|
 Top UK hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray is to launch a new eco-hotel in Languedoc-Roussillon.
According to Campbell Gray (the man behind London’s ultra-chic One Aldwych hotel and others across the world), Lodge St Germain will be an alternative to the more spartan “boot camp” style health retreats found elsewhere in Europe; he describes his Languedoc venture as “rustic and pure – but it will also be extremely environmentally considerate, and have a wonderful restaurant.”
This unusual Languedoc four-star residential development-cum-hotel claims green credentials, and will include a restaurant and spa. It will be located 30 kilometres north of the Languedoc-Roussillon capital city of Montpellier, on the edge of the village of St Bauzille de Montmel, and feature 45 rooms, 45 apartments and 20 lodges.
The project is the brainchild of New Zealander Andrew Whittaker, who bought the 15th-century manor house and its 140 acres from a Belgian couple in 2005. Whittaker worked in London for a decade before moving to Languedoc-Roussillon with his family. “There is a lot of rural land in the centre of Languedoc that is stunning, and unspoilt; I wanted to do something that would use the incredible local resources here. We have six hectares of vines, and an olive grove; we plan to make our own wine and olive oil on site,” says Whittaker.
The area surrounding this project is a Natura 2000 zone, created to protect a pair of rare Bonelli's eagles that nest near by, and this should ensure that the site retains its original charm. Lodge St Germain sits amid wooded hills dotted with thyme and rosemary; it will boast vineyard and olive grove views, against the backdrop of the dramatic peaks of Pic St-Loup and L’Hortus.
This rugged, mountainous terrain is a draw for fans of adventure sports and the Great Outdoors. St Bauzille de Montmel is in the heart of climbing country; for more information about Languedoc climbing, walking and other outdoor pursuits, CLICK HERE.
Units will be sold on a leaseback basis, with buyers receiving a VAT refund of 19.6 per cent and up to eight weeks of personal use (details are currently being finalised). Purchasers will own the freehold to their Languedoc property, and agree to lease it back to the hotel for 11 years; annual rental returns will be a percentage (the figure is yet to be defined) of the hotel’s revenue.
Prices start from around €450,000 for a 90-100 square metre apartment; villas (150–300 square metres, with three to five bedrooms) will start from around €750,000.
Although Lodge St Germain was originally scheduled to open in 2010, the credit crunch put paid to that; at the time of writing, the estimated delivery date for this ground-breaking Languedoc property development is 2012.
|
