Life at Aulus
Community as a way of life
Aulus Coliving is not a hotel/hostel, nor a holiday rental. It’s not about just renting a room: it’s about joining a community of people, creating memories together, and building long lasting friendships.
We strive to find a good balance between having enough personal time, and living together in a way that everyone can feel safe and grow, share, learn, and have fun.
Once per week we all meet for the “family meeting”, when we plan dinners and activities together. Everyone is welcome to organize something, and everything is optional to join. If you feel like taking a slower week, that’s fine, or if you feel like leading a skillshare, a hike, a bread workshop, that’s also fine.
We want everybody to feel comfortable and we encourage you to stay for a longer time, which is better both for you and the other colivers.
Here are a few random photos of what’s happening in Aulus. Then we’ll get into more details about cooking, exploring, and what’s happening in the house.
Family dinners and cooking together
You are in charge of your own food/meals (bonus point: we have a superkarmet just 150 meters away), but 4 times per week (Monday to Thursday), we eat dinner together. We split the group in 4, and each group is responsible for cooking one meal.
Those family dinners are one of the best things (ever) that can happen in a coliving. After a busy day working on your projects, it’s so nice to just have a moment with the other colivers. We are conviced that sharing every day life moments is what makes people bond together.
Also, we are in France. Here, cooking is a national sport. We don’t eat to live: we live to eat, and we keep talking about food.
And if you’ve never heard of raclette, then we will make sure to fix this.
Around the house
If you like food, nature, and mountains, you’ll love it here.
There is always something to do around Aulus, and there is definitely something for you. Most things are easily accessible by foot or by bus, no car needed. And, for things that are a bit further, you can just jump in a car with someone else.
We love to plan fun activities together to explore the area.
Exploring the mountains
Whether you have a busy week or not, you could simply walk around the village and look at the mountains, go for a small/big hike directly from the coliving, or go on a full day adventure.
The hikes around Aulus-les-Bains are incredible, you’ll enjoy so many breathtaking views. You have access to the biggest waterfall of the region (cascade d’Ars), just 1h30 walking from the coliving.
There are also many activities to do around (we haven’t had the time to try everything yet!). Kayaking, rafting, climbing, paragliding, trail running, etc.
In the winter, you can enjoy skiiing in the nearest ski station, Guzet-Neige, just 20 minutes away (also accessible by bus). Spending the morning on the slopes, coming back to work in the afternoon (or vice versa), yes, that’s possible here. We are also close to 3 other ski stations, less than 2h drive from the coliving.
Also, no need to be an extra hardcore adventurer to enjoy Aulus, there is plenty of stuff to do for everyone.
Food, more food, and farmer’s market
When we are not busy cooking or eating together in the coliving, we also like to explore around and find the best food (spoiler alert: it won’t be too difficult, great food everywhere).
We have a few cafe/restaurant options in Aulus, all of them being small family businesses, and you can see they really put so much effort and passion into what they are doing.
Then, with a short ride, you’ll get access to an infinite amount of food options. The Ariege (region where Aulus-les-Bains is) is famous for its local producers. Almost half of our neighbors are somehow involved into raising cows, sheep, or goats, that’s something worth mentioning.
On Saturday morning, we often go to the nearest big town (Saint-Girons) farmer’s market. This market is incredible, you could spend 3 hours there and still not see everything. Lots of local producers, lots of bread, lots of cheese (probably more than 20 cheese stands), seasonal products, coffee, etc. But also so many local artists exposing their craft, and lots of international cuisine. We could write an entire page about this market (maybe we will one day). This market has now become a tradition in Aulus Coliving.
There’s always more stuff to do
Aulus is much more than a mountain coliving. The area is filled with cultural events and fun things to discover.
First, the name of the village is Aulus-les-Bains, which means “Aulus the baths”. Yes, we do have a thermal bath/spa center right in the middle of the village!
We also get to experience all kinds of events. In June, all the local cow and sheep farmers take the animal to the mountains, and you can watch them (called the transhumance). In March, we have an artist contest in Aulus, to know who will create the best ice statue with a chainsaw. Those are just two examples, there is always something going on in the region.
Then, you can also enjoy going to the sky observatory, local cinema (with movies played in original version), more cafés and bakeries in the next town, museums, basketball and tennis fields, art gallery, etc. We have maybe scratched 10% of the surface here.
Coming back home
Even though there is so much to explore around, a lot of the magic happens right here inside of the coliving. No need to go far away to have a great time and build genuine connections.
There is enough space so that you can enjoy your time on your own, and also join or organize activities with others. Watching a movie, playing board games, joining a cooking class, organizing a skillshare or a workshop about something you’re passionnate, those are a few examples. Anything else can happen, if you organize it!
At Aulus we also value having a healthy lifestyle, and so we’re always up for a workout/hiit/yoga session (in the first floor balcony, can’t beat the view).
Now, we’re talking a lot about “activities” here, but in fact, most of the greatest moments happen organically, without too much planning needed. It could be getting to know more about someone at breakfast on the terrace, an improvised walk in the village, random conversations in the car while going on a trip, crazy ideas shared over dinner.
We believe that by staying in a place long enough, while having the right setup for building connections, you will be able to feel at home with the people around you.
The word “family” can mean different things for different people. For us, we believe it’s possible to find our own family in a coliving. We are doing everything in this direction, so that you can feel welcome here, become part of a family, and come back again, just like you would go back home after traveling.
