French Immersion Homestay At Camille's In Paimpol - Bretagne

My husband and I spent a fun and unique week of “study-cation” packed with new and memorable (and memorably heart-warming) experiences in Paimpol hosted by Camille.

Getting there a day before the immersion stay, meeting up with Camille

Our itinerary included one or two days before and after the time with our host to deal with jet lag and explore the location of our stops without hurrying too much. We spent 1 night near the Montparnasse train station in Paris (Friday), 1 night at a hotel in Paimpol (Saturday), and Sunday morning exploring the town a little bit (we took a very nice and quiet walk to Pointe de Guilben, one of many scenic vista points in and around Paimpol) before meeting up with Camille at 2 p.m. Communicating with Camille on WhatsApp made it simple.

Vinky the little furry and bouncy friend

I am not an animal person, but Vinky is so cute and well behaved that we became friends the first afternoon, which was one of the pleasant surprises that went beyond my expectations.

Living quarters

The living quarters were private and very comfortable. The whole house is tastefully and beautifully decorated, including our rooms, bathroom and toilet. We still had to deal with the jet lag, but the privacy helped us deal with it without much stress about bothering our host, although she would have been totally understanding even if we had gone up and down the stairs at all hours.

Classes (for different levels)

The strength of Camille’s teaching is based not only on her practical and inventive method, but also on her understanding of how different personalities go about learning. Her attention to individual students’ levels and approaches enabled her to accommodate us with two rather different levels of language proficiency and approaches to learning it. We decided to divide our lesson time equally, but I can see her coming up with creative schemes for making it work for all participants. As she concentrates on equipping her students with tools to learn and become more confident in communicating, the length of time didn’t matter for me as much.

There is plenty of room and flexibility for adjustments based on how things progress. If there had been any aspects that didn’t work well, we would have been able to discuss them with her to make changes and/or fine-tune. As it was, though, an hour a day of formal class was sufficient for me, as it was challenging enough in that my brain had to engage actively by doing, not just passively absorbing information.

Meals/Food

Our meals and food in general were simply fabulous! The wines were fantastic, of course. Camille cooks very well with only fresh, high-quality ingredients. The result is healthy and delicious meals beautifully presented in a simple yet sophisticated (think “deceptively effortless chic”) manner. We love seafood. The freshness of whatever we ate (not just seafood) was so impressive that we almost want to move there :)

Meeting Camille’s friends

The most interesting and heartwarming part of our stay was afternoon/evening excursions such as walking/hiking while taking in breathtaking scenery, meeting her friends who were all very welcoming and patient (with my at-times laborious and stuttering efforts at conversation in French), and exploring towns and local cuisine. I feel like we were able to be a part of the local culture and life in a more immersive manner than what a tourist would experience.

Everyone’s comfort zone is different, and the level of desired immersion will be different. However, the opportunities for such an experience generally are not available to visitors unless one is visiting a family member or a friend who understands the local life. Making personal connections during a week’s stay in a new town is usually not expected. In that sense, this was a uniquely positive and heart-warming experience.

Intangibles and conclusion

Our host’s attention to individual needs and preferences, willingness to adapt to them, and energetic and positive approach towards achieving the common goal of everyone having a great week of learning and making connections were evident. Camille made us feel absolutely and uniquely well taken care of.

It’s been some two days since Nilgun and I departed France to return home and already more than two weeks since we parted ways with you in Paimpol!

As I think you already know, we will always so happily remember our six days with you and all that you contributed to our well-being–not only linguistically but also culturally and interpersonally.

From your business perspective I would suppose that this is something that you would want prospective students to be told. But frankly you already have so many people singing your praises that I can’t help but think that whatever I might say won’t make a difference. And frankly what I really want to tell you is more personal and all too long-winded!

As I think you soon realized, I knew almost nothing about you or French Today when you picked up the two of us at the Paimpol train station. All that I knew was that Nilgun was so much enthused by how much French she had already learned from you on line that she was now determined to do even more with you in person. And that I, as her spouse, was constrained to accompany her!

For Nilgun, French and French literature had become an obsession ever since she retired from the World Bank a little more than a year ago. Afterall, she had always been the proud linguist in our family. A Turk by birth, even before coming to Princeton she had been educated in English at an American boarding school in Istanbul and earned two economics degrees at the University of Basel, and all in German.

