We stayed here for 3 nights using Alet les Bains as a base to explore the Cathar region. The hotel sits in extensive grounds with a river one side where I saw a kingfisher. The old Abbey ruins and the road form the other boundaries.

I believe the owner is the chef and we guessed his wife was "front of house". She worked incredibly hard and very long hours, and although self contained, was very pleasant. She appreciated our attempts to communicate in French but also spoke good English. Reception duties was one of her many jobs, and although she wasn't there when we arrived, we duly pressed a bell as instructed and she quickly appeared.

I think there are 2 buildings which house the bedrooms, but we only saw one 1 in use - the one near the Abbey. Our room was simply furnished, very clean and more than adequate. The bathroom seemed much more modern and was great - nice big shower! The only down-side regarding the bedroom were the 2 lumpy pillows with no extra ones in the wardrobe.

The restaurant opened at 7.30pm, but it was possible to get a drink from the bar via reception. There was a seating area in front of the recpetion and restaurant under the shade of a huge tree which was very pleasant.

We ate at the hotel restaurant every night as there didn't seem to be anywhere else close by within walking distance. The menu choice leant towards a lot of duck, which is fine by me as I love duck. I had that twice (leg and then breast) plus tried the steak, which was lovely. Trout was also offered but we weren't there long enough to try it. Personally, I like a few more vegetables with my food, but had a lovely goats cheese salad to start one night to compensate for the lack of greenery with the main course. A nice cheese board was also offered and twice I made it through to dessert both of which were lovely. The real highlight of the restaurant was the superb service - just the owners wife and a really pleasant and friendly waiter. They worked very fast and efficiently and made it look easy.