Village Castigno - Wine Hotel & Resort

The village is to-die-for charming. Yet, even though the locals seem pretty chilled about half of their village being painted purple for the European glitterati, you can't help on occasion feeling like an extra in a Truman Show-esque experiment. Vis those rooms, the biggest and most expensive (prestige cuvee) have flaws. Namely that they're very dark, compounded by the fact the windows face straight onto the street necessitating having the curtains closed the whole time. The "private terrace" is redundant, being as it is right in the street - passers by often pause for a rest in your chairs. And for folks in a new relationship, these rooms would be downright awkward! You sit on the loo in front of a big glass door directly facing the bed. And so there you sit, all lit up in purple as you execute your holiest of holies. Conversely, the next room tier down, vintage cuvee, are on the first floor with huge windows you can throw up open to enjoy the glorious views, and some have rolltop baths in the bedroom. Much better. There were a few niggles - hot food and fresh fruit should NOT run out half hour before breakfast closes in a hotel of this calibre - but otherwise it's quite a magical experience. For a while, at least. My takeout is that if one were to visit for a night or two as part of a road-trip around the Languedoc, then this would be a memorable stopover. But as a destination, the undeniable quirkiness and uniqueness wears off pretty quickly, leaving one wanting for a more traditional hotel experience.

Short time ago we visited Village Castigno in Assignan,France. We were able to dine in Le Thaï de Castigno. From the start at the reception by Mrs Som, we were treated super friendly and above all really professional. She manages her kitchen team of excellent chefs so that we tasted a wonderful meal with exquisite thaï ingredients and flavors. With this came the best Castigno wines. Together a true special experience. The next day we were able to enjoy a beneficial, soothing and very relaxing massage at the Spa de Castigno by Mrs Som. Finally, it is certainly worth mentioning to visit the impressive chai of Castigno and taste the wines. Many magnificent bottles. We brought some home to taste later and cherish the good memories of our time in Chateau Castigno. We had a very special time, we will remember always; Mark & Mie

One of the very best Michelin Dining Experiences we have ever experienced. A relaxing and friendly resort.

Gorgeous, fun, sexy! The decor of the rooms is very unusual and fun. The restaurants are all excellent.

The restaurants have to improve tremendously, besides Le Petit Table. Petit Table was o.k.. for dinner and especially for breakfast.

Quirky hotel seemingly set in the wilderness. Highlights include the marvellously idiosyncratic yet tasteful design across the estate. Our room contained lots of red and pink which shouted loudly for attention. It felt like a beach hideaway. It was fun, non corporate and we loved it. The room was also very comfortable, great bed, shower, kettle plus coffee machine and powerful shower. We liked the pool areas and the addition of two bicycles was an unexpected and pleasant surprise which we used to career around the vIllage. The staff were all a delight, in particular Paulina who was extremely helpful. And yet, the contrived nature of the hotel - dispersed over a partially functioning village was a little disconcerting. The central village area is pretty and well designed and is home to the hotel’s bistro restaurant. The website describes this area as the “beating heart of Castigno, where holidaymakers, locals and epicureans meet for drinks and to put the world to rights.” However, when we stayed the bistro was closed and the whole square was pretty dead, no lights, people or atmosphere. The adjacent bar was also empty, only a few folks in a large area. Given that this was during the Rugby World Cup on a night that France was playing we found this surprising. For me the whole vibe was a little odd, a facsimile of village life without really succeeding. Fine for a night or even two, it’s relaxing for sure but remote and as all refreshments are provided by the hotel, which come at a high price relative to the room rate, it could become quite expensive.

What a strange little place. A little village miles from anywhere resting on a plateau surrounded by vineyards. Quite a climb to get there so make sure you have plenty of gas in the tank! Although there's a sizable town nearby (10 mins) with loads of bars and restaurants. The accommodation in spread out in units all over the village with main reception housing a bar and reception. There are 2 decent size pools with beds. The little village houses the various restaurants. Although when we visited in early June there was the choice of only two - a Thai (€40+) and a Michelin star (€90+) Breakfast was located in the pretty little village square supplied from one of the restaurants. It's a small quiet place with the usual building works going on. It looks like a typical picture postcard French village and they've tried hard to recreate one. The lovely Castigno vineyard is situated a couple of miles from the village and you can take a guided trip around the place for a fee, with the obligatory wine tasting at the end - hic! The management try very hard to please but they are suffering from staffing problems with closed shops and restaurants. For an expensive, exclusive, quiet retreat you can do a lot worse.

We have stayed one night at the hotel and it was absolutely stunning. A very calm and quite place to relax - Wifi detox is the motto (but I have asked at the breakfast table for Wifi and there is Wifi available). The breakfast is served on a little square in the center of the village. So beautiful. I felt like in a little fairy tale. Unfortunately we were not able to enjoy the restaurants at night, but I would like to come back and I could highly recommend this place to anybody who are willing to drive a little bit further on small streets and away from crowded spots. And besides the village, it is so nice to drive though other little French villages which are adorable, too. We stopped a view times for pictures. Visiting the Chateau / the wine production is a must. Everything was explained to us in English. The tour was so interesting and great to see (in this exceptional building which is in a shape of a wine bottle, fantastic architecture, like the hotel itself). The tour guide (an employee of the Chateau) was super nice, perfect English, great explanations. Same goes for the employees in the Village which are all heartwarming and super friendly. Merci!

Really amazing place. The combination of fantastic food, wine, rooms and view makes this place a real gem. It's luxurious without being pretentious. Everything feels really well thought out, from the free bikes to the locations of sockets in the room. The staff are all super friendly too, with most speaking English (for those non french speakers like me) and those that didn't were still very friendly and appreciated the attempt at speaking French. Their main starred restaurant was closed when we were there but we still managed to get plenty of variety between Le Petite Table and the Thai place for lunches and dinners. The picnic experience was really nice, biking off to a quiet vineyard for picnic in the sun with a bottle of wine qaas a highlight. All in, highly recommended for a luxurious few days of peace and indigence.