A class act: Glamour and splendid isolation at a self-catering chateau

A class act: Glamour and splendid isolation at a self-catering chateau

An area liberally sprinkled with towers and pinnacles, walled towns and wineries, it can be hard to make a splash in the French region of Languedoc.

But Chateau Les Carrasses is certainly holding its own. Poised above a charming canal-side village and less than an hour from Montpellier, the white façade of this former winery has more than a touch of Hollywood glamour about it.

Inside, I find myself gently enveloped in class. Farrow and Ball decor? Check. In-room pre-loaded iPod and dock? Check. Walk-in showers? Need you ask. From my north-facing windows, there are views over the Orangerie, a delicate structure designed (or so it is alleged) by Gustave Eiffel - he also constructed quite a well-known tower you are probably familiar with.

Suites on the opposite side of the Chateau benefit from a sweeping panorama that takes in the bulk of Narbonne’s 13th century cathedral and the far-off outline of the Pyrenees.

Come supper time, I am far too relaxed to raise a finger in my Smeg appliance-fitted kitchen, so I wander down to the Salon where head chef and former New York Times food writer Anne d’Ravel serves up the sweetest scallops I’ve ever tasted.

Though the Chateau opened its doors less than a year ago, founder Karl O’Hanlon (yes, he’s a Dubliner) speaks proudly about the number of repeat bookings they've had already.

It’s easy to see why guests would want to return. The Chateau couldn’t be better located: the fortified city of Carcassonne, a World Heritage Site, is seventy minutes away; Beziers, with its thirteenth-century cathedral and notable Musee des Beaux Arts, is thirty minutes’ drive, and Narbonne, home to a fabulous, daily indoor food market, twenty. Roman, Renaissance and Medieval treasures, all waiting to be explored.

My mini-break, however, begins in pretty-as-a-picture Bouziques. This pastel, harbour-side town is a heaven for seafood lovers, with boat trips offering a close-up view of the region’s celebrated oyster beds.

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