Season’s Greetings from Domaine de Palatz!

We hope you have all enjoyed a lovely relaxing Christmas and are looking forward to welcoming the New Year in suitable fashion! We shall be celebrating it here at Palatz with a few friends and perhaps a firework display or two, but in advance of that, we’d like to share with you some of our resolutions (ok, project deliverables) for the year ahead…

And these are no ordinary, wishy washy, here-today-gone-tomorrow resolutions!

Our New Year Resolutions Countdown

We are pretty excited about upcoming projects at Palatz; and much of it is due to the thought and helpful feedback from the guests we’ve had this year. And we won’t be bailing out in a week either, there’s enough stuff here to keep us going for a while! So with no further ado, here’s our final five New Year resolutions countdown for 2015:

5. Gite Upgrades

We are currently in the process of improving our gite accommodation with further interior works and design upgrades. With new hotel-quality beds, bedding, linens, curtains, interior decorations and colour schemes, we’ll be busy over the next two months but the end result will be some dramatic improvements in the finish and quality of our cottage accommodation. We look forward to sharing the results of these upgrades with you in short order!

4. Estate Enhancements

With the Spring comes many new demands on the grounds and property and we’ll have a lot to do to keep on top of things! Exterior painting and upkeep, shutter maintenance, planting and gardening, the organic garden to sow, as well as some landscaping works to enhance the outdoor areas and improve the overall ambience. We are planting nut trees, more oleander, and adding palms to the more sheltered areas. We expect all of this will keep us rather busy throughout the year, but we’ve got some ways to go before we get on this list.

3. Leisure Pleasure

A new set of premium quality loungers and outdoor furniture will be added to the pool, accommodation and common areas to enhance our guest experience. This new furniture will ensure day-long lounging pleasure under the delightful Mediterranean sun!

We’ll have graded maps and adventure routes of the property and surrounding area which will help our walkers, hikers and cyclists, plus guided walks on the estate itself to allow you to easily step into nature! In addition, we’re also working on a new carpentry project that should result in more family-sized fun at Palatz: details to be revealed soon!

2. Technology

We’ll be adding new technology features throughout the estate to further improve our already high-speed internet coverage, as well as the media library, sound system and general estate access and security.

New WiFi access points are planned to increase and expand our wireless coverage both internally and externally; we’ll have additional SONOS units in place to cover a wider variety of locations; we’ll also be installing a communal TV for easy outdoor viewing in the kids area. Finally, we’re beginning the rollout of our Fibaro home automation and security system which will help save energy and enhance site security.

1. Produits de Palatz

In keeping with our desire to offer an experience at Domaine de Palatz that is as fresh and natural as our surrounds, we will be introducing a number of guest features over 2015 that we hope will enhance the well-being of all who stay here. From breakfast smoothies and nut butters to home-made soaps and lotion bars, we want to deliver a truly natural, organic experience to our guests.

The main thrust of this will be in expanding the range of produce that is provided to all our guests at no extra charge. This will include a wider choice of breakfasts to suit any taste, and welcome paniers stuffed with organic vegetables and other seasonal products from the estate as well as from local Minervois artisans. We shall also be adding a selection of home-made oils, soaps and other lotions to make your stay a little more luxurious. This is all included in the total price and is one of our developing goals to make a stay at Palatz feel truly unique.

Happy New Year!

Of course, New Year resolutions are often broken before the end of January is even in sight, but now that we have ours here in writing we can of course be held to them! So what are your new year resolutions? Please share below!

Wishing you all a very prosperous and happy 2015!