Over the Easter weekend we fell head-over-heels for the charming Château Les Carrasses, which offers family-friendly, laidback luxury on a 19th century wine estate that looks straight out of a fairytale.
Situated in the beautiful yet underrated Languedoc region of the South of France, Les Carrasses offers an authentic French holiday that feels effortlessly chic.
The character-filled chateau & outbuildings have been converted into stylish self-catering villas and apartments that blend traditional décor with modern luxury.
It’s very easy to unwind here, spending long leisurely days by the stunning heated infinity pool and indulging in meals that look like a work of art at the Les Carrasses restaurant.
It’s the staff that make your stay so special though. Whether it’s running luggage to your room on a golf buggy, delivering a breakfast tray in the morning, or booking a self-drive boat on the canal, the staff cannot do enough to help you.
They make families, especially, feel welcome & understood, and isn’t that the fairytale we all seek on holiday?
The accommodation
We stayed in La Grange, an incredibly generous 2-bedroom villa spread over 2 floors that had a private pool in the garden.
Situated on a shared courtyard with a central fountain, you enter La Grange via floor to ceiling glass doors and immediately feel joy. (There’s honestly no other way to explain it.)
I loved the juxtaposition of the natural materials in the stone floors and exposed beams with the glass doors that let the light stream in.
The bedrooms are decorated in a soothing provincial colour palette of pale pink and cornflower blue and come with the luxury of crisp, hotel-grade bedding and separate en-suite bathrooms.
The master has a balcony that overlooks the fountain, while the second bedroom looks over the garden and orchards and vineyards beyond it.
Check out my Instagram highlights for a full villa tour.
In the kitchen we found everything you need for a self-catering stay; dishwasher, champagne bucket and coffee machine included.
There is a downstairs bathroom off the kitchen that’s handy for days by the pool, and it has a washing machine in it that is brilliant for longer stays.
The garden itself is somewhere I’d quite happily stay all summer. Beautifully planted and practical, there is a coal bbq, dining area, sun loungers and shade alongside the sparkling pool.
I loved that cocooned within your private garden you felt as if you were in your own home in the South of France, and yet all the facilities of the estate were just outside the front door. (And breakfast could be delivered to you if you didn’t fancy stepping outside it!)
Aesthetically, this is a villa that fulfils all my adult ideals for a holiday in the South of France and yet, practically, it pleases the parent in me too.
There is even a hoover for you to clean up crumbs after snack time – that’s how well considered the accommodation is!
The restaurant
Although the accommodation is very well set up to self-cater you’d be missing out if you didn’t dine at Les Carrasses restaurant at least once. We enjoyed dinner there on our first night and it was nothing short of incredible.
We indulged in a 3-course menu of exquisitely crafted dishes made from local ingredients, some grown on the estate itself, and it was some of the best food I’ve eaten in a long time.
Children are well catered for too with options including homemade nuggets and chips for fussy eaters.
I recommend the grown-ups taste the Les Carrasses wine because really it would be rude not to!
Our stay also included a breakfast that was all my continental dreams come true. Think: fresh bread, pastries, homemade jams, freshly cooked pancakes and eggs made to order.
One lazy morning we put in an order to have breakfast delivered to the room and what arrived was a generous tray of treats, including a little tub of chocolate spread that bought back happy memories of childhood holidays.
There are also a couple of options for in-room dining, including pizza and sharing platters, if you don’t fancy cooking, so that’s another great plus for parents if the little ones need an early night.
Things to do
Activities at Les Carrasses centre around relaxed, outdoorsy fun. Our son loved meeting the animals in the mini farm & helping to feed them with farmer Mario. While you can come visit the animals on the farm anytime during your stay (our son did daily), on a weekday afternoon children can join Mario in a mini workshop and help feed and tend to the animals including lambs, goats, rabbits, ducklings, pigs, a pony and a donkey.
There’s also tennis courts, boules, bicycles, wine trails and picnic areas all on your doorstep and completely free to use whenever you choose.
For children aged 4+ there’s a seasonal kids club with a programme that includes games, foraging and crafts.
For adults there are options including chocolate and wine tastings, yoga classes or spa treatments at sister property Château St Pierre de Serjac.
Over the Easter weekend we took part in an egg hunt in the gardens that was well run and lots of fun. There were also activities like pony rides and Easter crafts, so lots to keep little ones busy if you didn’t want to leave the chateau grounds.
In the area
We’re natural explorers so loved discovering the local area, which we found pretty and unpretentious. Our highlights included cycling along the Canal Du Midi (a short distance from the hotel), wandering Carcassonne & Béziers, and meeting the friendly locals in Capestang.
Capestang is the nearest town to the Chateau and is under 10 minutes’ drive away. Found on the Canal Du Midi, it’s a charming little town with a striking gothic church from the 14th century and relaxed pavement cafes in the centre.
Recommended restaurants in Capestang include Le Vauban and Le Pourquoi Pas. For the self-caterers there’s also an Intermarche and Lidl in Capestang and a fresh food market in Narbonne.
One of the best things to do in the local area is hire a little self-drive electric boat to cruise the Canal Du Midi, one of the oldest canals in Europe. They hadn’t yet opened for the season during our visit but we’d definitely like to do this in future. Prices start from €35 for 1 hour. Visit the Sunboat website or speak to reception for more information.
If you’re visiting during the summer then it’s worth knowing that Serignan Plage, a stunning white sand beach, is just 30 mins away from the chateau.
If you need more ideas, Les Carrasses have a fantastic app that tells you all about the local area and has lots of suggestions of things to see, do and eat during your stay.
Getting to Les Carrasses
We flew from London Stansted to Carcassone with Ryanair and hired a car through Discover Cars.
Carcassone is a very small but modern airport. It was easy to fly to and from and picking up the hire car was a breeze as they are situated just across the road from arrivals and there is a lift and subway to help you get across with the baggage.
The journey time from Carcassone Airport to Les Carrasses was about 1 hour. It’s an easy and scenic drive, either along the highway with the Pyrenees Mountains in the background, or along the canal through tiny tree-lined villages.
Beziers is the closest airport to Les Carrasses and is only a 30-minute drive away. Ryanair fly there from London Luton. As you can see from the map above, you also have the option of Montpellier and Perpignan Airports approx. 1 hour away, so there are lots of options depending on where you’re coming from.
My goal with this blog is to uncover stylish yet authentic places to stay that appeal to parents as much as the little ones and Les Carrasses is the gold standard. If you’ve read this far there is only one thing to do now and that’s book it! I know you’ll have a wonderful holiday.
Disclosure: Our stay at Les Carrasses was gifted, all other elements of the trip were self-funded. All opinions and recommendations are my own.
You might also like:
