Shape a surfboard in Biarritz
A little over a quarter of an hour’s bike ride from Carlina Lodge, a surfer’s retreat on the Cote des Basques, is one of their cult addresses; . Unique in France, this supermarket allows you to create the model of your dreams from A to Z. Between the molding room, the glazing room, then the resin coating, and the final sanding step to shape the polyurethane foam block, the operation takes 4 to 4 half days or even 4 full days of stand-up paddleboarding.
Count from €630 to €990 for the board. Shaper-house.com.
From 140 euros per night for a double room and from 210 euros for an apartment for up to 6 people. Carlina.com.
Threaded wool was carved in Cabris
In the 19th century, Mas du Naoc produced jugs. At the end of the 20th century, it hosted an art academy. Now converted into a guest house, this lovely inland Grasse property is home to owner Sandra Maingret’s felt workshop. A designer of decorative elements, he likes to twist the classic use of this non-woven fabric to give it a more contemporary look. During the two-day courses, the craftsman introduces his guests to the basics of threading wool. We soap, walk, rub, press and mold the wool wicks, count the recoil speed, try to understand the material and shape the object. The day continues at the edge of the pool in this wonderful pre-alpine landscape.
Count €250 per person for 2 days of training (equipment, fleece and technical sheet provided) and lunches reserved exclusively for on-site guests (2 rooms, 1 suite and 2 apartments for 5 people). From €170 per double room including breakfast. Lemasdunaoc.com.
Learn about Shibori in Aix-en-Provence
The universal history of indigo, this natural blue dye, is a mythical journey from India to Peru, China to Niger, Indonesia or Nim (denim). We discover it in a house in Aix-en-Provence, the Atelier of Simone, created by Laëtitia Costechareyre. In his laboratory, the vegetable dye specialist works with three vats of indigo produced in La Roque-d’Anthéron, constantly balancing the yeast to get the shades he wants, from pale to very dark, and then dipping the fabrics (clothes). , sheets and other old linens found in the markets of Provence) that will dry in the open air in the beautiful adjoining garden. This is where he introduces newcomers to his universe and Shibori (tie-dye Japanese): We extend the stationary journey to Maison Dauphine by settling into a flat in Brazil. Or in Eden?
Count €125 for half a day (indigo dye, shibori, snack) or €260 for a full day including lunch. Longer courses on request. Atelier-simone.com.
From €219 per night in a guest apartment. Maisondauphine.com.
Do pottery in Sifnos
A bastion of the development of ceramics in the Cyclades, Sifnos is an island of potters. If this trade declined with the development of industry in the middle of the 19th century, there are still about twenty artisans operating today. Committed to ‘slow life’ hospitality, the founders of Verina Boutique Hotels are committed to helping their guests discover the treasures and traditions of the Aegean island. At their three properties, Astra, Terra and Villa, they offer private lessons with potters Cyclades, as they are called here. Francophones can be sure that a translator provides translation at various stages of production. We immediately reveal the basics.
€180 for two hours of lessons for a group of 4. From 135 euros per room. Verinahotelsifnos.com/en.
Make a guitar in Formentera
A dream opportunity to discover the most secluded of the Balearic Islands, this three-week course offered by Luter allows you to create your own electric guitar. No knowledge is required, you come to Formentera Guitars as you are and preferably barefoot. Taught in English, German or Spanish, classes take place in small groups of a maximum of six people and are led by German musician Eckhard Hoffmann, who has lived on the island for thirty years. Each part of the instrument is handmade from precious wood.
Head on the cake (or on the guitar)? A lunchtime dive in one of the clearest waters of the Mediterranean. We sleep at Hotel La Savina, a quarter of an hour by bike, a 3-star hotel run by the same family for seventy years, with several rooms overlooking the sea.
€2,600 for three weeks (equipment provided). Next courses: from August 8 to 26. Formentera-guitars.com.
From 160 euros per night. Hostal-lasavina.com.
Source: Le Figaro
