In Port-Cros, get to know Karine Bonne, hostess Gîte du Pagoulin

In the beautiful stone house renovated with her husband Damien, Karine Bonne welcomes you with a mixture of serenity and gentleness. She is happy to live here " It was my grandfather's house ". You'd think she'd lived here all her life, following a well-trodden path..

In fact, Karine, a doctor in organic chemistry, and Damien, originally from the Vosges, a teacher-researcher at the University of Aix-Marseille, only returned to Hyères in 2010.

We were both settled in our professional lives, then our twins were born and the idea of the gîte came to me during my parental leave, to try and reconcile family life and professional activity.

With no regrets! Now that the gîte business is viable, I've been able to quit my previous job and enjoy spending time with my children, which is a unique quality of life. What's more, I'm enjoying my new activity, and I'm happy to be able to welcome guests in the places where my family has lived and worked.

The couple drew up the plans and imagined their project with respect for the environment in mind. Their large wooded garden, once home to the family's horticultural greenhouses, is growing in size with the multitude of plantings and facilities for insects and birds that the couple have created; they have also welcomed chickens, geese, donkeys and goats, to the delight of young and old alike.

At breakfast, everything is organic, homemade and local, and Karine takes pleasure in offering a variety of homemade pastries every morning, to ensure that travelers' stay is a pleasant one for the taste buds too.

When I heard about the Esprit parc nationalbrand , I applied. It fits in with our state of mind: my parents have always taken my sister and me on vacation to the national parks: Vanoise, Ecrins, Mercantour... Now we've taken over with our children!

Passionate about nature, the little family loves hiking and cycling, and will be delighted to advise you on itineraries to discover the Port-Cros National Park.