Only go here off season, from Oct 1
Capitoul is the third château venture of Karl O’Hanlon and his wife, Anita, both from Dublin, and the Bonfils family, who are key wine producers in the Languedoc — and it has cost them about £35 million. They are among those continuing to smarten up the region, but with feet grounded in land and landscape; Riviera rootlessness isn’t their thing. For a start, the 240-acre site couldn’t be more Languedocien were it to put on a rugby shirt and beret and start playing pétanque. It’s on the edge of the Clape massif, the only mountainous part of an otherwise flat coastal area. Rocks rise sheer through pine trees on one side; on the other is the Bages lagoon and sea; between are vines, pines, olives, a canal and marshy bits — keep your eyes open, turn through 360 degrees and you get the entirety of Languedoc landscapes in one panorama. This saves a lot of travelling time.
The focal point of Capitoul is a smallish 19th-century neo-gothic château built to show off someone’s wealth in the boom years of cheap wine. It’s brick and stone, and has white rendering and a damsel-in-distress tower, which contains the spiral staircase to the first and second floors — a minimum of puff is required. That said, the rooms are big, comfortable and contemporary; all blues, greys and marble, suitable for a diplomat and her design-student daughter. The same could be said of the 44 villas, newly built in three hillside terraces, just beyond another pine wood. These are the lynchpin of the operation. They have all been sold to private owners (mainly from the UK and the US), but are managed by Capitoul and available for self-catering rental when the owners are not there, which is most of the time. They are expansive and comforting in unchallenging styles (who needs to be challenged by their fixtures and fittings?). There are no splashes of yellow or daft exhortatory slogans plastered on the walls (“Wake up and be awesome!”). You have solid dining tables, great beds, Italian kitchens, more bathrooms per villa than anyone needs, private gardens and, in most cases, pools. Views to the lagoon make being mesmerised the only option. Rent one of these and you’ll feel as though you’ve “arrived”. Then again, you’d need to have arrived to afford it in the first place, but that’s life.
The former winery — there’s a new one round the back — has been expanded to house the reception, a restaurant and bars fronting terraces of the sort where, in adverts, beautiful people in white sip wine and laugh blithely as the sun sets over the Mediterranean while hazy lounge music plays.
Hôtel Les Roches Brunes, Collioure
Collioure is the poster child of the Roussillon coast, between Perpignan and the Spanish border — and the entirely renovated Roches Brunes is the hotel from which to appreciate it. The name tells no lies — it’s on rocks over the sea, with direct access to the beach. All rooms have Med views so need little in the way of decor. The restaurant majors on Mediterranean food with an Italian accent.
Details Room-only doubles from £128 (hotel-lesrochesbrunes.com)
Domaine de Biar, Lavérune
Tarbouriech was oysters; here, in the countryside at the gates of Montpellier, it’s horses. What was in Louis XV’s time a royal farm has a fine old house of manorial mien, 125 acres of grounds, many horses (for breeding, stabling and training) and quite a few cattle. The aristocratic charm is complemented by New Age stuff such as yoga and hammams. The restaurant is pretty right-on too, with ample vegan options and mains from £18. In the unlikely event that the swimming pool proves insufficient, Med beaches are five miles away.
Details Room-only doubles from £144 (domainedebiar.com)
Margaret Hôtel Chouleur, Nîmes
Another ancient townhouse — in the historic heart of Nîmes — re-emerges as an elegant hotel. Rooms are as someone from the siècle des lumières would favour were they to show up in 2021. Space, wood and colour are abundant, and there’s a swimming pool in the interior garden. It’s small, but what do you expect amid the streets of the city centre? In the hands of Georgiana Viou, the Rouge restaurant gives Med cooking a Beninese slant. And there’s a courtyard coffee shop too.
Details Room-only doubles from £192 (margaret-hotelchouleur.com)
Hôtel Richer de Belleval, Montpellier
The chef twins Jacques and Laurent Pourcel have this summer opened a flagship hotel containing the new version of their Jardin des Sens restaurant. It’s in a magnificent 17th-century hôtel particulier — Montpellier’s town hall until 1975 — on one of the city’s most elegant squares. The style introduces sober splashes of the 21st century alongside columns, vaulted ceilings, frescoes of all ages, patios, courtyards and phenomenal attention to detail. Alongside the principal restaurant (mains from £53), the Pourcels have a less ambitiously priced bistronomic spot, with two courses for £32.
Details Room-only doubles from £188 (hotel-richerdebelleval.com)
Domaine Tarbouriech, Marseillan
On the back of the region’s most celebrated oyster-farming outfit, and on the banks of the oyster-filled Thau lagoon (near Sète), the Tarbouriech family have established what may be the only oyster-based hotel in France. It’s a classy operation — no slumming it in ramshackle oyster huts. We’re talking rooms and suites in venerable buildings, and lodges in a 13th-century barn. There are swimming pools, oyster bars and a cracking main restaurant serving dishes including oyster, octopus and shellfish risotto (from £24).
Details Room-only doubles from £132 (domaine-tarbouriech.fr)