Find paradise in the hills, in 30 acres of family bliss and Langdocian views. Thoughtful service here goes beyond the call of duty: food baskets on arrival, gourmet teas on the house, and Friday morning lie-ins for grown-ups. While the kids go to kids' club, climb trees, bounce on trampolines, go on treasure hunts, hide in the woods, head off on tractor rides, feed the animals and make new friends, you barely lift a finger. Twice a week you’re unleashed on the local restaurants while blissed-out little ones are cared for by babysitters as they sleep. In the day you can enjoy massages, canoeing, riding, climbing, yoga and more.
There’s a little shop, delicious home-cooked meals, cocktails of an evening, and a choice between self-catering or all-inclusive seasons. With only a sprinkling of apartments (each one rustic, packed with provisions and stuffed with age-considered toys), you can be as sociable or not as you like. Tour the tree-lined Canal du Midi, swim in the Lac du Salagou, shop in perfect little Pézenas. Come home to a lap in the pool, a massage in the spa, and a snooze under the chestnut trees.
Highs
- Intimate house-party feel and award-winning childcare – unlimited crèche (ages 3 months+), adventurous kids' club for 6-12s (seasonal) and twice-weekly babysitting
- Take it from us, the parent pampering is particularly brilliant: tennis lessons, wine-tastings, spa treatments, an adults only pool and hot tub, dedicated adult time and daily housekeeping
- Flexible dining options. Summer guests get all meals and drinks included, while those visiting in mid / low season self-cater using the well-equipped kitchens and the handy on-site shop
- A petting farm where kids can feed chickens, pigs, rabbits, donkeys, goats, horses and hens – the joy on their faces was a picture!
- Three perfect pools (adult, family and toddler) with gorgeous views
Lows
- The inclusions during mid and low season are very different to those in summer – check Rates carefully for details
- Summer (June-mid-September) is pricey, but include all meals and drinks (including alcohol), 2 fun lunches, extra supervised activities, 2 off-site activities, 2 babysitter evenings, 1 spa treatment per family member and more
- Saturday to Saturday only, with a 7-night minimum stay
- The décor of the apartments is a little tired but it actually makes it feel more relaxed, and less of a concern with kids
- Sterilizers
- Mini-blender for baby purées
- Umbrella pushchair
- Changing mats
- Bed guards
- Wooden cots
- Moses baskets and bedding
- High chairs
- Baby bouncy chairs
- Bath toys and non-slip bath mats
- Baby bicycle seats
- Potty
- Steps for bathroom
- Plastic mattress protectors
- Plastic plates and cups
- Emergency nappies
- Wooden toys
- Portable restaurant seats
Some equipment may need to be requested in advance
Your own dedicated babysitter is provided 2 nights a week (so adults can have 'date nights').
Baby listeners are available to borrow, and they stretch to the on-site bar; baby-listening apps also work well with the resort's WiFi. On babysitting nights, Laure stays in touch with the sitters by mobile phone or walkie-talkie, and are moments away if they need assistance. The sitters tend to be staff so will usually be known to guests.
On-site drop-in crèche and play group (ages 3 months-6 years) open Monday-Friday (9am-5pm) and Sunday (11am-4pm), with a daily 1-hour lunch break. Facilities include toys and games, arts and crafts, a sleep area, and children’s toilets / changing area, plus an outdoor area with a ball pond, soft-play climbing and ride-ons. Organised activities include baking, scavenger hunts, music sessions, story-telling, yoga and mini golf. There is also a Big Kids’ Programme (ages 6-12) available during mid and summer seasons only. Activities are adapted to suit the children's interests and include basketball, rounders, mini golf, quizzes, treasure hunts and dress-up. Supervised activities are also held twice a week in the early evening.
