In the know

Our favourite rooms: The four south-facing suites on the upper floors each have private balconies looking out over the village of Hérépian and the Monts d’Orb. The ground floor suites have dinky terraces, but without the grand panoramas of the suites above. The split-level Garden Suite comes with comes with toasty underfloor heating.
Packing tips: Your cutest eco shopping bag to stuff with goodies from the local markets.
Also: The spa’s products are freshly prepared, organically sourced, and from the locality. From the pool you can smell the scents of its treatments: chamomile, olive, lavender, honey, thyme and grape seed.

Languedoc-roussillon hotels: Le Couvent d'Hérépian, need to know

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Smith card offer: A selection of home-made preserves

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Le Couvent d'Hérépian

Languedoc-Roussillon, France[view map]

Style: Vaulted mod-convent
Setting: Postcard-pastoral Languedoc village

Hérépian, a small village on the fringes of the Haut Languedoc national park, couldn’t provide a more scenic setting for this renovated 17th-century convent. Adding modern touches such as a subterranean spa, a terraced garden and a mouthwatering table d’hôte to its ancient vaulted ceilings and period charms, Le Couvent d’Hérépian is a boutique hotel that offers great get-away-from-it-all value in a real rural idyll.

Need to know

Rooms: 13 suites.
Rates: Low season, €120–€265; high season, €175–€355, including tax. Buffet breakfast is €10 a person.
Check-out: Midday. Both check-out and check-in (3pm) are flexible, depending on occupancy.
Facilities: Spa, book and DVD library, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: full kitchenette with hob, microwave, coffee maker and fridge, flatscreen TV, DVD/CD player, preloaded iPod and dock, L’Occitane toiletries, Blanc d’Ivoire bedlinen.
Poolside: The hotel’s underground spa has an eight-person heated relaxation pool tiled in soft watery blues.
Eco-friendly: The hotel’s water is solar heated.
Also: Le Couvent is non-smoking throughout.

Food & drink

Hotel restaurant: Le Couvent d’Hérépian serves a variety of tapas and offers a table d’hôte with a day’s notice. Chef and charcuterie-owner Michel Aninat (who turned up in one of Rick Stein’s foodie tours) prepares indulgent dishes such as fig-stuffed duckling.
Dress code: Light and lounge-y.
Top table: You can perch anywhere you like for wine and nibbles – we’d make a beeline for the main terrace on a balmy evening. In chillier conditions, the fireplace in the salon is fronted with cosy armchairs.
Last orders: The tapas menu is available until 8.30pm, and the bar closes at around 10pm.
Room service: There’s no room service, as such, but you can choose to have meals served in your suite.
Hotel bar: A vaulted limestone cellar holds the hotel’s service and honesty bars, with chunky contemporary chairs to sink into with a glass of locally produced wine. Aperitifs are served every evening in the bar, salon or gardens.

Also worth knowing

Children: Extra beds are €15 a night, and babysitting can be arranged for €10 an hour, with advance notice.

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A selection of home-made preserves

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