By way of contrast, I am a simple, homegrown American always educated in English. The fact that I had majored in European History in college hardly qualified me to become a French high school teacher. However, faute de mieux, I became just that as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa! And now, some sixty years later as a retired Massachusetts lawyer, I found myself a somewhat reluctant French student of yours!

However, I must say that it took almost no time whatsoever before I had to realize that you were a charming, natural born, highly cultivated, and innovative teacher, someone willing to teach not only the French language but to share her deep knowledge of its culture and psychology, and not only generally but as it had played out in her own and not always easy personal life.

How could I resist all this? I think it fair to say, I did not! Indeed, I will likely never forget Nilgun’s and my first “class” assignment, that of hearing a recording of you reading an essay by someone who recited his experience growing up as a young Breton. Immediately thereafter you had each of us separately repeat in French what we had understood and remembered of what we had heard. The three of us then discussed what we had learned and the challenges the language had presented. Then it was time to relisten and repeat the whole exercise.

Such began an always challenging and enjoyable two hours a day of such exercises. These were always punctuated by your excellent and thoughtfully prepared breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. There was much time spent then and in between times with Jean Loup, a most charming and widely accomplished “significant other”–or what might call your “copain”! Then, too, there were a number of unforgettable friends of yours who acted as our charming and always well-informed guides and even on one occasion as our dinner hosts!

With much love and appreciation,

My dream came true as we arrived in your beautiful, comfortable and cozy home in the midst of Paimpol almost a month ago. The morning lessons were just wonderful–informative and truly engaging. You did not only try to improve my French as the primary student and also that of Charlie but also you were very patient and diplomatic cooperating with both of us on how to make the best of what you had to offer. Both of us benefited enormously from the lessons, from speaking French with you all the time, and also meeting your friends and various others you choose to introduce. As we hoped, we learned a lot about the region–its history and culture, preparing us to further explore Brittany and Normandy on our own.

I should also add that you took care of us elegantly and comfortably. You prepared beautiful and healthy meals for us. It is still a mystery to me how a fresh croissant was awaiting every morning at Charlie’s breakfast plate. Did you take a walk early every morning to get it without letting anyone know? You provided us with two very comfortable bedrooms upstairs (even though we chose to use only one) and a large bathroom with a large shower (which had perfect water pressure). The bed was very comfortable and we loved sleeping with the open window feeling the crispy fresh air of Paimpol. We also loved the excursions to various places nearby and long walks along the gorgeous Cotes d’Armor. Furthermore, the most well-behaved dog, Vinky, was an additional delight to have around.

I would recommend it to anyone who wishes to explore the regions of Brittany and Normandy, first and foremost, to spend a week with you, regardless of what the level of her/his French is. In one word, you are just a treasure! I very much look forward to seeing you again–either here in Boston or in France–in the near future.

With much appreciation of everything you have done, I send you a big thank you and a hug once again.

I absolutely loved my immersion “studycation” in Paimpol with Camille. She tailored every lesson to my level of French, and thanks to her practical study tips, I learned so much – truly more than I expected. My confidence in speaking grew immensely, and I spoke more French in the last six days than I have in the last six years!

I also had the wonderful opportunity to meet many of her friends, all of whom were incredibly kind, welcoming, and patient as I practiced. Their warmth made the experience even more meaningful.

My private suite was quiet, comfortable, and had everything I needed. The bed was excellent, and the space felt truly restful.

And Camille’s adorable dog Vinky? Perfectly behaved. Even with my mild dog allergies, he didn’t bother me at all – just added a sweet touch to the whole experience.

A fantastic stay from start to finish, so much so that I’m now putting together a plan for Camille to come to Kentucky next year, stay with me, and teach a small group of my friends and me. What a wonderful and effective way to enjoy a tailor-made French immersion and bring a little bit of France right into our own home!

Where to begin after such a fabulous stay in Paimpol?

A very big thank you Camille for going way beyond the call of duty to make it such a special week for both me and my teenaged daughter, with an extremely warm welcome, delicious food, excellent excursions, French-speaking opportunities galore, and very comfortable, self-contained guest accommodation.

The things we loved are numerous: exploring Paimpol itself, and being lucky enough to arrive the weekend of the Festival des Vieux Gréements, as well as being shown round the weekly Tuesday market by the lovely Leyla; meeting lots of amazing people (with particular thanks to Zoé for the wonderful tour of Tréguier, Anna for introducing us so many highlights of the beautiful coastline around Plouha, Mame for the truly heartwarming football experience, and Armelle and family for welcoming us so generously for traditional Breton galettes); the fantastic lunchtime salads, evening meals and learning how to make proper French coq au vin; the many thoughtful personal touches; our impromptu picnic and fascinating discussions with Jean-Loup about Bourdieu, and much more.

