We spent 5 wonderful nights at Auberge Castel Merle. We were warmly welcomed by husband and wife owners. The location is excellently perched over the Vezere river. The property is charming and traditional. We ate dinner every evening at the Auberge. The food was delicious. The service was excellent. The room was small but clean and comfortable. The Auberge is close enough to all the great sites, including Lascaux, the Dordogne river and many beautiful chateaus.
My mother and I spent an unforgettable night at the Auberge de Castel Merle on our recent trip around the South of France. We used to spend summers in the Dordogne every year, and had many memorable meals at the Auberge over 20 years ago. Now the owners have added rooms for guests to stay overnight... and we are so happy they have! Arriving at the Auberge feels like you have taken a journey back to a simpler time, you're surrounded by nature and incredible views and the rooms are like staying in a real Dordogne farmhouse. They're simply decorated, but have everything you need and very comfortable beds. We took the demi-pension option and were treated to a delicious meal, a huge home-made omelette with freshly picked local mushrooms and delicious potatoes. It doesn't sound like much, but it was incredible. The breakfast is everything you could ask for and sets you up for a day of exploring this beautiful part of the Dordogne region - 10 minutes from Montignac, 25 minutes from Sarlat... just heavenly!
Castel Merle is a lovely small hotel that deserves more than a 2 stars. We spent 6 'demi-pension' nights in this out of the way, charming and tranquil auberge, in the tiny village of Sergeac, high above with a spectacular view of the Vezere river. The hotel location is perfect for sight seeing in the Perigord noire. Christopher, Anita (the auberge owners) are more than perfect hosts for us. Following a fortunate series of coincidences, Christopher did some internet research and disclosed to us the Chateau de Losse, where our ancestor (the third before the last emperor of Vietnam, a great great uncle of my wife, was captured by the French and sent in exile in Algeria toward the end of the 19th century), owned the chateau and later buried in the Thonac cemetery. If you are looking for a peaceful, rustic but comfortable place with convenient location for sightseeing, real French country cuisine for a reasonable price and a 5 stars friendly service. This is IT!
Chers Chris, Anita and Amanda,
Merci beaucoup pour votre aimable accueil. Grâce à votre gentillesse et expertise, nous avions pu visiter et embellir la tombe de notre. Comme vous aviez dit, peut être le fantôme de notre ancêtre vous a demandé de nous guider vers lui. Merci de nouveau. Nous espérons vous revoir de nouveau bientôt.
I loved my week at this auberge and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to visit the many prehistoric sites of the region. The location is perfect for exploring the area, right in the middle of everything yet far enough away from the villages to feel like you are living within nature itself. The views from the garden are breathtaking and there are many beautiful walks along the river Vezere.
Anita was the perfect hostess and the restaurant was fantastic, home-cooked food from the region and a great selection on the menu, even for a vegetarian such as myself. The breakfasts were very substantial and everything was on offer, a great way to start the day before heading off for a beautiful country drive. This region is magnificent and my favourite week out of the 9 I had in France.
The rooms themselves were very comfortable and fully equipped, althougth the furnishings were somewhat dated.
Overall I would highly recommend this beautiful auberge.
Stayed here for three nights. We enjoyed the food of the region. Good wholesome cooking and the views from the outside tables were wonderful. Our room was comfortable and the staff could not have been more helpful. Very good vale for the money.
When planning a visit to the Perigord we found this hotel on Trip Advisor and it did not disappoint. It was outside a quaint little village and well located within the region. Absolutely peaceful and quiet. The room was well decorated, large, clean and VERY comfortable. Anita was a wonderful hostess; allowing us to practice our French. Chris gave us a real taste of French country cooking with great tips on wine thrown in. I loved the fact that there were so many different nationalities staying here. Would definitely recommend this place and will stay here again when we return to the area.
Kathleen and Donal
Florida
