Soon upon arriving at our cabin we were assailed by a voice carrying remnants of Marseille, Voltaire and Rousseau. Full-on and energetic, French-born caretaker Cedric introduced himself and gave us the rundown on our accommodation and environment.
Our cabin was warmed by direct sunlight in the afternoon, then a wood fired heater as the evening developed.
Over our 2 days there Cedric kept the wood box topped up.
Our bed and sofa were comfortable and the cabin big enough for two, whilst being easy to heat. The log fired baths are large and we found it took a good four and a half hours to heat up adequately. We were rewarded in the end with a wonderful hot tub experience under a million Milkyway sparkles.
We recommend at least 2 nights at this great location. The countryside is magnificent and we climbed the mountain, taking in the tremendous views and feeling like ‘kings of the world’ on the immediate peak above Lake Stella. Both ‘city-slickers’ in our 70’s, we took our time, resting and taking photographs both on ascent and descent, the whole experience took us about 2hrs 45 minutes.
Another good reason to visit this spot is not only were we welcomed by exuberant and interesting hosts, (Cedric's partner Estelle was equally friendly and informative) but at evening meals the opportunity to meet others with similar outdoor interests presented itself.
We drove up there in a Mitsubishi Colt in beautiful autumn weather but would likely use the 4 wheel drive taxi service in other conditions.
We recommend the Lake Stella experience to anybody looking for more than a standard getaway from the city.