LOVELY LANGUEDOC! south of France
Tuesday June 4 to Thursday June 13, 2024 (Departing Monday June 3) SOLD OUT
Personal Concierge Services of Kato Wake and Billy Munnelly • 9 nights accommodation – 7 in Self-contained Apartment Accommodation at a Winery, and 2 nights in the Charming and Historic City of Toulouse • 8 Gourmet Dinners including a Michelin star restaurant • 9 Breakfasts • 6 Delicious Lunches with Wine • Visit to La Cite de Carcassonne • A Gourmet Picnic in the Vineyard • Hike to the Cathar Castles of Lastour • Winery Day trip to Minervois • Secluded Courtyard Gatherings • Wine Blending Exercise • Lunch on a Barge along the Canal de Midi • Boules Tournament • Private Coach Services • Olive Oil Tasting • Paella and BBQ Dinners • Food Truck Party • Relaxing at a Private Mediterranean Beach • An Idyllic Lunch in an Olive Grove • Market Shopping • Private Coach Airport Pick Up and Return to Toulouse Airport … and a few surprises!
(Note: Click on the arrows below the photo at the top of the page to see all the photos)
We’ve done close to a dozen tours to the ‘perfect spot’ in the south of France, during the perfect time of year, and every year the bar get raised. Our home-base, Chateau Canet, is close to the historic town of Carcassonne, and has been voted “one of the 10 most beautiful wine chateaux lodgings in France.”
Our hosts, Victoria and Floris, planted their roots at Chateau Canet in 2006 to pursue their respective passions: hospitality and winemaking. Now fully established, they welcome guests to share the wonders of the Languedoc Roussillon region, and to craft award-winning wines. Victoria is a natural at making a home-away-from-home, and her table settings are in the Martha league. Formerly a tour guide and director with Butterfield & Robinson, she is highly skilled in hospitality, and will make you feel welcomed and special. Accommodations are cozy and spacious – your own apartment with a kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom, balcony or patio. There are a few wonderful large rooms and a courtyard to accommodate our many gatherings. Fresh croissants and baguettes will be delivered to your door each morning, so you can enjoy a quiet breakfast on your own before we head off for the day’s adventure. The outdoor pool is ready when you are, and with long days and warm air, early summer is a glorious time to visit this area.
Languedoc Roussillon is the largest wine regions in the world and recently it has attracted top winemakers in search of old vines and the possibility of creating something ‘different’. Reds and Rosés are the mainstay, but the sub region of Limoux has been making sparkling wine for longer than Champagne. The food is an array of creative, freshly prepared and seasonal fare, including BBQ’s, ‘out of this world’ cheese, bistro and Michelin restaurants. The scenery ranges from flat to stunning high-mountains.
Our reason for choosing this part of the south of France is its unspoiled feeling – it’s a lot less touristy than Provence, but every bit as beautiful – and is rich in history. And the wines are an exciting discovery.
This tour is a great example of how much a well-chosen location can deliver – eliminating the need to go running all over the place. A few short trips take us to the Minervois hills, and to the historic town of Minerve. The castles of Lastours and the beautiful Fontfroide Abbey are also close by. Expect to enjoy gently rolling countryside and sleepy villages, while in the blink of an eye we’ll be lunching on a barge, heading down the Canal de Midi. Or swimming in the Mediterranean, or joining the locals at the famous Saturday morning market in Carcassonne – filling our shopping bags with food and wine for supper. How very French!
In the mood for a hike? Just step outside your villa and head up through the Syrah vines. Chilled glasses of Rosé available 24/7 – we think you’ll like our little hit of France!
Toulouse was love-at-first-sight for us. A quintessential French city with a charming and walkable centre. All things French in one delightful package – narrow cobblestone streets, food markets, cafés everywhere and stunning old churches that are actually worth visiting. Toulouse makes you want to wander from the broad Garonne river to the tree-lined Canal du Midi. So much colour, so much vitality. We uttered the “I could live here” line. Ochre rooftops and blushing brick churches have earned Toulouse the nickname ‘La Ville Rose’ (The Pink City). Beyond the old town, Toulouse sprawls into France’s fourth-largest metropolis. It has one of the largest universities outside Paris: at its core this southwestern French city is home to students and scientists. Since WWII, Toulouse has been the centre of France’s aerospace industry, developing many important aircraft components for international space programs. But back on earth, Toulouse knows how to have a good time, and your visit is sure to have a rose-tinted sheen.
