In the south of France, in the picturesque village of Cotignac, a wartime encounter between a young girl and an American soldier became a story that would stretch across decades and continents. At the center of it now is Lou Calen, a cultural and artistic hotel whose history is closely tied to Huguette Caren, a girl who received an unexpected gift on Liberation Day in 1944 and later became part of the property’s own story.
On that day, 10-year-old Huguette stood with other children in Cotignac waiting for sweets and chocolate from the arriving American troops. Because she was so small, she was placed on a step above the other children, waving a little American flag. When the treats ran out before they reached her, a kind American soldier took off his ring and gave it to her instead. Huguette would later become central to the story of Lou Calen, the property now associated with that wartime memory.
The woman who first gave Lou Calen life
Huguette’s life in Cotignac later became intertwined with the house next door. The building, now known as Lou Calen, was then used by nuns to shelter girls who had lost their parents. When it struggled to sell, Huguette’s answer was blunt: “It’s too expensive.” Asked what she would pay, she replied just as plainly: “Half.” Much to her surprise, the sister agreed on the spot. Huguette feared her husband would be furious, but when she told him that evening, he called it a good deal, and the two went on to turn the property into a hotel and restaurant in 1972.
The house was not an obvious opportunity, as it had no electricity or hot water. Before she bought it, she was helping the sisters open and air out the building in summer.
Over the next three decades, the hotel drew both French and international guests. A nearby recording studio helped send artists her way for rooms or meals, and the guest list grew to include David Bowie, members of Pink Floyd, French stars and political figures drawn to Cotignac’s privacy. After Huguette’s hotel closed in 1999, the property sat dormant for more than 20 years.
A new chapter for the hotel
The hotel’s next chapter began when the property was bought by Graham Porter, a Canadian entrepreneur who had first visited Cotignac in his 20s and later returned to bring the long-shuttered site back to life. He was struck by how quiet the village became from November to April, when restaurants closed, lights went out and little was happening. He set out not just to reopen a hotel, but to create a place that would draw visitors beyond the summer season and give locals more reasons to stay in the village year round.
He started with the art center in 2015, then added a bar and other social spaces, followed by the Michelin Green Star restaurant Jardin Secret in 2020 and the first guest rooms in 2021. Maison Mirabeau, the on-site wine-tasting spot, became part of that broader push to make the property feel connected to the village rather than sealed off from it.
The result has helped attract a more international crowd, with Americans now the hotel’s top market, drawn by the slower pace, the outdoor setting and a version of the south of France that feels different from the Riviera. Longer visits are part of that appeal, with the hotel used as a base for walking, biking and exploring lakes, waterfalls and nearby villages rather than simply passing through on the way to the coast. Even local celebrity sightings are treated casually here, adding to the low-key appeal that draws people in.
The story resurfaces in Palm Springs
At one point, Huguette also took her cooking to Palm Springs, where she opened a restaurant. There, with brochures from Cotignac and Lou Calen on display, the wartime story resurfaced unexpectedly. An older man noticed the images and returned with a friend, who turned out to be the American soldier who had given her the ring on Liberation Day. The ring itself had been gone for years, but Huguette was suddenly face-to-face once more with the soldier who had singled her out as a child on Liberation Day.
Still part of Lou Calen
Back in Cotignac, Huguette remains closely connected to Lou Calen even in her 90s. In the kitchen and around the hotel, her passion for Provençal cooking and for keeping those dishes alive still comes through clearly. It also lives on in “Huguette Caren’s Cookbook: vintage Provençal cuisine,” a book that brings together recipes and memories from her life. She may no longer run Lou Calen, but she is the woman who first gave it life.
Mandy is a luxury travel, fine dining and bucket-list-adventure journalist with expert insight from 46 countries. She uncovers unforgettable experiences around the world and brings them to life through immersive storytelling that blends indulgence, culture and discovery, and shares them with a global audience as co-founder of Food Drink Life. Her articles appear on MSN and through the Associated Press wire in major U.S. outlets, including NBC, the Daily News, Boston Herald, the Chicago Sun-Times and many more.