35 MINUTES FROM THE COTE D'AZUR - ANOTHER WORLD

People search high and low for true "off the beaten track" holidays. With a faster pace of life, more stress, worse transport and higher population densities, the need to get away from it all has never been more apparent.

However, package holiday companies have been slowly bringing the world to all the lovely parts of the Mediterranean for over 30 years. It's getting harder and harder to find that peaceful, unspoilt holiday without travelling to some remote jungle.

As a further complication people taking a well earned break from the norm naturally demand a high level of service. Conversely the more remote, undeveloped, quaint and original a holiday destination is, the level of service is likely to be pretty poor. Gone are the days when you would patiently wait an hour for a moussaka to arrive and not complain when it was cold.

And yet another problem is the desire to have an easy journey - people like convenience, and with low cost flights being about as exotic a proposition as a number 10 bus, the romance of 'getting there' has long been left in harbour.

Just a stones throw from the French Riviera - the coastline popularised by Victorian Britain, and now populated by the rich and famous, this beautiful valley ticks every box when it comes to that list of conflicting requirements. It's why we sold everything we owned in the UK and literally bet our house on this venture.

The villages around here have little changed in centuries, and the French will be one of the last European communities to embrace the modern world in all its technoglorious splendour. The internet and e-commerce mean nothing when all you're concerned with is the next Boules tournament and whether the baker's wife is having it away with Pierre from next door.

The French are one of the most proud nations and staunchly protective of their heritage, culture and language. It's ingrained and will take more than Bill Gates and MTV to alter the course of mountain dwellers' lives. And quite rightly too - their quality of life far exceeds most people I know, and it's an attitude that all our guests would do well to remind themselves of.

Had a stressful morning at work? Bin that sandwich at the desk and take time to have a decent lunch in good company - the world won't stop turning, and you'll have a far happier and more productive afternoon and probably live longer to boot. Of course it's easier said than done if your lunch options range from very poor to very expensive, but hey, it's the idea that's right!

Anyway, I digress - the main point about this page is that within an easy drive from Nice International airport is a gem of a valley, where you can reflect on life, get back to nature, read a little, laugh a lot, eat well and rediscover the truly important meaning of life - life itself.

And in between we aim to serve you as best we can.