“Traveling with Billy and Kato to France in June was a sublime experience affording pleasures historical, geographical, oenological, gastronomical, athletic, relaxing, engaging, social, sparking with surprise. The itinerary is crafted with wise intuitive attention to energy levels, group dynamic , variety of experience and surprise. Note second use of word “surprise”. This is the second trip I have done with them ( the first being last October in Alentejo , Portugal) and I intend to travel with them next spring to Ireland. These journeys began last year as a tentative experiment in organized group travel. I love planning my own trips and was reluctant to relinquish control of my itinerary in spite of its planning being a lot of work for me before and during a trip, but having heard glowing recommendations of Billy’s Best Bottles tours I decided to give a small group tour a try. I’m a convert. It is a whole other level of relaxation to have surrendered to someone else’s planning in full confidence that they are going to provide days full of glorious creative SURPRISE crafted for my enjoyment. It’s rather like being a kid again on a wonderful action packed summer holiday. Every day afforded new delights. I highly recommend and I won’t reveal specifics because I don’t want to ruin the SURPRISE” R. Dunsmore, Stratford
“Back from Billy and Kato’s tour to the Langedoc region in France. It really doesn’t matter where you go with these two ““ they do an exceptional job of choosing dining venues and wineries that provide a wide spectrum of excellent local fare. Certainly see places and engage with people we would never encounter on our own adding a ~´je ne sais quoi’ to the whole experience. The fact that most on the tour were “˜repeat offenders’ speaks volumes for the expectation of fun and learning we all have when being on a BBB tour. We were not disappointed.” B. Smith, Toronto
“”Once again it exceeded all our expectations. The accommodations were beyond anything we imagined. We felt like part of the Chateau family! Everyday was great and fun, and every meal was an experience. Thank you for creating such great moments and memories.”The Tompson’s, Waterloo
“Are you thinking about taking a Billy’s Best Bottles trip? Don’t think for a minute longer! We just returned from the 2019 south of France tour. My partner Trevor said “It was the best trip of our life.” We have done a fair bit of European travel in groups and on our own, but this trip really was the best. There isn’t one thing that made it so – there were so many highlights – the breathtaking views, the carefully planned activities, sight-seeing, lunches, dinners, amazing wines, the accommodation, and barrels of laughter with new friends. All effortlessly managed and executed by Billy and Kato who have their special brand of magic, and who make it a five-star experience. It was the right balance of sophistication, cultural activities, and gourmet experiences, all staged in sublime settings.” Jack & Trevor, Kingston
LOVELY LANGUEDOC! south of France
Tuesday June 4 to Thursday June 13, 2024 (Departing Monday June 3) SOLD OUT
This is a LAND ONLY TOUR TICO #2392471
20 participants
COST
$6,995 pp based on double occupancy, in Canadian currency, including all taxes.
Due to limited rooms there are no single rooms to be offered.
PLEASE NOTE*** It is important that participants coming on this tour are in good physical shape for our daily excursions, which often include hiking and walking. We expect everyone to participate in our daily activities, as our accommodation has no restaurant services.
TRIP INCLUDES:
Escort services of Billy Munnelly and Kato Wake
7 nights ‘self-contained villa’ accommodation at a Winery
2 nights accommodation in Toulouse
8 gourmet dinners with lots of wine
9 breakfasts
6 delicious lunches with wine
All coach travel in Languedoc Roussillon
Tour of Fontfroide Abbey
Hike and visit to the castles of Lastours
Visit to the Carcassonne outdoor market and ‘Old City’
Wine tastings with Billy
Barge excursion on the Canal de Midi
Wine-blending seminar
Olive Oil tasting
Idyllic Picnic Lunch in an Olive Grove
Visits to, and VIP tastings at wineries
Boules tournament
Afternoon on a private Mediterranean beach
Wine reception upon arrival
Private coach pick-up, and return to Toulouse Airport for the ‘official flights’
… and a few carefully curated surprises!
Best Bottles Inc reserves the right to make minor changes in the itinerary.
NOT INCLUDED:
Airfare
Three lunches and one dinner
Gratuities for housekeeping, service, guides and drivers
Personal items and drinks
Travel and medical insurance
OFFICIAL FLIGHT
Some may want to travel in France before the tour and/or arrive in Toulouse the night before. The tour starts at the Toulouse airport (arrivals) on Tuesday June 4 at 9:30am. Our coach will pick everyone up and take us to the winery, about 1.5 hours away.