All custom-tailored by Camille so that the food, activities and French learning schedule suited us perfectly, with differing French levels and interests masterfully taken into account.  And I’m not generally a dog person, but Vinky really is adorable!  Sincere thanks once again Camille, Jean-Loup, Leyla and all your friends for making us feel like part of the family for the entire week, with big progress in French speaking confidence too.

An unforgettable experience for us both!

I just returned home after a wonderful week of immersion in Paimpol with Camille.  There were several aspects of this trip that made it particularly great, so wanted to highlight some of those aspects for anyone considering this.

One of the advantages of this type of immersion program is the one-on-one instruction.  It allows the student and instructor  to plan the itinerary and decide what they’d like to work on.  Camille takes it even further, as she is able to modify her instruction not just to the wants but to the needs of the student, such as what type of learner the student is.  This can have a profound effect on the success of the week and her insight into the way I learn was really helpful to me.

Another advantage is the use of her “À Moi Paris” method.  I first used this method several years ago but to be honest, didn’t read or follow the instructions and only scratched the surface of this method.  We revisited this method during my immersion stay, and I now feel confident to continue learning French on my own; this method teaches French, of course, but also teaches “how to study” which is so beneficial for the self-learner.  This week in Paimpol not just helped me in the short term but will help in the long term, as I continue my studies on my own and utilize “À Moi Paris” as intended.

Finally, the accommodations were very comfortable and it was a delight to explore the charming harbor town of Paimpol, the beaches  and this corner of Bretagne.  An additional bonus is the cooler temperatures and sea breeze in this area of Bretagne, despite extreme heat in the rest of France this summer.  It truly was a “study-cation”.

Last fall my friend asked me to join her for an immersion experience in Paimpol, France. I thought about it but was concerned I wouldn’t fit in since I do not speak French and at 73 have no plans on learning.

I was told that it was no problem so l agreed to tag along with her. Let me tell you the week I stayed there was one of the nicest weeks I can remember!

Camille is a great hostess she made me feel welcomed and very comfortable in her home, fed us great meals along with showing us around the breathtaking Brittany countryside. Although a heat wave was hitting France, we enjoyed a gorgeous and very pleasant week in Paimpol, with average temperature of 73 F during the day and 64 F at night.

Accommodations were very spacious and comfortable as well as being walking distance to the town center and beach.

I would highly recommend this immersion experience to anyone interested. 

What an amazing experience!

From the first welcoming hug, I knew that spending a week in immersion with Camille was the right choice.

I had taught French for many years so I had a solid base of French grammar and a pretty good vocabulary but never felt comfortable speaking French. My realistic goals for this week were to improve my understanding of every day spoken French and to feel more confident when speaking.

My friend , Rita, accompanied me on this trip. She has never studied French but it was not a problem. She was included in everything we did except for the lesson each day. We felt at home in Camille’s lovely house. We each had our own bedroom and shared a bathroom. We were separate from Camille’s quarters. The rooms are quite large and the beds comfortable. To top it off, we also got to spend a week with Vinky, Camille’s well-behaved, adorable Bichon Havanais.

Camille and I would meet for a lesson every day. She explained a new way for me to work on my goals – it was difficult but got a little easier every day. I will continue to use Camille’s method when I am home. Speaking with Camille and her friends has improved my confidence and my understanding of modern French.

You are constantly exposed to French throughout the day-not just during the lesson. You will go on excursions either with Camille or one of her many friends each day to explore Paimpol and the pink granite coast. Every day is different – dinner with Jean-Loup one night,an afternoon cooking lesson, shopping in town. dinner out another night, a picnic lunch as well as sightseeing. Free time also – to rest or go off exploring on your own.

This week in immersion with Camille has been the best French experience I have ever had. I wish I had done this years ago!

Camille is welcoming, warm, thoughtful, funny, engaging and always positive. She also has the most beautiful smile! Don’t hesitate to sign up. It will be an unforgettable experience!

I had a fantastic week with Camille!  Not only did I have a big jump in both my comprehension and conversation, I have rarely eaten or drank so well.  Camille is a patient teacher, an excellent cook and a charming companion.   Our trip to Mont St Michel was a wonderful addition to my visit to Bretagne, where I was charmed by the villages and the beauty of the landscape.  I highly recommend the entire experience.

