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!