Your retreat cost includes 5 nights and 5 days (Monday-Friday), so ideally you plan to arrive on Monday morning and depart on Saturday morning.
Participants are welcome to arrive on the evening prior to the retreat (Sunday) and stay at the Villa that night by adding an extra night to your retreat booking, which is available at checkout which is an additional cost of $150. When you choose this option, we will be there to greet you and welcome you to your room, and orient you by map to the town. There will not be retreat programming or meals served on Sunday.
Some participants may also opt to arrive Sunday, stay in Nice that night, and plan on taking the transport on Monday morning which will bring you from Nice to La Napoule.
The transport we arrange from Nice is mid-morning on Monday for arrivals, and on early on Saturday morning to Nice for departures. Otherwise we can assist you in booking your own transport via train or taxi. Uber is also an option in the area.
As far as Saturday morning - we coordinate an early morning departure at 7:00am to align with the main international flight window, making the return travel as seamless as possible. We try to keep it flexible though, and aim for a time that can include as many people in the transport as possible.
The great news is that for our retreats you can be at ANY level, even if you have no experience at all. Our instructors have experience teaching mixed-level classes and that is part of the reason why they have been selected to teach. It is fun to be in an environment where there are a mix of skill; inevitably everyone picks up something new, even the most seasoned artists.
We do not include everything, but we will have some shared materials!
Three things to note on this:
1. Each retreat will have many of the materials available as shared materials, including brushes, paint, other mediums such as items for drawing, etc. We will also have all of the items needed for cleaning including solvents, and stand oil for painting. Each instructor may have specialty items that they may bring with them that are retreat-specific.
2. There will be select items that you will need to have for yourself. We anticipate that an average for each retreat this will be between $50 - $100. You can either:
-
Bring them with you
-or-
-
Have us purchase these on your behalf and have them waiting for you in France when you arrive. Examples of these include canvas/canvas board, drawing paper.
3. Some of you may want to have a whole bundle of materials purchased for you and waiting for you in France so that you can take them with you back home to continue your practice and/or have them as a travel memory of the time and place. In this case we would purchase everything including any paints, brushes, specialty materials, paper, etc. and have them waiting for you! We anticipate that an average for each retreat this will be between $100-$300.
We will have a materials list to you 6-8 weeks prior to the start of your retreat, as well as a cost for any materials so that you can decide what which route you would like to go.
-
The Villa where you will be staying, and any indoor art studio space - are air conditioned. Your rooms each have separate controls so you can adjust the temperature to your liking.
Our transfer to the Chateau de La Napoule will collect you mid-morning on the first day of the retreat (Mondayy) from Nice; you must confirm in advance if you plan to meet the transfer.
Our transfer from the venue will take you back on the morning following the final day of the workshop (Saturday) departing from the venue early morning.
Please note private transfers and taxis are not included in the price of the workshop.
The retreat hosts will be in touch with you after you book to make sure that all of your transportation is well organized and arranged!
The closest airport is Nice, France (NCE). It is approximately a 40 minute drive to Mandelieu-La Napoule.
You will receive an itinerary 6-8 weeks prior to the start date of your retreat. We may need to make some minor changes as the date grows closer, so the finalized itinerary will be a part of your welcome when you arrive in France.
Transportation from the Nice Airport (NCE) by train requires taking a short walk or a free tram ride to the nearby Nice Saint-Augustin station. From there you can transfer to Cannes and then to Mandelieu-La Napoule. The walk from the train station to the Chateau is only 2 minutes. The retreat staff can be there to greet you and help you with your luggage. We recommend downloading the SNCF Connect app to check train schedules and easily purchase tickets.
An artist residency is about furthering work and artistic practice.
-
Time and space to focus on your practice
-
Self-directed
-
No instruction or programming
-
You arrive with your own questions, projects, and discipline
-
You are dedicated to a career in art
-
There is an application or selection process
-
An art retreat is about stepping away and being held by a structure
-
Facilitated learning, prompts, or themes
-
Often shorter and more contained
-
Emphasis on rest, reflection, or reset
-
Group rhythm matters
-
Less about output, more about process
The difference in two quick sentences:
An artist residency entrusts the artist to do with their time as they wish.