I spent a week with Camille in Paimpol, a lovely little town on the coast in northern Bretagne. As I was a little more advanced with French, we didn’t have formal lessons. Instead, we went on excursions every day around the region with continuous conversations in French. The coastal region is very beautiful, and I was amazed by the huge daily tidal change. On two occasions I was driven around the area by guides who showed me more of the region and introduced me to the local culture and cuisine. I also met many of Camille’s friends and neighbors with whom I was able to practice my improving French. The weather was unseasonably warm the entire week, but I was used to it being from Memphis. It was a great opportunity to sample the local cuisine, learn more about French culture and, of course, practice speaking French.

Last year I did a French immersion with Camille in Paimpol, and it was a great success in terms of improving my spoken French. It gave me much more confidence speaking and was such a positive experience that I decided to join Camille again, this time for a week of immersion in Alcalá, Tenerife.

Although it might seem unusual at first to do a French immersion in a Spanish-speaking country, in practice it worked perfectly. I spoke French all the time with Camille and her partner Jean-Loup, and the immersion felt completely natural. One of the highlights for me was spending time talking with Jean-Loup. Because he doesn’t speak English and isn’t a French teacher, our conversations felt very real and authentic, which was incredibly helpful for improving my spoken French.

Camille had rented a simple but comfortable apartment for me right next to hers, which made everything very convenient. We could easily have French lessons in my apartment, then go to her apartment for dinner, or spend time chatting together. The arrangement worked really well and made the whole experience feel relaxed and natural.

Alcalá itself is a beautiful part of Tenerife. Unlike many places on the island, it hasn’t been ruined by tourism and still retains its original charm. It was a lovely place to spend a week, peaceful, authentic, and full of character.

Camille was also very flexible with the programme, adapting the lessons and activities to my interests and level. The atmosphere was relaxed but very productive.

Another bonus for me is that I’m an amateur photographer, and Alcalá and the surrounding area offered plenty of great opportunities for photography, which made the experience even more enjoyable. Checkout my photos from Alcala here: https://www.instagram.com/paulbyrnephotography/

And finally, I should mention that Camille is an excellent cook! Sharing meals together was a wonderful part of the immersion and created lots of opportunities for relaxed conversation in French.

Overall, I had a fantastic experience. It was a week of real French immersion, meaningful conversations, and enjoyable learning, all in a beautiful and sunny setting.

I am now looking at my diary to plan my third immersion with Camille!

Greetings from TENERIFE where I have just finished  a two week immersion with Camille.  I am an artist and wanted to give my French a jump start after being an “advanced beginner” for beaucoup d’années.  Mission definitely accomplished.

Why go to France in the winter when you could be having a warm study-cation in sunny Tenerife?
Though it may seem unintuitive to you, it was not to me. I thought it sounded like a great idea.  It has turned out to be an excellent choice and it really did live up to my expectations.  We met daily for two hours of study in the morning from Camille’s À Moi Paris course, we ate lunch together; the afternoon was free, and we regrouped in the early evening for a walk and a picnic dinner while watching the sunset, or dining out (all meals provided by Camille).   Breakfast was on my own with a well stocked, by Camille, refrigerator.

As I managed to fracture my foot before leaving the US, I really used my time to focus on my French and doing way less drawing than I usually do while traveling.  We did do a few field trips, all having minimal walking.  My favorite was watching the kite surfers in El Medano.

The evenings and field trips included her friend Jean-Loup and adorable dog Vicky.  Jean-Loup speaks very little English so an excellent opportunity to continue speaking in French when he joined us.

Camille is very adaptable and not at all rigid.   As the time passed I was able to not resort to English as much.  Non, I am not fluent (c’mon, it was only to weeks), but am more confident, my foundation way stronger, and am enthused to try keeping up with the program when I return home. It was too bad that I was not as mobile as I would have liked to have been as there are many nice walks. I did love being somewhere I have not been before.

My little apartment was great with a great view of the water from the balcony.   The town is small, very quiet, and easy to relax in.  I could go on, but in summary, this was the perfect get away and study-cation.

To say that my week with Camille exceeded my expectations on all counts would be a gross understatement. Where do I begin?

It was Camille’s smile that somewhat bewitched me and piqued my interest in an immersion stay when I first ran across her Facebook page. Every week she lured me in with new photos of seemingly delighted students. Her home. Historical and gorgeous sights around Bretagne. The coast. A multitude of French tour guides and friends. Vinky. Food, glorious food. It was too much. I had to sign up.