- Mid / Low season: self-catering with fully equipped kitchens
- Summer season: all-inclusive meals (buffet breakfasts, 2 communal lunches, an à la carte menu, Kids’ Club dinners, evening chef-prepared meals delivered to your apartment, and on-site meals-to-go)
- All seasons: complimentary kids afternoon tea (sandwiches and cake)
- All seasons: Friday PJ party breakfast from 7am - kids can be collected from their apartments and parents can go back to bed
- All seasons: on-site shop selling milk, bread, pastries and chef-prepared frozen meals (free during summer season only)
- Petting farm with sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, donkeys, horses and rabbits. Kids are invited to help feed the animals and collect the hens' eggs
- Supervised horse and pony rides (ages 3+)
- Large swimming pool and smaller toddler pool (toys, flotation devices and swimming lessons available); both fenced
- Tractor rides
- Tennis (coaching available)
- In-room toys, games and books (to suit all ages)
- In-room large flatscreen TV (with Sky), DVD player and DVDs
- French lessons (enquire for details)
- Table tennis
- 9-hole mini golf
- Playground and sandpit
- Treehouse
- Trampolines
- Bicycles to borrow
- Children's football goals
- Woodland and lots of open space to play
- Seasonal activities e.g. chestnut picking, marshmallows by the fire, leaf collecting in the autumn
- Lac du Salagou (large lake with beach area and pedalos)
- Rock climbing on the Larzac Plateau (all abilities)
- Tree-climbing courses (kids and adults; all abilities)
- Trout-fishing
- Archery (all abilities)
- Aquarium, Insect Micropolis, Aqualand and dinosaur park
- Velorail (a ride on an old train track through the countryside)
- Hiking (routes suitable for all ages)
- Indoor swimming pools with slides
- Mine de Pioch Farrus (prehistoric copper mine where visitors wear helmets with lights on the front)
- Boutique Apartments
- 7 apartments for 4-12
- All-inclusive (summer) OR self-catering (Mid / Low season)
- All ages welcome
- Closed: 26 Dec 2024 - 4 Apr 2025...
- Heated Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach Nearby
- Babysitting
- Creche / Kids Club
- Car essential
- Parking
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Daily Maid Service
- Towels & Bedlinen
- Concierge Service
- Tennis Court
- Bicycles Available
- Yoga
Rooms
The old farm buildings, where once Roquefort was produced, have been beautifully restored to hold 5 apartments (in the Old Dairy), a self-contained cottage and a large farmhouse villa. Wonderfully welcoming and well equipped, the French rustic-chic décor includes whitewashed walls with stonework peeping through, sofas to slouch on, super-comfy beds atop chunky tiled floors, and blackout curtains and blinds, and air-conditioning. All have full kitchens, private terraces and thoughtful family features, such as toys, age-appropriate accessories and TVs.
Ideal for big family groups, the grand Farmhouse has 5 bedrooms (including a jaw-dropping master suite), and a palatial double-height living space.
Self-contained, but close by, the quaint, cosy 2-bedroom Chestnut House is more open-plan than the others – perhaps not ideal for light-sleeping little ones.
Back at the Old Dairy, ground-floor Apartment 1 is big enough for a family of 4 (or more) and grandparents, too. The terrace is shady and secluded, tucked away at the back of the building.
We stayed in the Old Dairy’s smallest apartment: top-floorApartment 5, with a good view of what’s going on around the resort. The 2 bedrooms can interconnect, there’s a huge bathtub to splash around in, and the terrace (fenced and gated) felt very private.
The remaining apartments have 3 bedrooms a piece (sleeping up to 6). We loved ground-floor Apartment 2’s generous wisteria-shaded terrace, at its most luscious in spring. Up on the first floor, Apartment 3 has a fun kid-friendly mezzanine bedroom (properly walled, with a window) and a terrace shaded by kiwi trees - great for all older kids or babes in arms. Conversely, Apartment 4 (also on the first floor) is ideal for families with crawlers, as it only has 2 internal steps. Outside, the gated, fenced terrace has gorgeous rural views.
Features include:
- Bathrobes
- Fan
- Hairdryer
- Safe box
- Washing machine
- WiFi
Eating
Every apartment has a hand-built kitchen with an indoor and outdoor dining area. You get a large fridge-freezer, full cooking equipment, a dishwasher and kid-friendly extras. A generous welcome basket also awaits your arrival, practically stocked with everything from hot drinks and milk to bread, pasta and sauce, and fruit and veg.
Guests self-cater in mid and low season, but in summer rates are all-inclusive. During this time there are buffet breakfasts, chef-prepared evening meals delivered to your apartment, an à la carte menu, meals-to-go, kids' meals (including a pasta bar and pizza-making) and two lovely communal lunches per week. During our visit we enjoyed a fun Friday barbecue with steak, salads galore and an incredible lemon meringue pie. Perfectly set under the wisteria at a long table – cold wine, great company and happy kids running amok.
