About Us

We are Ben and Fiona, and live in Surrey, England, with our 3 teenage children. When we acquired Maison Hugo our sole purpose was to create a holiday home that everyone would enjoy. To provide a comfortable and memorable place for guests to stay.

How it all started

It started with a holiday to an area we knew very little about….the Aveyron.

We flew into Toulouse, hired a car and set off into the blistering heat of summer, up the A68 motorway, towards Najac. It was as if civilisation was being stripped away, layer, by layer, as the motorway gave way to the most glorious countryside.

The road snaked through deep wooded valley’s, through vineyards, and then through sun scorched golden fields of corn, with large stone farmhouse’s standing proud, on the pristine landscape. Then as we drove over a hill the castle at Najac came into view. Towering majestically above us, it was a moment we will never forget. We truly felt that we had been placed into the middle of a fairytale.

The next 2 weeks were pure bliss, as we lazed around the pool, under a brilliant blue sky, the lavender swaying gently, as bees buzzed. Dinners were eaten late under the stars, with a bottle…or two, of red wine. As we explored the area we realised that this was the France we had always dreamed about. It felt like we had discovered a well kept secret.

Near the end of the holiday we came across a pretty house that was for sale, but in need of some love and attention. Despite this we could see that the house was spacious and light, with the potential for an amazing view….we say ‘potential’ as the garden at this point was an overgrown jungle. However, something about the house pulled at our heart strings and we soon found ourselves the proud new owners.

The renovations were completed by our builder friend from England, Yurik, and a number of locals, who are now good friends. Not forgetting, Jerome our gardener, who created a rural idyl.

Maison Hugo was now ready to provide the perfect place to relax in, and explore this wonderful area.