GOING TO TOULOUSE (departs June 3, arrives in Toulouse Tuesday June 4 at 8:55am)
Optional from Toronto
AC 418 03JUN Monday Toronto – Montreal Departure 4:00pm Arrival 5:18pm
Layover 2h 27m
From Montreal AC 878 03JUN Monday Montreal – Toulouse Departure 7:45pm Arrival 8:55am 04JUN Tuesday
RETURNING JUNE 13, 2024
To Montreal: AC 879 13JUN Thursday Toulouse – Montreal Departure 11:40am Arrival 1:35pm
Optional Montreal to Toronto: AC 419 13JUN Thursday Montreal – Toronto Departure 4:10pm Arrival 5:36pm
TO BOOK or BE PUT ON THE CANCELLATION LIST
Email katowake@gmail.com with FRANCE 2024 in the subject headline if you wish to be on the cancellation list.
We will contact you with further details once your spot is confirmed. Please note that acknowledging your interest doesn’t automatically ensure your spot on the tour.
Our official partner for TICO is Ellison Travel & Tours #2392471.
Billy’s Best Bottles reserves the right to make changes in the itinerary.
We expect everyone to be in good physical shape – able to walk 2 hours easily. Note there are no restaurant services at the winery.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Your $500 pp deposit is non-refundable.
Final payment is due 120 days prior to the tour, and is 100% non-refundable.
FYI: Tours will be cancelled or postponed if Canadian “˜Do Not Travel’ advisories apply to the destination, or if Ellison Travel & Tours deems it unsafe to travel, in which case, all monies paid will be transferred to a future travel credit.
HOW DO WE DIFFER FROM OTHER TOURS?
We must start by telling you that we never set out to conduct tours. However, after a few trials with friends we sensed that there was an interest in our style of travel. Found a niche as they say. Original and generous were the two most used words we heard to describe what we offered, and not surprisingly as our itineraries were of our own making. We did not see the point of taking people to over-crowded ‘guide book’ places. It is impossible to catch the feeling of a place when you’re lost in a sea of fellow travellers. We still deliver WOWs, but without the hassles and crowds. And generous might have something to do with how much wine we were pouring.
We have sought out parts of a country that offer a sense of the whole, thereby delivering the experience without long travel times. Spending less hours on the road attempting to see it all gives us more quality time in towns, galleries or cafés. Feet on the ground as opposed to bum on a bus, seeing better over seeing more.
Most of the experiences we offer are either not available off-the-street, or would require a lot of work to secure.
We love the time at table so most evenings we all dine together, at a hand-picked restaurants where we have arranged something special – an experience not available to the general public. You can expect everything from gourmet to rustic with seating in small groups for an intimate experience. But we’re not opposed to a little rowdiness! We stay at smaller, non-chain hotels away from the tourist bustle.
Have to admit we are not huge history buffs, but we do allow enough free time for those who want to visit churches and museums. Think of us as the anti Trip Advisor – seeking instead the alternative, the unexpected. The kind of tour you’d imagine from a local, as opposed to a Tour company. If you have never travelled with a group before, fear not. Think of the possibilities for fun with a group – ‘adult camp’ as Kato calls it. It may be the best party you ever attended.
Expect to eat and drink too much – and love every minute of it.
In each of our destinations we concentrate on the things that are special or unique: rural pubs in Ireland as they are the hub of a community, historic grandeur combined with sleek contemporary design in Portugal, and the effortless, indescribable sense of style in France. Crafting beauty in everything is Italy’s great skill, and that includes food and wine. We ask that our travellers take the time to know something of, and respect the culture we are visiting – consider a step-up from your comfy Adidas.
WHO SHOULD TRAVEL WITH US?
Those with a love of adventure and social interaction are obvious candidates. On the physical side, good walking ability and drinking stamina are not only essential, but mandatory. Meals are on the European clock – starting late and finishing late – celebrating time at the table. Basically we invite people who are interested in stepping outside their comfort zone and embracing a European experience. Filling the eyes, bellies and imagination with things unfamiliar. We welcome people who come hungry for activity and participation – please do NOT come with us if you want a conventional sightseeing tour with no participation on your part.
Finally a word on why we do not publish detailed, daily itineraries. One reason is we like to remain flexible and work around weather and local events. But more importantly, we believe that the best travel experiences are built around daily surprises – a trust between the host and the guests. Those who have travelled with us have said that they enjoyed the surprise element as it kept them in the moment. We ask that you greet us with enthusiasm, a trusting open mind, good health, and an empty wine glass (not for long!).
Every tour we’ve run has sold out and many guests are repeat offenders.
