NB There is no upper age limit.
Le Caff is situated on the village green in Pampelonne, South West France. It is surrounded by beautiful countryside; two rivers and a reservoir are close by and offer swimming and canoeing. The village has a medical centre, pharmacy, post office, hairdresser and shops.
Your room is private, comfy and clean. Your accommodation, breakfast, lunch and supper are included in this helpStay at no cost to you. Also, if you want, there is often some paid work available in the village.
At Le Caff, we make meals and drinks for locals and tourists. The food that we serve is, mostly, homemade and very popular. You might make pizzas, flip burgers, clean up or serve. Probably try pizzas first and see how you progress.
We are open in the evenings from 6pm to 10pm so you will have all day to do as you please. Also, you have two evenings off, to explore further afield or whatever takes your fancy. You might like to visit another town or village, there are lots. Albi and Carmaux are nearby with many galleries, museums and exhibitions. There are trains to other towns and cities like Toulouse or Rodez.
Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions about staying here, I’ll be pleased to help. If you would like a copy of “Touring France on a small budget” I can send you the file, it is useful for visitors to France.
Cooking / shopping
20 hours/week
Monday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Serving guests and / or kitchen work making pizzas or burgers and clearing-up. NB There is no upper age limit.
In return for your help, I offer a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. A comfortable, private room with shower and, of course, excellent meals.
Toulouse–Blagnac Airport (French: Aéroport de Toulouse–Blagnac) (IATA: TLS, ICAO: LFBO) is an international airport located 3.6 nautical miles (6.7 km; 4.1 mi) west northwest of Toulouse
Nearest airports are Rodez and Toulouse. Train links are good and I will be pleased to collect you from the station.
Males & Females welcome
Couples NOT accommodated
Families NOT accommodated
Pets NOT allowed
Getting about using a community-based travel network such as blablacar.com can save you lots of money and you will meet other like-minded travellers. Simply enter your destination and the date you would like to travel; you will then see a list of available car shares and the prices. For example, on their site today (23rd Oct 2022) a trip from Toulouse to Bordeaux starts at 7,99€.
Eating out can be expensive but, many restaurants and cafés offer a ‘Menu du Jour’ for 15€ to 18€ at lunchtime. The menu is advertised in the window or, often, on a blackboard outside. Evening menus start at about 20€. The baker’s shop sells sandwiches from 4€ and delicious cakes that cost 2€ upwards.
If hotel accommodation doesn’t suit your budget, you can check out the rooms available on, for example, Airbnb. Today, in Toulouse, a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping six is 24€ per night or an ‘Economy single room’ at the Hôtel le Pastel is available for 46€. These are off-season prices.
You might like to consider helping us in return for accommodation. Thanks to HelpStay, we can offer you a comfortable, private room and meals in return for a little help. So, no cost to you, plus you have a home base. Our café, Le Caff, is the popular bar and restaurant of Pampelonne. It has a bar, two dining rooms and a terrace. Le Caff is situated on the village green, overlooking the pétanque terrain. The village, Pampelonne, is in a rural part of SW France surrounded by beautiful countryside. Two rivers and a reservoir are close by and offer swimming and canoeing. The village has a population of about a thousand who enjoy many social activities, dinner-dances and barbeques. The village has a medical centre, pharmacy, post office and shops. The Marie (Town hall) will be delighted to advise you on places to visit whilst here.
The work isn’t hard; we make and serve food and drinks to locals and visitors. You might make pizzas, clean up or serve. Please note, previous experience in catering or hospitality is essential. I will be pleased to give guidance though, if you are unfamiliar with this type of small business. We are open in the evenings only so you will have all day to do as you please. Also, you have two days off, to explore further afield or whatever takes your fancy. You might like to visit another town or village, there are lots. Albi and Carmaux are nearby with lots of galleries, museums and exhibitions. There are trains to other towns and cities like Toulouse or Rodez.
Nearest airports are Rodez and Toulouse. Train links are good and I will be pleased to collect you from our local station, Tanus.
NB There is no upper age limit.
Le Caff is situated on the village green in Pampelonne, South West France. It is surrounded by beautiful countryside; two rivers and a reservoir are close by and offer swimming and canoeing. The village has a medical centre, pharmacy, post office, hairdresser and shops.
Your room is private, comfy and clean. Your accommodation, breakfast, lunch and supper are included in this helpStay at no cost to you. Also, if you want, there is often some paid work available in the village.
At Le Caff, we make meals and drinks for locals and tourists. The food that we serve is, mostly, homemade and very popular. You might make pizzas, flip burgers, clean up or serve. Probably try pizzas first and see how you progress.
We are open in the evenings from 6pm to 10pm so you will have all day to do as you please. Also, you have two evenings off, to explore further afield or whatever takes your fancy. You might like to visit another town or village, there are lots. Albi and Carmaux are nearby with many galleries, museums and exhibitions. There are trains to other towns and cities like Toulouse or Rodez.
Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions about staying here, I’ll be pleased to help. If you would like a copy of “Touring France on a small budget” I can send you the file, it is useful for visitors to France.
Cooking / shopping
20 hours/week
Monday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Serving guests and / or kitchen work making pizzas or burgers and clearing-up. NB There is no upper age limit.
In return for your help, I offer a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. A comfortable, private room with shower and, of course, excellent meals.
Toulouse–Blagnac Airport (French: Aéroport de Toulouse–Blagnac) (IATA: TLS, ICAO: LFBO) is an international airport located 3.6 nautical miles (6.7 km; 4.1 mi) west northwest of Toulouse
Nearest airports are Rodez and Toulouse. Train links are good and I will be pleased to collect you from the station.
