We came here for the golf and the course is indeed pretty. Only some rooms are renovated, so be careful to request one. The hotel is below average Relais et Chateau standards both in terms of facilities (cheesy statues, no frills public area) and service (no free internet). A scary moment came after we requested a snack after checking in around early afternoon, and the gazpacho a la tomate is literally made from canned tomato juice, olive oil, salt, and cut-up pieces of cherry tomatoes. I complained to the manager, who told me that she made the gazpacho herself?!, and that she put the mashed tomatoes through a sieve and did not use the typical recipe for gazpacho. Fresh tomatoes, put through a sieve or not, do not taste like airplane tomato juice. After this experience I'm not surprised to read the disappointing reviews of the Michelin starred restaurant on site...If the kitchen is closed after lunch service, serving us just the tasty ham and cheese on the snack menu would've been fine. Why the express "gazpacho"??? Even though we're Americans, we're not THAT easily fooled.

Has the Relais Et Chateau "chaine" been sold? Not up to previous standards; room amenities like Great Western. A 6 out of ten. At dinner bouche cold, fois gras straight out of the frigo. Service haphazard. Front desk cold and abraisive. Booked a package; room/meal and watch out for the offer of champagne before dinner. Thought it was part of the package - very unclear - and was 20 euros extra per glass.

Just returned from having 5 nights at the above hotel. Room very nice even though bed was not big enough and we aren't a big couple! Very thin walls, felt at times you could hear every word being spoken and I am sure the next door people were only having a normal conversation.

Food was exceptional as expected with prices to match! The Maitre D Patrick was superb and made you feel very welcome. There is a Bistro D'auriac next door which was worth trying and they had some super "ordinary" menus to try. Staff were very helpful as always.

You have the option of breakfast in your room but we went to the restaurant instead the first morning. The food was of no choice, it was put down in front of you, all continental style with mini jam pots which surprised us as the hotel was selling beautiful home made conserves at the reception desk which I would have thought we would have been offered. The most off putting experience was the waiters were preparing for dinner that night and tables were being laid and moved about which was very odd for the standard of a R&C hotel. We did not eat breakfast there again.

The hotel could have had more facilities to wind down with ie. perhaps a DVD/music system in the room. We did not hire a car this time as we assumed we would have acres of land to walk round but the land around the property was for golfers and walkers were not allowed which was understandable.

All in all not the usual standard of R&C that we have tried previously but if you want peace and quiet this is the place with Carcassonne being only a 5 minute drive or 10euros in a taxi.

We stayed at Domaine d'Auriac earlier this month - what a wonderful experience! It's located just 5 minutes from the walled city of Carcassonne and has convenient autoroute access for trips elsewhere in the Languedoc.

Our room was in the main house (there are also guest rooms in annexes elsewhere on the property) facing the front, and I would recommend that you request a room facing this direction. The hotel grounds are like an oasis, with a lovely pond in front surrounded by roses and other flowers, which allows you to forget that the hotel is located just off a main road. Our room was totally quiet and peaceful, but we noticed on strolls around the grounds that there is a lot of road noise in the back of the hotel. The room was large, with a double bed and a small sofa near the TV and lots of closet space. The view out the front was beautiful. The room was decorated in traditional French style in blues and whites - nothing ostentatious, but tasteful. The bathroom was not quite as luxurious as I would expect for a Relais & Chateau hotel, but it was good-sized and accented with marble. Keep in mind that this is an older building and is not going to seem as spiffy and brand new as a modern high-rise hotel, but everything is clean and well-maintained.

We were very happy with the accomodations, and then were truly blown away by the restaurant. The dining room is gorgeous - very traditionally and elegantly decorated, with a beautiful terrace where dinner is served when the weather is good. The food and service merit its MIchelin star and then some. The extensive menu features all sorts of local dishes served in a style fitting of a gastronomic restaurant (the anchovy appetizer, local pork served 5 ways and cassoulet are some examples, but we loved everything we ate there). We had every intention to try out other area restaurants during our stay, but we found the restaurant so phenomenal that we ate there every night of our three night stay. The sommeliers also steered us towards different - and fantastic - local wines every night. Finally, the salon upstairs was the perfect, relaxing place to have an Armagnac or a cigar after dinner before heading to the room.

One of the reasons I love traveling in Southwest France is because the people are unfailingly friendly and kind. The staff at the Domaine d'Auriac is no exception. Service everywhere in the hotel was prompt and professional. We also appreciated that before we left to go off sightseeing every day they confirmed our dinner reservation at the restaurant so we didn't have to think to do it ourselves.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Domaine d'Auriac to anyone looking for first-class accomodations in the Languedoc. And don't miss out on the restaurant!