USA, Canada, Spain, U.K, Germany, Russia and of course from various cities within France.  They have ranged from 2 nights to 6 weeks and everything in between.  It has been a pleasure welcoming people from different areas and helping them to have a wonderful vacation in Collioure.

There were many people who have provided insight and help since we are not physically present in Collioure - including our real estate agent Neil from Paradise Rental Agency, Véronique our wonderful housekeeper and Andy our trusty handyman.  All of these people make this venture possible and we are incredibly grateful to each of them.

We feel very blessed to have had such a successful first year.  It is wonderful to realize that after having the initial idea and working through the stressful purchase right through to preparing to accept guests, that our vision was correct.  This crazy idea will work and in the end we will have a wonderful place to call home in the future.  (Can’t wait until we get to that point.)  For now we are happy to have other people enjoy our place and experience all that charming Collioure has to offer.

We would like to wish all the very best to our family, colleagues, friends and guests during this upcoming holiday season.  

Kim & Denis

On our never-ending quest to take in the lovely areas around Collioure, we decided to take a trek to the Gorges de Galamus which is only just over an hour away.

This spectacular gorge is located in the southern Aude region.  We had ventured to this neck of the woods back in January when we went to visit the Cathar castle Queribus.   Once outside of Perpignan, the roads guide you through some gorgeous vineyards that stretch as far as the eye can see.  Rising majestically in the air and acting as a stunning backdrop, are the Pyrenees mountains.  You drive past the Queribus castle before coming to the small but charming town of Saint-Paul de Fenouillet.  The signs are plentiful that direct you to the Gorge.  As you leave the town, you start the climb up into the mountainous terrain.  For some, this drive can be treacherous.  We have travelled in this area once before so we knew what to expect.  No matter, the road is very narrow with hairpin turns and very few areas with any kind of guardrail.  We were glad we were traveling this area in the off-season as the cars were few and far between and in some areas only one vehicle can pass.

There was a good-sized parking lot available at one end of the gorge.  From there we read the signs, took in the incredible views and decided to walk down the path into the gorge.  The walk was pleasant over a downward beaten path - at a few points we needed to climb over branches or uneven rock but for the most part it was a leisurely trek.  As you descend into the gorge, it is hard not to stop in numerous places to look at the views.  The walls made of stone give way to rocky ledges with brush and trees growing from what seem like impossible spots.  It is really breathtaking.

At the end of the path you come to the L’ermitage de Saint-Antoine that dates back to the 6th century.  It was originally a single cave carved into the basin of the mountain.  In the 1700’s  a beautiful chapel was built and perfectly nestled into a crevice on the side of the stone wall.  You can’t even begin to imagine how this structure was built into such a precarious position.  It would be difficult to do today – never mind 100s of years ago!  Unfortunately on the day we visited, the chapel was closed.  However pictures we have seen indicate that the inside is incredible.

Many people also continue down to the water where the river Agly runs.  From pictures we have seen the water is a sparkling blue green colour and a popular place for swimming in the summer.  Due to all the flooding that had recently taken place in the region, the pathway down to the water was not accessible on the day we were there.  This means we will have to visit again!  If you enjoy the outdoors, appreciate nature in its finest form and are looking for a fabulous place for your next hike and potentially a swim, we would definitely recommend the Gorges de Galamus.