Holiday itinerary
Set in the beautiful French town, Grasse, surrounded by rolling fields of lavender, jasmine, mimosa, orange blossom and violets, your hotel provides the perfect base for a perfume making short break. Just 30 minutes from Nice airport and 10 minutes from the main Boulevard in Cannes, the perfume school and fragrance studio is just 800 meters away.
You will have three exceptional days of tuition that will give you a deeper understanding of perfumery. Enthusiastic and engaging professional Nose, Caroline and Aromatherapy specialist, Patricia, will guide you through the architecture of a good perfume’s top, middle and base notes. You will learn about the different families of scents along with their typical ingredients and discover the secrets of achieving a truly harmonious combination for the perfect perfume.
The Rose de Mai perfume course will encourage you to explore your creative side and free your imagination to create your own perfume which you can take home in your own personalised perfume bottle.
On the Creative Aromachologie course you will discover how essential oils can influence moods, emotions and promote physical and spiritual well-being. The benefits of Aromachologie show that plants have tremendous powers, with a selection of the noblest essentials oils for your well-being, you will revitalise, purify and relax your senses creating room scents or pillow mists to take home with you.
The Organ of Flavours course will bring you an entirely new perfumery concept. It will heighten your senses to the extreme. Here you will have the pleasures of an Organ of 40 fragrances related to cuisine. Let the magic of the scent take you back to the sweetshop delights of childhood, evoke memories of your favorite culinary delights and tantalise your taste buds to create a delicious home fragrance.
Just like a professional chef, you will select several scents from within your chosen menu (Summer Flavours, Childhood Flavours, Oriental Flavours or Aromatic Flavours) to form your creation. You will take home with you your Home Fragrance spray and its matching Scent Diffuser as a delicious souvenir of your visit to the perfume school.
Accommodation is set in the 4* Best Western Elixir Grasse, with comfortable en-suite rooms. The hotel offers a lovely unheated swimming pool for guests to take advantage of too.
Suitability
- Perfume making holidays are suitable for all levels from beginners seeking an introduction to the joys of perfume making through to advanced practitioners.
-A perfect short break if you would like an in-depth understanding of perfumery
-Excellent for anyone who is looking for an extended long weekend or a short break that is packed with fun and learning
- Great if you want to mingle with like-minded creative people
- Minimum age 18
Travelling Solo?
- This perfume making short break makes a great singles holiday
- You can book your own private double/twin room for a compulsory single supplement, to check prices see the 'costings and extras' tab
- Shared single rooms for solo travellers are not offered as an option at this hotel
Perfume Making Short Break Start Days
- Dates are flexible and you can start any day throughout the year
- Perfume making short breaks are for 3 nights/4 days
- Please note: you will be in tuition until 12pm on the day of departure please inform us at the time of booking if you have early flights on day 4 and we will do our best to accommodate your third lesson on day 3
- The perfume school is closed on Sundays from October-14 April and no lessons will take place on a Sunday during this period. Scheduled lessons will instead take place on the same day as another lesson (2 courses in 1 day)
- If you wish to stay for extra nights please email to check availability for your preferred duration and we will do our best to accommodate you
- If dates appear ‘on request’ please email us and we’ll check availability for your preferred day of arrival as quickly as possible
Perfume Making Short Break Itinerary
The itinerary is for guidance only and is subject to change but is typically as follows:
Please note: the perfume school is closed on Sundays from October-14 April and no lessons will take place on a Sunday during this period. Scheduled lessons will instead take place on the same day as another lesson.
Day 1- Arrival
- Arrival at the hotel where you can check into your room any time after 2pm, take your time to explore the area or even take a swim in the lovely swimming pool
- Why not venture out into the town to enjoy the wonderful food and atmosphere on offer
- The centre of Grasse is a 40 minute walk uphill or you can take a bus or taxi from the hotel
Day 2- Rose de Mai perfume course
- Enjoy a leisurely French breakfast at the hotel
- Your perfume class starts at 10am each day and lasts for around 3 hours
- Today you will enjoy your Rose of May course where you will learn to make your own personalised perfume
- You will spend most of the 2 hours at your workspace
- There will be 1 Creation Master for every group of students to guide you
- Choosing from 140 essences (natural and a small amount of synthetics), you will design your own signature scent
- At the end of the class, toast your creation with a complimentary glass of champagne
- Following your class you can walk across to the factory to enjoy a guided tour (you will need to make your own way to the factory)
- Please note that the perfume factory is on a hill and so there is a steep walk to and from the factory and it takes about 10 minutes
- You can take the rest of the afternoon and evening to relax, take a swim or explore the magnificent surroundings
Day 3- Creative Aromachologie course
- You’ll start the morning with breakfast
- You creative Aromachologie class will begin at 10am
- You will spend most of the 2 hours at your workspace in the perfume laboratory
- There will be 1 creation master and an assistant for every group of students to guide you through the process
- Choosing the essential oils, you will design your own signature compisition, which you will take away with you either as a pure 15ml extract, or a 100ml Room Scent
- At the end of the class, toast your creation with a complimentary glass of champagne
