Showcasing a Modern Multilingual B&B Website Powered by Astro
Greetings, fellow web enthusiasts! Today, I’m excited to share my latest project—a complete redesign and technological upgrade for a charming Bed & Breakfast. This project represents a significant milestone in my development journey, combining a fresh design with a robust migration from WordPress to a static site generator that leverages Astro.
Project Overview
The new website, accessible at https://www.villademazamet.com/, is the culmination of extensive planning and hands-on development. Handling over 100 pages—including blog entries—in both French and English was a challenging but rewarding task.
Key Features & Technologies Implemented
– Multilingual Support (i18n): Seamlessly offer content in French and English, with smooth language switching and accurate hreflang tags to improve international SEO.
– Booking System Integration: Incorporated with FreeToBook to enable guests to make reservations directly through the site.
– Email Marketing: Integrated Mailchimp to manage newsletter subscriptions and communication.
– Content & Visual Appeal: Maintains an engaging blog section and a captivating parallax gallery that enhances user experience.
– Advanced Web Features: Utilized Astro’s capabilities, including View Transitions for smooth page animations and optimized responsive images for faster load times.
Development Challenges & Solutions
Migrating content from WordPress involved exporting over 100 posts and pages using a dedicated WordPress to Markdown converter. While this saved time, it required significant cleanup due to inconsistent Markdown syntax, dead links, and content updates post-export. For more flexibility in customizing Markdown content, I opted for MDX where necessary, allowing for dynamic components within markdown files.
Handling internationalization posed additional challenges—particularly with navigation structure, SEO considerations, and hreflang implementations—ensuring a seamless language-switching experience for visitors across borders.
Reflecting on the Experience
Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome. Transitioning from a traditional CMS to a modern static site built with Astro has enhanced site performance, security, and maintainability.
Your Feedback is Welcome!
I am eager to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and any bugs you might discover as you explore the site. Your feedback helps me improve and refine my projects further.
**Preview