Males & Females welcome
Couples NOT accommodated
Families NOT accommodated
Pets NOT allowed
Getting about using a community-based travel network such as blablacar.com can save you lots of money and you will meet other like-minded travellers. Simply enter your destination and the date you would like to travel; you will then see a list of available car shares and the prices. For example, on their site today (23rd Oct 2022) a trip from Toulouse to Bordeaux starts at 7,99€.
Eating out can be expensive but, many restaurants and cafés offer a ‘Menu du Jour’ for 15€ to 18€ at lunchtime. The menu is advertised in the window or, often, on a blackboard outside. Evening menus start at about 20€. The baker’s shop sells sandwiches from 4€ and delicious cakes that cost 2€ upwards.
If hotel accommodation doesn’t suit your budget, you can check out the rooms available on, for example, Airbnb. Today, in Toulouse, a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping six is 24€ per night or an ‘Economy single room’ at the Hôtel le Pastel is available for 46€. These are off-season prices.
You might like to consider helping us in return for accommodation. Thanks to HelpStay, we can offer you a comfortable, private room and meals in return for a little help. So, no cost to you, plus you have a home base. Our café, Le Caff, is the popular bar and restaurant of Pampelonne. It has a bar, two dining rooms and a terrace. Le Caff is situated on the village green, overlooking the pétanque terrain. The village, Pampelonne, is in a rural part of SW France surrounded by beautiful countryside. Two rivers and a reservoir are close by and offer swimming and canoeing. The village has a population of about a thousand who enjoy many social activities, dinner-dances and barbeques. The village has a medical centre, pharmacy, post office and shops. The Marie (Town hall) will be delighted to advise you on places to visit whilst here.
The work isn’t hard; we make and serve food and drinks to locals and visitors. You might make pizzas, clean up or serve. Please note, previous experience in catering or hospitality is essential. I will be pleased to give guidance though, if you are unfamiliar with this type of small business. We are open in the evenings only so you will have all day to do as you please. Also, you have two days off, to explore further afield or whatever takes your fancy. You might like to visit another town or village, there are lots. Albi and Carmaux are nearby with lots of galleries, museums and exhibitions. There are trains to other towns and cities like Toulouse or Rodez.
Nearest airports are Rodez and Toulouse. Train links are good and I will be pleased to collect you from our local station, Tanus.
Brendan has been a great host and incredibly accommodating. The work is simple and the hours aren’t long.
The town is small and you will be much better off if you speak French. I, however, do not speak French and still encountered only nice exchanges with the locals and while traveling! There are a few English speaking customers at Le Caff who were kind and pleasant to interact with.
The nearest train station is a 10 minute drive but Bren was very flexible about dropping me there on my days off with enough notice.
The area is beautiful, there are many great towns near by to see in a day or two, the food was all delicious and the room at Le Caff is nice and cozy!
Aria stayed at Le Caff from September to October 2022. She was a great help. She has a good understanding of kitchen procedures, is a good cook and makes brilliant pizzas.
She was a pleasure to work with; she assumes her responsibilities and gets the job done without any fuss and to a high standard.
Socially, Aria is good fun and a very talented singer and musician. A good conversationalist, she has opinions and enjoys debate.
I wouldn’t hesitate to welcome her back for another stay.
Brendan Keeley
If you are curious about or you would like to work in a professional kitchen, Le Caff is the place to start! The work often went beyond making pizzas and helping to clean up after service. So, in my case, I learnt a lot!
It is true, you will bake the best pizzas in the South of France! The Chef will teach you and let you do it by yourself when you are ready.
Oi, the dog, is indeed the star of the show and the accommodation is excellent.
However, the village where Le Caff is located is very small and is not served by public transport.
Yes, our village is small but we are growing! About 1200 residents now.
I agree with Ivan, transport is a problem. I am happy to drive HelpStayers into Albi or Carmaux when I go shopping and we now have two bikes that you can borrow.
Ivan was a great HelpStayer at my restaurant during the summer season of 2022. He always did his best and I appreciated his help very much.
I asked him to help me in the kitchen. He learnt all of the skills required very quickly and was soon able to make pizzas like a ‘Pro’. He also helped with some decorating and gardening.
He is quietly spoken and thoughtful; other staff looked to him for instruction and enjoyed working with him. Often, when I asked him to do something, he had already done it.
His work was honest, accurate and enthusiastic, I would not hesitate to welcome here again.
Living in Pampelone as a short escape is quite a good experience to me. It is quiet, tranquil and peaceful in January. Bren is really a nice host. He is humorous, organized and some mysterious. I really appreciate how he managed the kitchen so well and how he lived life at his own pace. Since we came in the off season, the whole journey is like Bren guiding us and getting us familiar with all the works-- how to serve the guests, how to do the dishes and how to make fries. Although i am still confused different types of spoons and knives. Bren is willing to introduce us to his friends, finding more interesting jobs for us and being always kind. And he is really good at cooking. He makes the best pizza and very delicious Chinese cuisines. We really hope someone handy could come to Pampelone especially in summer to help Bren and more importantly, have some chats with him. Also, we miss his dog Oi already, who is so tender and smart. Anyways, it's so nice to spend some time here.
What a wonderful ambassador for China.
Elen is a kind, generous, thoughtful person. A pleasure to host. She is always ready to help in any way that she can. Quick to learn, she is able to perform any task competently and conscientiously with the minimum of instruction.
And, Elen speaks English so well, she self-taught from watching the TV! Amazing.
I would highly recommend her and hope that she returns to the Caff one day.