- You can take the rest of the afternoon and evening to relax, take a swim or explore the wonders of the area
Day 4- Organ of Flavours course and departure
- You’ll start the morning with breakfast
- Your Organ of Flavours class will begin at 10am before departure
- You will spend most of the 1.5 hours at your workspace in the perfume laboratory
- There will be 1 creation master and an assistant for every group of students to guide you through the process
-You will create your Home Fragrance just like a real perfume, with its head notes (starter), heart notes (main course) and base notes (dessert)
- At the end of the class, toast your creation with a complimentary glass of champagne
- Please note that if your flights leave early on day 4 we will need to accommodate your day 4 lesson on day 3 and we must be notified at the time of booking
- Check out, returning home feeling relaxed and inspired with new skills and knowledge about perfume making and your very own unique perfume
Your Perfume And Aromachologie Tutors
- Your perfumery tutors are known as the ‘Nose’ or creation masters and both tutors have many years experience in perfumery and Aromachologie
- They are enthusiastic and accommodating focusing on individuals within the group
- With a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw upon their professional approach will inspire your perfume making practice
- Lessons can be taught in either French or English, please state your preference during the booking process
Ingredients Used
Rose of May:
- 140 essences are available to choose from
- These essences are classified in 14 olfactive families, and in top notes/heart notes/base notes
- They are compositions of several ingredients, all created by our Parfumeur to allow for harmonious blends
Organ of Flavors :
- 40 fragrances related to cuisine and aromas
Creative Aromachology:
- A choice of 18 pure and natural essential oils made from plants, fruits, and woods
What Will I Learn?
- Learn about the architecture of good perfume and how to balance top, middle and base notes
- You will learn about the different families of scents including their ingredients and traditional components
- You will discover the secrets of creating a harmonious balance of all the notes to create your own personalised perfume that you will be able to take home with you
- Choosing from 140 essences (natural and a small amount of synthetics), you will design your own signature scent with the help of the creation master
- How to create a Brume d'Oreiller or a Parfum d'Ambiance with essential oils
- You will learn how these Aromachologie formulas can be created to enhance balance, energy and sleep as well as helping to manage stress
-You will learn how to use your olfactory memories to create a delicious Home Fragrance
- You will enjoy a tour of the traditional factory where you will discover the excellent collection of museum pieces as well as the antique production equipment
- Please note: the perfume factory is closed daily between 12-2pm
- The tour will guide you through the laboratory and the conditioning room where you will enjoy a thorough explanation of the extraction methods of aromatic raw materials, flowers, plants and aromatic woods
- The benefits of Aromachologie come from using the noblest essentials oils for your well-being revitalise purify and relax your senses
- You will learn all about how a perfume is made from the raw materials to the perfume itself, by means of distillation and effleurage
-The Organ of Flavours will teach you how to seamlessly blend taste and smell sensations to create a home fragrance
The 4* Best Western Elixir Grasse Accommodation
- The lovely 4* hotel is just a short walk (10 minutes downhill) from the perfume school
- The Best Western Elixir Grasse is located in a peaceful area outside of the centre of Grasse (about 1.6km from Grasse center)
- If you wish to visit the centre of Grasse, you can take a bus from outside the hotel or it is a 40 minute walk uphill
- It is just 8.1 miles (13 km) from Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes, 23 minutes from Nice airport and close to the town's 3 golf courses
- The accommodation where you’ll stay is modern and comfortable and all twin/double rooms were renovated in 2009 and have air conditioning, satellite TV, Wi-Fi Internet access, safe and bathroom with shower or bath
- Ideally located for the exploration of Grasse, Nice, Cannes and the surrounding areas, a perfect setting for your perfume making short break
- The hotel offers a beautiful swimming pool for all guests (not heated)
- Prices are based on 2 people sharing a room
- If you are travelling solo, you can reserve your own private room for a compulsory single supplement (shared rooms for solo travellers are not offered at this hotel)
- Accommodation is included for 3 nights / 4 days
- Check in any time after 2pm on day 1 and check out by 11am on day 4
Meals
- Breakfast at the hotel is included in the price and is typically a French continental style breakfast
Compulsory Extras
- Please note that there is a small fee for the French tourism government tax that will be added at the time of booking
- Please note that if you are travelling solo, a single supplement must be selected from the ‘extras section’ and added to your booking in order to confirm your room at the hotel
Free Time In Grasse
- As France’s perfume capital there are so many things to do in this enchanting area of France
- Grasse’s winding streets are fantastic for a spellbinding meander through the historical town
- In Grasse you will discover many beautiful squares fountains, cafes and restaurants which are perfect for watching the world go by
- You can visit Notre-Dame du Puy cathedral built in the Provençal Romanesque style in the 11th century
- There are many fields, gardens and conservatories filled with perfumed plants from the region of Grasse, a botanical garden at the Bastide du Parfumeur is a highlight
- The Grasse area is good for outdoor activities, including hiking in the hills horse riding, mountain biking and playing golf and tennis
Practice perfume making in this fascinating French haven of rich culture and natural beauty. Breathe the fresh air and take time out for yourself on this new concept perfume making short break and discover the perfume that is unique to you.