Private Manor in Gascony

Occitanie, France

We had the pleasure of manor-sitting this 18th century eco-retreat owned by a close relative of Laurence Olivier - complete with separate gites for guests, 15 acres of woodland and views of the Pyrenees.

This gig was by far the biggest challenge we’d ever taken on. But when a very flustered owner contacted us and explained they were stuck in the UK and arrangements with the regular caretaker had fallen through, we couldn’t leave the gardens to bake in the summer heat without staging an intervention.

After being unattended for several months, it was a race against the clock for us to transform it from wilted wildlands to horticultural chic before paying guests were due to arrive - while temperatures soared above 40 degrees C. To add to the excitement we encountered a flying ant infestation, a swimming pool saga, multiple snake sightings and a persistent smell of marijuana which turned out to be a damp hemp rug in a gite. And they say this job is all beer and bikinis!