Like numbers of “Ariégeois”, we are travelers from elsewhere. Juan Carlos crossed the Atlantic ocean a long time ago, leaving Colombia to settle in Paris. Many years later, another trip took him to the Basque Country where he understood the importance of attachment to the ground. Because we come from Earth and return there ….
In the Basque Country, her path crossed that of Anne, a wandering spirit who had also crossed the Atlantic Ocean, but in the other direction, to discover the secrets of Pachamama and other mysterious plants that grow in the land of the Incas. We spent a few years on the coast, then, in search of a more peaceful life in the countryside, we left for the inland Basque Country. Little by little, we question ourselves about a lifestyle change (Juan Carlos worked in human resources and training, Anne taught History and Geography), and we decide to look for a place that allows us to reconvert in tourism, to do some farming, and to put down our suitcases.
This is how chance did it right, and helped by a few messengers, we discovered this place that amazed us from our first look. It is first of all the presence of the many trees which enchants us, and little by little, the whole place becomes familiar and intimate to us. Therefore we decide to settle here, for ourselves, and also to welcome you, dear visiting friends, and to preserve it.
How did Villa Mayari come about ?
The location of the campsite is a long-standing forest of three hectares which stretches out on a hillside facing the Pyrenees, and on which the founder and first owner of the place created in 1990 terraces and shaded spots to accommodate first campers.
Around the 2000s, the place changed ownership and it was acquired by a Dutch family. They built and integrated three pretty wooden chalets on the site. In 2009, the place changed hands again, but still remained under the Dutch flag. The new owners built the swimming pool to complement the attractiveness of the site by locating it very close to the terrace, and the where is a bar as well as a snack-bar.
At the end of June 2019, we take ownership of the camping and start our first season, both worried and excited, making full of plans to allow this place become a place of mutual exchange and enrichment with our customers and visitors.
Why the name Villa Mayari ?
We have chosen the term Villa, which refers to the Villa rustica of the Ancient Romans which designated both a place in the countryside and a farm and a place of residence and sometimes of leisure, with secondary buildings. Like the Roman villa, Villa Mayari houses buildings, chalets located in the middle of a small forest, and will soon produce some organic vegetables and fruits, all under the care of the goddess Mayari. In Tagalop mythology (Philippines), Mayari is the goddess of the Moon and protector of the forests.
Mayarí is also a small town in Eastern Cuba to which the band Buena Vista Social Club pays tribute in its song Chan Chan. It’s a nod to the Latin American music we love so much!