Under the Dordogne Sky: From dream to reality in hospitality: two Brits, an old hotel… and no idea!

Like so many people, we had reached our limit with long, grey British winters — the kind where summer is more of a rumour than a season. We often talked about escaping to somewhere warmer, somewhere sunnier… usually while wearing three jumpers and contemplating turning the heating on in June.

Then, in 2016, we did something slightly unhinged. We bought a hotel. In France.

An opportunity arose to purchase a hotel in the beautiful Dordogne region, and instead of sensibly ignoring it, we thought, “Why not?” Never mind that we had zero experience running a hotel. Never mind that our French extended only to ordering wine and apologising. Clearly, we were overqualified.

So off we went — heading south towards sunshine — armed with enthusiasm, blind optimism, and the keys to a 300-year-old run-down hotel that had clearly seen better centuries.

This is the story of what happened next. It involves guests, disasters (some self-inflicted), minor triumphs, questionable decision-making, and a surprising amount of hiding behind curtains. There were moments of laughter, moments of tears, and many moments where we wondered what on earth we had done.

And yet, somehow, we got through it all — with just enough courage, determination, and sheer stubbornness to keep going… even when we probably shouldn’t have.

Come with us on a journey like no other. Just don’t expect us to know what we’re doing.