How to have a girls' weekend in Languedoc - with an Irish twist

Jillian Bolger and her gal pals ditch the hubbies and kids at the campsite to go off for a luxury weekend at an Irish-owned French château

Sun, 09 Jul, 2023 - 20:57

“We've got to skinny-dip at midnight!” my pal insists, mischievously, as we bob about in the afternoon sun in our secluded infinity pool.

“It would be wrong to have a private pool and not dash in after dark,” another giggles enthusiastically, “Even just for 60 seconds.”

Suspended between hill and sky, on the edge of the Languedoc’s Massif de la Clape nature reserve, our pool seems to float above the vineyards, neat rows of vines below drawing our gaze towards a wild lagoon encircled by the distant peaks of the Massif des Corbières.

Behind us, Château Capitoul stands sentinel, a turreted hilltop confection cosseted by fragrant pine trees overlooking its 240-acre domain.

Though unmistakably French, Château Capitoul owes its recent renaissance to a savvy Irish couple, Karl and Anita O’Hanlon.

Moving to Languedoc with their three children in 2006, they founded Domaine & Demeure, seeking out unloved châteaux and wine estates to restore and repurpose as luxurious and exclusive holiday destinations.

Earning a reputation as tastemakers around these parts, Capitoul is the Dubliners’ third property, following the redevelopment of Château Les Carrasses in 2011 and Château St Pierre de Serjac in 2016.

Bijou, with just eight bedrooms, the 19th-century château is now a chic hotel, villa and vineyard destination with a discreet spa and thriving winery.

With its commanding hilltop position and mesmerising views, the vibe is chilled out and clubby with great food and wine, making it the perfect spot for a girls’ weekend away.

Myself and three Cork pals are determined to live our best lives here.

Holidaying in the area with our families, there’s a rumour we’ve abandoned our husbands and children in modest self-catering cabins at a nearby campsite.

Ignorance is bliss, we reason, ignoring the fact that one kind husband dropped us off and knows full well who drew the short straw.

“A toast to the dads!” we declare, magnanimously, raising glasses of estate Syrah, launching headlong into a weekend of indulgence.

Villa lodgings for the week at Château Capitoul

The original château is fully booked out, but we prefer the freedom of our villa, one of 44 self-catering properties built into the hillside like a discreet village.

Ranging from two, three and four bedrooms, many with pools, ours is a capacious and cosy four-bedroom terrace that wouldn’t look out of place splashed across the pages of an interiors glossy.

Inspired by local architecture, and luxuriously furnished, each villa is privately owned by investors, and managed by the hotel.

In the bar that evening we chat to an English family that owns one; they love the private club vibes and familiarity of holidaying here several times a year, their villa being rented out to guests when they‘re out of town.

Eschewing the bling of the neighbouring French Riviera, the Languedoc is serene and sultry, lying between the Cote d’Azur and Catalonia, the Mediterranean and the mountains.

All Roman viaducts and vineyards, forts and fishing villages, this is the South of France for the slow traveller. It’s manna for the nature lover and the history buff too.

And, most notably, for the wine drinker. As France’s largest wine-growing region, Languedoc-Roussillon produces the highest percentage of organic wines in France, with many of the wineries small family affairs dating back generations.

Teaming up with the Bonfils family in 2012, key wine producers in the region, Domaine & Demeure’s properties all offer guests the opportunity to holiday on a working wine estate while enjoying five-star levels of comfort and service.

Tutored wine tastings in the sleek tasting room, guided walks through vines and cellar tours are all options for eager oenophiles while the exclusive Cinq Mondes spa, deep within the château’s old cellars, offers a chance to relax in gorgeous surroundings.

At check-in, we’ve received a beautifully illustrated map that highlights the wildlife and flora of the estate.

Environmental respect is a pillar of each of the O’Hanlons properties and the 25 acres of Mediterranean gardens have been designed by Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner James Basson and botany expert Olivier Filippi.

While sipping beers by the château’s main pool, a large infinity one carved into the hillside, we can’t escape the call of the wild.

Borrowing bikes we set off through the vineyards, the salty sea air grazing our faces, rocky limestone clay firm beneath our wheels.

The estate is traversed with trails and paths, with the neighbouring Parc Naturel Régional Narbonaise en Méditeranée nature reserve an accessible playground for more adventures.

Just 3km away, the pretty fishing village of Gruissan is all saltpans and seafood restaurants.

We’ve managed to nab a table for Sunday lunch at the wildly popular La Cambuse du Saunier, where generations of French families come to share seafood in the open-air waterside restaurant.

We don’t hold back, quaffing rosé the colour of the pink waters of Gruissan’s salt pans and feasting greedily on platters piled with shellfish and the house specialty of seabream baked in a salt-crust.

Narbonne, the nearest town to Château Capitoul, may not be as well known as neighbouring Perpignan and Montpellier, but it’s deserving of a visit too.

Once a thriving port, before sand and silt landlocked it, it was the capital of the first Roman colony in Gaul and later a capital of the Visigoth kingdom.

The tranquil Canal de la Robine runs through the city, and is close to Les Halles, the famous wrought-iron and glass-covered food market.

A joy to explore, self-catering becomes a cinch here with all the fromage, fruit, patisserie and fish you could wish for.

We’ve had our fill of self-catering at the campsite, so are more than happy to leave dinner to the pros at the Château Capitoul.

On Friday, we head for Méditerranéo, a high temple of gastronomy in the château’s original dining room where Valère Diochet serves up modern Mediterranean tasting menus of great local produce, a theatrical and delicious affair, enhanced by a wine pairing which takes us far beyond the Languedoc.

Asado, the château’s smart bistro is a hot spot for Saturday night, seats spilling out onto a generous terrace overlooking the vines.

Sipping cocktails, we watch contented holidaymakers, villa owners and locals, drinking and enjoying the food and atmosphere.

A buzzy place to watch the sun slip behind the Pyrenees, the open kitchen has been expensively kitted out with bespoke parrillas, large Argentinian-style grills.

The scent of charcoal and vine wood fills the air as plates of seared entrecote, juicy lamb, Galician octopus and charred mullet arrive at our table, alongside salads and Mediterranean vegetables from the kitchen garden.

As we finish our feast and wander back to our villa, there’s only one thing on our minds.

“Midnight dip, anyone?”

“Absolutely!” we chime enthusiastically, no-one daring to mention the campsite cabins that await us upon sunrise.

Getting there

Ryanair flies from Cork and Dublin to Carcassonne, a 50-minute drive from Château Capitoul.
Aer Lingus flies from Dublin to Perpignan (50-minute drive) and Montpellier (60 minute drive.)
From March-Sept 2023, Ryanair flies from Shannon to Beziers, a 30-minute drive from Château Capitoul.
Jillian Bolger was a guest of Château Capitoul.
Hotel rooms from €140 per night; self-catering accommodation from €345 per night in a two-bedroom property with garden.
chateaucapitoul.com

Tourism, tasting and Irish history: Whiskey a go-go in Killarney