Mr & Mrs Smith

“Home from Home” - That's how Alex, the general manager, described the Couvent and he's right. From the start he made us feel welcome, introducing himself as he walked down the street with freshly baked bread from the Boulangerie. I guess it's easy to spot visitors in sleepy Herepian. The Couvent is a wonderfully relaxing place, peaceful and easy going. All the staff make it easy to come and go as you please, but are there if you need anything. Our room was amazing - rather our 3 rooms as the bathroom was the size of a normal bedroom - and then there was the lounge. We didn't opt for a balcony and we didn't need it. The outside areas by the pool and the inside lounges make you want to hang out there and do nothing, and that's what the Couvent is about; taking it easy. We extended our stay and stayed 5 days in total, and we didn't want to leave as we felt so at home. The food was excellent. We opted to have dinner there twice and it's a nice option not to have to choose from a menu, but go with the day's flow. Would also recommend L’Ocre Rouge right beside the Couvent. Excellent food and excellent value. It's run by a Parisian couple who moved to Herepian and decided to open a restaurant having never done it before. Personally I wouldn't bother going to Lamaloule Bain, it's a very strange place with nothing to offer. I would highly recommend doing the drive up to Lodeze as you pass through lovely countryside and sleepy village and stop at Lunas for a walk around as it's lovely. Pezenas is also a nice day trip, but avoid the touristy restaurants. For lunch, seek out Le 5. It's a tiny little place but lovely, and you're away from the lunchtime crowds. If you want to spend some time on the beach but don't want one too crowded, try either Serignan Plage east of Beziers or Le Grau d'Agde on the west side of the Agde beaches. Enjoy the Couvent, it's fabulous.

A fantastic stay in the Couvent d'Herepian – a beautifully decorated and serene hotel. We relied entirely on staff recommendations for restaurants and discovered the Auberge de l'Abbaye nearby. About a five-minute drive away is the hamlet of Villemagne l'Argentiere which was also beautiful. The food was outstanding, the staff were very friendly and spoke good English. I was surprised the bill was also so reasonable given the high quality of the food. Highly, highly recommend it.

We were really surprised to discover the little restaurant, Auberge de L'abbaye, in a pretty, small village near Herepian called Villemagne-l'Argentière. We chose a menu dictated by the chef, and we ate a great trout tartar! Not expensive at all and good!

My husband and I absolutely adored Le Couvent from the moment we arrived. The most stressful part was finding the hotel as it is tucked away in a small cobbled street. The hotel is spacious and we loved lingering outside on our own (huge) porch. In terms of doing things in this village, well there isn't too much going on at all here (although it is very pretty) but a short drive takes you to more lively villages. Come here simply to relax in the hotel spa, take in the views and eat and drink, which was what we were after. I had a massage in the basement spa – one of the best I have had. The customer service was really heartfelt and genuine too. Highly recommmended (especially for those wishing to escape the city rat race!)