After 800 years of family and estate symbiosis, Le Fraisse is a living history book, mainly a rustic-grand Renaissance gem by the great Serlio – pale limestone, discreetly elegant portico, Henry II staircase and an astonishing fireplace in the vast drawing room. Your cultured hosts, two generations now, will greet you with warmth, happily tell you about house and history and show you to your room: fine furniture, paintings and prints, traditional furnishings; one bathroom has a fragment of a 16th-century fresco. If you return late at night you must climb the steep old spiral stair to your room as the main door is locked.
A delightful stay in a beautiful chateau with a gracious host. We wanted to break our journey from Lille to Saint Gaudens and so we overnighted at Chateau du Fraisse. We had a double room for my wife and me with a twin for our children with a bathroom between our rooms; comfortable and good value for money. We had a nice 'continental breakfast'. Our labrador was welcome as well. Monsieur des Monstriers gave us a fascinating tour of the principal rooms of the chateau and couldn't have been more helpful. The only difficulty was finding a good restaurant in the local area; book early!