Accommodations

From my very first step into Camille’s charming home, I felt welcomed and comfortable. Her home is spacious, immaculately clean, and filled with light. My bedroom was quite large, with a work desk area and ample storage. I unpacked and moved in as if it were my own.

That first night, when I dropped into bed, I was immediately soothed by a sumptuous mattress and an abundance of pillows and cozy linens. Through a window in the slanted roof, the starry night sky further enchanted me, then lulled me to sleep.

I had my own private and very large bathroom with a lounge worthy deep tub where I relaxed almost every evening. Fluffy towels were plentiful, and I was pleased to find organic options in Camille’s selection of soaps, lotions, and other bathroom toiletries.

The details don’t stop there. Camille was careful to stock her kitchen with the foods and drinks that met my breakfast needs. My morning routines are vital. She prepared fresh, delectable meals every day, and I was truly pampered. We shared lively and interesting stories at the table or in the living room warmed by a sparkling fireplace. It was easy to like Camille. She absolutely knocked it out of the park.

Lessons

I think the operative phrase for Camille’s lessons is “individually tailored.” Our class time was structured around me. Specifically me. The French that I was speaking and the French that I might speak.

Camille quickly identified my learning style and how to best meet the objectives that we outlined together. Improvements happened immediately and I made progress daily. She kept thorough and precise notes for me and effectively encouraged me to speak only French.

Nobody was more surprised, or more delighted, than I was to discover that I could speak French so well. Camille pushed me. I welcomed the challenge, and my confidence, a crucial component of speaking a foreign language, grew. This was the principal goal for my immersion stay and I was completely satisfied. She found the conversational French in me and she helped me get it out. Ten out of ten.

Tours, Excursions, and Other Activities

A private tour was arranged for me with the fabulous and informative Ana. What a great idea, to send me off on my own to speak French with someone new. With Ana’s individual speaking style, pitch, vocabulary, and conversational speed, I was immediately challenged and exposed to more French.

I had a very enjoyable day that included an interesting maritime museum, a fish breeding pond, and the cathedral of Saint Ives, all on a breezy day in the Paimpol area, topped off with a stop for an espresso and more French, French, French.

Perhaps the crowning jewel of my immersion trip was a two day excursion to Saint Malo, Mont Saint Michel, and Dinan. Was it the sing alongs in the car, the lesson about mistletoe, night play in a cemetery? Could it have been the exquisite meals, the sights, or the history?

The invigorating walks through important medieval towns, over cobblestone alleyways, and up, up, up the ancient steps of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel? I can’t really say.

What I can tell you is that Camille and her friend Jean Loup were tour guides, docents, and history lecturers of top shelf variety. The thoughtfulness and attentiveness that they showed toward me was outstanding. Their unique touch transported me into new worlds. If I sound a bit dramatic, it’s simply that in their company, this trip perfectly checked off a long anticipated journey to Saint Malo. That Mont Saint Michel blew my mind. And that I was emotionally and intellectually sated.

One evening, Camille and Jean Loup invited me to attend a play at the local adult community theatre. Jean Loup was performing, and Camille whipped up a beautiful and delicious appetizer feast for all the actors backstage. What a treat to experience Paimpol like a local. Fair to admit that Camille gave me a synopsis of the play beforehand, without which I’d likely have missed at least half of the delightful production.

The days were filled with activity, and I was grateful for Camille’s enthusiasm and the discipline with which she kept me on task. Even on day one, after two long days of traveling, there was a sturdy walk in the brisk air along the coast in Paimpol. With views out to wind turbines in the sea and peaks over the walls of the Abbey at Beaufort, it was absolutely breathtaking and fun.

Of course, this walk, and another along a more violent and rocky coastal region, were all the more enjoyable in the company of the friendly and mischievous Vinky, pup extraordinaire.

Friendship

This is indeed an unexpected category for my review, but likely the most valuable.

Though Paimpol, and perhaps the whole of Bretagne, are enchanting, make no mistake, this program for me was about Camille and the truly lovely people with whom she surrounds herself, whom she shared with me for a memorable week that passed too quickly.

The most surprising gift of this adventure was to bid a heartfelt “so long” not just to my talented teacher and hostess, but to someone whom I now call friend, and whose smile I hope to see again one day.

Merci,

In the week I spent with Camille, I think it not untrue to say that I have learned more French than in the previous 8 years that I have spent living in France. Camille’s method asks and answers everyday situations and prepares one  for real life.