Château de Pondres

We were somewhat disappointed that the room in the Chateau we had booked months before wasn’t available. Reception said this was because of a “ faulty shower”. Strange as that first night we were the only people in the hotel…surely they must have had another bedroom! Anyway, we were told we were upgraded to one of the outside rooms in an annex purpose built. This room was fine…best described as functional…perfectly comfortable but pretty basic. It was a very odd being the only guests in this large and magnificent hotel and odder still that there was no food whatsoever on a Tuesday evening….not even a nut in a bar. No choice but to go out! People did start drifting in over the next couple of days…we had a good but quite expensive dinner in the hotel restaurant one night (€150) The pool was in a nice situation but very cold. All in all it was a 3 star experience in a 5 star building.

BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU BUY A GIFT VOUCHER. We bought a gift voucher for one of their packages costing 500€. This was to celebrate my husband’s birthday. I have work commitments every day from April until November so we’re looking forward to using the voucher over the winter. Sadly my husband who is in the military was posted away for lots of the winter period so we made a point of ringing the chateau 1month before the expiry date to ask if it could be extended for later in the year and we were assured this would be no problem. Fast forward to 3 weeks ago when we finally had a free date to go. We rang reception and the nice lady tried to make our booking but she said she was new so it was difficult for her as the reservation included 2 massages, dinner and an overnight stay. So said she would call us back. The next day she did to tell us we couldn’t use the voucher anymore. To say we were shocked was an understatement. I finally tried for a final time yesterday to ask them to change their minds but was met with a stone wall. Although after reading all the 1star reviews that this place has received over the last 18 months I see the attitude of the manager here is a huge let down to the company that own this wonderful establishment. I will be spreading my experience far and wide to save anyone else the disappointment plus the dishonest conduct of said manager.

This is a fabulous-looking building and we were lucky enough to enjoy it and its very neat, formal gardens on two sunny, blue-sky days in March. We enjoyed exploring the chateau and its salons, meeting room and library on the first floor. It was slightly surprising to find the Christmas decorations still up in March but maybe this is a local tradition. Our bedroom was not quite in keeping with the rest of the place and I found it all rather charmless. The bed was comfortable (although our night’s sleep was interrupted in the early hours by an extensive and very loud altercation between a couple of the locals) and there was a good range of handy electrical sockets. The bathroom was a bit too basic, and the lack of a curtain or door across the shower meant that washing was a rather careful affair so as not to get water all over the place. The restaurant was very nice both in the evening and for breakfast in the morning, and service was delightful throughout the hotel.

A charming chateau surrounded by meadows and a small forest, beautiful hiking trails in the area, pleasent staff, free parking and a supermarket nearby. Also liked the fact that the chateau is accessible to the disabled. Highly recommended

I just wanted to say how amazing our night has been with yourselves! We checked in late as a result if leaving a wedding in Carcassone late, and were tired and stressed, but upon sitting down to the meal with yourselves, we were instantly relaxed! It was one of the best meals we've ever had, the setting was stunning, and a special mention to our waiter who was excellent! He was very informative, welcoming and patient as we don't speak much french. He made us feel very welcome, made some excellent recommendations and helped make our first evening with yourselves relaxed and special. Amazing!

We stayed at the hotel for one night. It is a beautiful restored building with very nice grounds. We did not stay at the Chateau, but at a nearby building. The room was very comfortable and well-equipped. We had a private sitting area outdoors.