An interview of Jonathan and Kate Stiver

They came here, loved it, and chose to stay

February 2010 - An interview with Mr and Mrs Siver, who run the Domaine de la Fontaine in Araux 

Jonathan et Kate Stiver have chosen to live in Araux, a small village near Navarrenx, in  Béarn. They explain why.

. What brought you to Bearn ?
My wife and I come from the Midlands. We came here for the holidays during seven years. We wanted our two young children to enjoy the ocean as well as the mountains. We knew the Basque country, Bayonne and the land very well. We enjoyed exploring the countryside further back inland and we love it here.
We decided to leave England. At the age of 53, it was a good time. We’ve been living here full time for the last two years.

. What do you particularly enjoy here ?
- We love the people here. Araux is probably the friendliest place on Earth. We love the lovely food, and the excellent wine. We love the climate and I as said before, being close to the coast and the mountains, and Spain. But number one is definitely the people.

. What do the people who come to your chambre d’hôtes particularly like to do ?
- We’ve had a lot of nationalities but half come from France. The people who stay at our place enjoy a walk on the riverbanks and the close surroundings. The French don’t like driving but the foreigners are always happy to travel and the English, the Americans and the Canadians don’t mind driving roughly one hour to the coast !

Discover Jonathan and Kate Stiver's place at the Domaine de la Fontaine.

. Interview