B&B Farm Stays: Occitanie (2023)

Near the beautiful city of Carcassonne, in the old Languedoc Roussillon region (now Occitanie) of France. This lovely, very friendly, boutique vineyard hotel is surrounded by the farm’s own grapevines and guests are free to wander the vineyards and enjoy wine tasting in the company of the extremely knowledgeable hosts. The rooms here are super clean and comfortable with private bathroom and WiFi but the real draw here is the wine and the food. The hosts are very enthusiastic about both, and they are great cooks. They produce some amazing meals shared by all the guests in an informal atmosphere, and washed down of course with generous helpings of their own quality wine. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “The hosts made us feel like family. Wonderful, delicious meals. Very comfortable bed. We would love to stay there again!…” “Fantastic location. Fantastic facilities. Fantastic food. Fantastic people! Loved the tour and my wine has been delivered already! Thank you….” >> CLICK HERE TO READ MORE REVIEWS & TO BOOK YOUR STAY AT  O’VINEYARDS B&B:   READ MORE

La Noyeraie is a cosy, charming farm stay B&B near the UNESCO World Heritage village of Rocamadour in the green hills of the Eastern Dordogne, France. THE ACCOMMODATION: It offers a nice range of suites, rooms and self catering studios all with private bathroom and every morning they serve a great French breakfast in the farmhouse dining room, or weather permitting, on the terrace. Good wholesome home cooked evening meals are available too and they offer a great selection of local organic wines to go with them. The farmhouse is surrounded by 9 peaceful acres of orchard groves, woodland and walnut trees. The owners of La Noyeraie make their own walnut products like walnut biscuits, walnut cakes and walnut oil, which you can sample at the farmhouse as well as buy to take home. They are very enthusiastic about food generally, from harvest to table, and not just their own; they are very knowledgeable about local food and wine and they have a small farm shop where you can also buy other local delicacies to take home; pâté, duck confit and much more. As mentioned previously they also offer a selection of quality locally sourced Cahors wines; reds, whites and rosé as well as the classic Malbec ‘black wine’, all of which you can also buy at the farm shop. THE LOCATION: La Noyeraie is beside the famous cliffside pilgrimage site of Rocamadour, one of the Dordogne’s and France’s most picture perfect towns, and an important place for over 1000 years. The also picturesque and historic town of Sarlat is nearby too, and there are many more beautiful and equally historic little places to explore. The countryside in between too provides constant reminders as to how the Dordogne became one of Europe’s most popular regions for rural tourism. Ramblers and hikers may know that Rocamadour was on the traditional route of the St. James’ Way or Santiago de Compostela on its long and winding way towards Galicia in Spain. There are a few different versions of the route but Le Puy Route which passes through Figeac and Rocamadour before moving onwards through Cahors is the most well known, and the most scenic. Between Cahors READ MORE

1,000 meters high in the Catalan Pyrénées-Orientales department of Languedoc-Roussillon, France, and just outside the village of Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste, El Casal has a stunning setting for its working cattle farm and traditional stone farmhouse where guests will be welcomed with the best in hospitality and comfort. THE ACCOMMODATION: Their spacious rooms are rustically stylish and come with en suite bathroom, air conditioning, flat-screen satellite TV, WiFi, a seating area plus an outdoor terrace with beautiful views over the valley below. It’s B&B and you’ll be treated to a very good and generous breakfast in the morning, with fresh bread, fruit juices, homemade jams cakes, yoghurts, and more. And if guests feel like cooking for themselves later during the day they can also have access to the farmhouse kitchen. The farm is a working beef cattle farm, with lush green pastures and meadows, and comes with incredible views over the surrounding valleys. THE LOCATION: As mentioned before, the main attraction of this farm stay is the location, the views are breathtaking from the farm itself and there are some great hiking trails around that go all around the mountains. You could really spend days exploring the trails around the farm or just sitting on the grass contemplating the beauty of it all. It’s also about five kilometers from the centre of the very pretty Catalan town(s) of Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste. The Prats-de-Mollo section has a lovely old town with cobblestone streets and stylish squares guarded from above by the impressive medieval walls of Fort Lagarde, and a 14th-century round tower.  The fort is a bit of a climb from the town centre but has amazing views. La Preste is the adjoining, more modern part of town as is known for its therapeutic spa waters. They have allegedly many beauty and health benefits, and your feet might enjoy an evening dip after that tough hike up to Fort Lagarde. The nearby Reserve Naturelle de Prats-de-Mollo (about 30 minutes by car from the farmhouse) is a stunning nature reserve with an abundance of wildlife on its rocky plateaus; vultures, eagles, wild cats, and the famous Pyrenean chamois (wild goats), for example. It also has a cafe and plenty of READ MORE