Once you’ve devoured the contents of the welcome basket (included all year), the on-site shop can provide picnic ingredients, chef-prepared meals, or a bottle of bubbly from the wine cave. (Shop produce is included in the summer rate.)
We loved the indoor-outdoor bar, where cushioned wicker sofas ask to be lounged on throughout the day. It’s close enough to all the apartments to use a baby listener, and parents often stay here until the early hours, relaxed in the knowledge that their kids are safe. This is the venue for the kids' complimentary daily afternoon tea and the summer season buffet breakfasts (warm pastries and freshly squeezed juices). Some guests stick around to eat here, others take it back to their apartment, and the really savvy ones have their children collect it for them. Best of all, on Fridays there's a kids' PJ party breakfast, so us parents get to go back to bed!
The village has a great restaurant, La Calade (just 10-minute drive down the hill) who does authentic French cooking and good local wines. A fantastic view over the Lac du Salagou can be seen at L’Auberge du Lac while enjoying a lovely romantic dinner.
Features include:
- Bar
- Barbecue
- Communal dining
- Dishwasher
- Food blender
- Fridge
- Full kitchen
- Hob or stove
- Kids' meals
- Microwave
- Oven
- Restaurants nearby
- Toaster
- Welcome hamper
- On-site shop
Activities
- Splash about in the family pool, or float serenely in the (small but secluded) adults’ pool and hot tub. The family one is heated and heavenly, lined with teak loungers and poolside ‘beds’
- On site you have tennis, table tennis, 9-hole mini golf, a small gym, a hot tub, yoga, beauty treatments and massages – you may choose to never leave your holiday bubble!
- But in case you do, Laure can arrange off-site activities including horse and pony rides, horse and carriage rides, canoeing, fishing, pedalo-ing, golf, an electric boat trip, archery, wine-tasting and more
- Tour the tree-lined Canal du Midi, picnic, windsurf, or wild-swim by the lovely, peaceful Lac du Salagou
- Or pose in 16th-century Pézenas, an exquisitely cobbled hilltop town full of pretty restaurants and boutiques
- Visit the old town of buzzing Montpellier, a 50-minute drive. It’s the most popular city to live in France
- Come home and chill out in the bar
- Borrow a DVD or catch up on an entire box set - plenty to choose from
- For child-specific activities, see our Kids page
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Cycling
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horse riding
- Kayaking
- Language courses
- Plantlife / flora
- Shopping / markets
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Wine tasting
- Yoga
Best Time to go
It’s lovely to be in southern France for the spring flowers, or when the vines are on the turn. In the summer season (June-mid-September), Country Kids’ holidays are run on an all-inclusive basis, and can book up over a year in advance. However, during the mid and low seasons (April and May) rates are self-catering and you have more flexibility in tailoring the holiday to your needs. At any time of year, the childcare in the crèche (fully regulated and taking babies from 3 months) is second to none. The Big Kids Programme of activities for ages 6-12 runs during Summer season only.
Our Top Tips
- When enquiring, ask about the ages of the children already booked in that week. The team are happy to discuss this, and it will help you get an idea of the number of playmates your children may have
- Bear in mind you really do not have to bring a lot with you for the children as they have everything you can think of. You’ll just need clothes and sun cream – and even that can be bought or borrowed on site!
Location
Country Kids lies between the villages of Octon and Brenas in the Languedoc region of southwest France. It is 50 minutes northwest of Montpellier.
By Air:
Béziers Airport (60km) and Montpellier Airport (72km) are both about an hour's drive; Nîmes (120km) and Carcassonne (146km) are just under 2 hours away. Toulouse is also an option (240km) – approximately 3 hours' drive away. You'll need to hire a car while staying at Country Kids.
By Train:
If you'd prefer to travel overland from the UK, there are good services to Montpellier and Avignon. If you are coming from London and your train is not direct, we recommend you change trains in Lille (a platform change) rather than Paris (a station change).
Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.
More on getting to France and getting around
Airports:
- Béziers 60.0 km BZR
- Montpellier 72.0 km MPL
Other:
- Beach 77.0 km
- Shops 2.0 km
- Restaurant 2.0 km