An art retreat helps the artist enter the time.-
Choose your sanctuary at the historic Villa Marguerite with all-inclusive retreat pricing ranging from $2,850 for shared garden views to $5,400 for the premier Mer Bleue premier suite, with 3 tiers of pricing between. We have non-participating companion options available for $2,150. See the accommodations and pricing for more information.
Initial Cancellation Window
When you book a retreat, you automatically get a 48-hour free cancellation window - just for your peace of mind.
That means if anything unexpected comes up, you can cancel within those first 48 hours and receive a full refund - no questions asked.
After the 48-hour window, the cancellation policy will kick in and apply to your booking from that point forward.
Payment options and cancellation policies that apply to both means of payment
A place on the art retreat is secured by completing the online booking form and either:
-
submitting a $1500 deposit - or -
-
paying in full
If a booking is made within 6 weeks of the start date, payment of the full retreat fee is required at the time of booking.
If you have paid the deposit, the remaining balance must be paid in full 6 weeks after the initial deposit, or at least 6 weeks before the retreat begins.
If the outstanding balance is not received by the payment deadline, the organizer reserves the right to cancel the booking with written notice. The payment deadline will be stated in the invoice that will be sent digitally. In this event, the entire deposit will be retained.
If you cancel your place on the retreat at any time, this is the structure for receiving a refund:
Your cancellation must come by email to the Retreat Curator and you must receive an acknowledgment that it has been received.
Deposit refunds and remaining balance refunds are calculated separately according to the policies below.
Deposits
– 80% deposit refund for cancellation 42+ days before retreat start date. A 20% cancellation fee will be retained to cover administrative costs and credit card fees.
– 40% deposit refund for cancellation 28-42 days before retreat start date.
– 0% deposit refund for cancellation 0-28 days before retreat start date.
Remaining balances for deposits
– Remaining balance is due 42 days before the retreat start date.
– If paid at the time of booking, a full refund of the remaining balance is available up to 30 days before your retreat start date.
– If you cancel 0-29 days before your retreat start date remaining balance is not refundable.
Retreats paid in full (no deposit)
-
6 weeks before the retreat start date: If you cancel your reservation more than 6 weeks before the retreat start date, you will be refunded 90% of the total amount paid. A 10% cancellation fee will be retained to cover administrative costs and credit card fees.
-
4 to 6 weeks before the retreat start date: If you cancel 4 to 6 weeks before the retreat start date, you will be refunded 40% of the total amount paid.
-
Less than 4 weeks before the retreat start date: No refunds will be issued for cancellations made less than 1 month before the retreat start date.
Should the retreat or workshop be cancelled by the organizer for any reason, all payments received, including the deposit, will be refunded in full. This refund applies only to retreat fees and does not cover travel, accommodation booked independently, or other third-party expenses.
Please note that our retreats have a minimum participation requirement of 4 people for the retreat to occur.
Participants are responsible for obtaining appropriate travel insurance, including coverage for trip cancellation, personal liability, personal belongings, and medical emergencies. These matters are not covered under the organizer’s insurance.
Any personal expenses incurred during the retreat, including transportation, shopping, medical visits, prescriptions, or similar costs, must be paid by the participant prior to departure.
Please contact us for any clarifications or questions! Our contact information is in the footer of the website.
-
Due to the age of the buildings, grounds, and their historic status we unfortunately have not been able to make very many spaces at the Villa or Château ADA Accessible, including the retreat accommodations.
We are not able to accept any guests, unless they have paid for a non-participating companion session. This is an optional add-on to your booking which includes the all-inclusive experience excluding only the art sessions.
We are able to accommodate most dietary restrictions, and once you purchase a retreat we will be in touch and will beginning planning with the Cheffe and staff. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate Celiac Disease, as our kitchen's are not gluten free.