Kaliyoga France
For those who prefer their yoga with a touch of glamour, treat yourself to a few days in a chic private hamlet with a story behind it, amidst unspoiled French landscapes that provided the setting for Manon des Sources.
This summer, Kaliyoga is inviting you to join for a very special yoga & hill walking retreat in Le Grand Banc, a tastefully restored hamlet nestled in the folds of lavender-scented hills of Provence, 90 min drive from Avignon.
The famous, once-abandoned 400-acre property was rescued and renovated by an eccentric English inventor and philanthropist Jeremy Fry, a scion of the Fry chocolate dynasty and a close friend of Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon in the 60’s. He intended Le Grand Banc to be a community where intellectuals could work away from distractions.
Kaliyoga France
Surrounded by farmland, lavender, fig and orchard, and featuring a fabulous cypress-studded pool, Le Grand Banc is totally secluded from the outside world and offers spectacular views over vast skies and bosomy hills. Movie lovers will recognise the surrounding countryside where scenes from 'Jean de Florette' and 'Manon des Sources' were shot.
Accommodation is spread throughout several houses, each being decorated in an individual, simple and eclectic style, with funky artwork and furniture predominately of the 50's, 60's and 70's era.
Walk down its cobbled street, and you are walking in the footsteps of many famous artists and writers who made this magical place their retreat. Bohemian Francophiles, painters, writers, fashionistas Jasper Conran and Mario Testino, plus actor John Malkovich are among the celebrities who have fallen for the hamlet’s charms over the years.
ProvenceEach weekly Kaliyoga retreat programme includes two yoga classes per day, four guided walks through the hills and gorges from where the finest French lavender is harvested and distilled; breakfast, lunch and supper in the Provençale style.
Every evening there will be a champagne cocktail served on the terrace and the inevitable disco round the pool on the last night.
The retreat is available in 2013 from May 5 to July 6 only.
Find out more at www.kaliyoga.com/france/home/
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