The interior with the original wooden flooring, stove, the shutters and big windows introduced me to the ‘Bordelais’ style . The room was cozy due to the well-thought-out details: candles, paintings on the wall, the bed linen.
The hospitality of the Spanish owner was exceptional. Every morning she made the breakfast for me and talked a lot about interesting stories. She also gave good recommendation about what to visit in the area, so I was lucky to make it to Saint-Emilion vineyards before I moved on to Strasbourg.
Image source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13009290Image source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13009290Image source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13009290Image source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13009290Staircase in the apartment block The house was built of large stone blocks which was left as a rough surface in the kitchen
It’s easy to find this castle despite the remote location which is half an hour driving from Toulouse or Carcassonne. The place is just perfect for a laid-back getaway. There are no disturbing highway or any noise near this property.
+ The calm and relaxing atmosphere I like the most
+ the room and facilities are furnished according to the chic French-style what you would expect
+ there is plenty of space at the dining area and lounge of the orangerie, so you can freely decide to have the breakfast on your own or if you would like to have the company of other guests
+ the garden and surrounding nature is romantic also with chickens and there is also a pool at the backgraden
– on Sundays or on bank holidays the supermarket or restaurant is 20 minutes driving from this place. Plan your meal beforehand!
As a side note regarding the renovation work and interior: I was lucky to get some insight about the renewal work from the owner. There were still ongoing interior work last April. All new materials have high-end luxury quality selected with care. Muriel was talking about the new marble flooring in the dining hall and she has had a story about every new item, like the bath tub in the suite for honeymoon or the leather couch in one of the main rooms. My experience with the BnB is based on the wonderful long-weekend I spent in the orangerie room, I haven’t stayed in the castle though.
The orangerie is a smaller modern building attached to the castle. It has had several rooms on the ground floor with windows facing to the garden. I haven’t used the blinds in the en-suite bathroom when I was relaxing in a hot bath and it was still a private place where noone could see me.
Image source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3744802Image source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3744802 En-suite in the orangerieImage source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3744802Image source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3744802 En-suite bathroom in the orangerieImage source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3744802 Dining area in the orangerieImage source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3744802 The gardenImage source: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/11854575 Main en-suite room in the castle
This newly refurbished house is the typical reason why I prefer staying in a B&B over booking a hotel room. Hotels can be also stylish but never so ‘personal’ experience than living in someone’s home for a few days.
Sète is a small touristic town on the Mediterranean cost in France. It can be reached by car easily and on the way from Arles, across the Camargue, the surrounding nature is beautiful.
It was not easy to find the house since it’s hidden in a junction of two small one-way road. I’ve had to call the host who navigated me to the back of the house. This small newly refurbished building is originally dated from 18th century. The walls were kept and new structure was built for the duplex apartment.
The host was telling stories about the construction and planning and also about her interesting life:
