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"I was born in l’Aubrac. This is the place where I was born, and where I live with my family. This place Aveyron, in the North, is a land of transition between the chain of the volcanos of Auvergne and the open plateaux on the Mediterranean. From our mountain, we have modestly dominated the horizon. Here, the Aubrac cows, which can be recognised by their wheat-colour coat and their fur-fringed eyes, occupy the summer pastures, quietly occupying the landscape. These are places of few words but also of great beauty. Places where knives and cheese are manufactured every day. Places which extend and reinvent tradition. Just like our restaurant…"
To give you inspiration, Relais & Châteaux presents the Routes du Bonheur: suggestions for travel itineraries that you can fully personalise according to your wishes and the experiences you would like to discover. Our consultants are available to help customise your route and assist you in making reservations at our properties. It is up to you to reserve any recommended activities on-site or nearby that might interest you.
*Total price provided for information only, based on accommodation for two people in a double room for the number of nights per property as indicated on this page, exclusive of recommended activities, properties that cannot be reserved online and restaurants.
Restaurant and hotel in town. Across from the Parc des Sources in Vichy, MOF (Best Craftsman of France) Chef Jacques Decoret and his wife Martine have taken over a brick chalet dating from the time of Napoleon III. The chalet has a conservatory and a planted and aromatic roof, which illuminate the dining room. With its gentle, spacious rooms and a kitchen with large picture windows, it blends contemporary and classical style, just like the Chef. Jacques Decoret has created a new art de vivre in a historical thermal spa town. He favours fine produce, to which he applies his innovative skills, concocting combinations of hitherto unsuspected flavours for a cuisine nourished by smiles. Gourmets can also sign up to introductory cookery classes.
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Hotel and restaurant in the country. In the heart of the Auvergne of the winding rivers, pure water lakes, Romanesque art and volcanoes, stands a 15th century fortress. This truly exceptional place, just a few kilometres from Clermont-Ferrand, has exquisite guest rooms and an outdoor pool in the middle of nature, surrounded by a wooded park. If the magical towers, dungeons and royal guest rooms with fourposter beds, ancient silk, French marble and original furniture from the late 19th century, are not enchanting enough for you, our restaurant, with a cellar boasting 500 different labels, will seduce you with a cuisine which makes excellent use of the best local produce.
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The medieval city of Thiers includes a number of splendid half-timbered houses. Built between 1450 and 1530, these homes evoke the prosperity of its artisans and other merchants who used to work in the stationery and cutlery industries. Do not hesitate to open the door to one of the many shops that still operate, or that of the Museum of Cutlery, which has a splendid collection dating from the 16th century up to the present day.
Fourme d’Ambert, a cheese of Auvergne
Auvergne is a land of volcanos but also of a formidable plateau of cheeses. Saint-Nectaire, Salers, Cantal, Bleu d’Auvergne and Fourme d’Ambert are all produced within a relatively small perimeter. It is the GAEC of Hautes Chaumes, located in the commune of Valcivières, which supplies our restaurant with Fourme d’Ambert. For here we continue to work on summer pastures and to produce cheese in the mountains, moving the herd depending on the quality of the grass and the pastures…
On the route
Clermont-Ferrand, volcanic stone
Don’t people stop at Clermont-Ferrand because its stone is black and austere? If the city is not immediately appealing, then the capital of Auvergne is definitely worth a visit, if only for its impressive cathedral, the ambience of its rugby matches (Clermont was in the European Cup Final in 2013 !), an ascent of the Puy-de-Dôme or a ride on the neighbouring site of Gergovie, the place where the Gaulish chief Vercingétorix taught César a lesson in resistance…
Restaurant and hotel in the country. Sébastien Bras has been at the helm of Le Suquet since 2009, and is forging his own path, reminiscent of the one his father also took. His intuitive and carefully crafted exceptional cuisine provides the perfect showcase for the treasures of the vegetable world offered by the Aubrac plateau. Imagination is given free rein in subtle pairings and harmonies which express this multifaceted living world. The pearly white monkfish and its black olive sauce tell of Gods battling in the skies over Aubrac: your plate is a fragment of the universe. Nature is at the very heart of the Bras family’s daily endeavours.
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Everyone who lives in Aveyron has their Laguiole knife. Over here, everyone possesses at least one. Designed in 1829 by Pierre-Jean Calmels, a blacksmith who lived in Laguiole, the first local knife was inspired by a capuchadou, the traditional blade of the peasants of Aubrac, and the navaja, which the seasonal workers had brought from Catalonia. It quickly spread throughout the mountain. Its steel was tempered in the village spring and the handle was made from the horn of an Aubrac cow or bull. Then a stamp was soon added, at the request of farmers, before the knife had a corkscrew added to it. The latter met the needs of the coalmen who went to work in cafés in the capital. The knife that you will find at your table will be served during the cheeses course, and was made next door, at the forge of Laguiole…
Pierre Soulages Museum, Rodez
Built by Catalan architects, the future Soulages Museum is scheduled to be inaugurated in Rodez during Spring 2014. Located in its hometown, the museum has benefited from the significant legacy of the «black» painter. With very large numbers of historical works dated 1946-1948, and remarkable works of the 60s, the museum’s collection is already the artist’s largest collection in the world. Soulages told me that he know his first feelings as a painter in the plateau of Aubrac. There are links between him and our family. We have had the good fortune of being chosen to open a gastro pub at the heart of the establishment.
The cheese of the Coopérative Jeune Montagne
Laguiole is known for its knife… and its cheese. Continuing the tradition of the cheese manufacturing establishments, the coopérative Jeune Montagne produces the cheeses of Laguiole («young and old») but also an excellent aligot as well as a fresh Tome. On our menu you will also find two cheeses from Laguiole that are produced by this coopérative which respects equitable and inclusive agriculture.
The wines of Marcillac
I love the local wines produced in the Domaine du Cros by Philippe and Julien Teulier. Frank and authentic, they are a perfect accompaniment to a good piece of Aubrac beef. The Teulier family has cultivated wines throughout generations since 1870. Their domain today extends over thirty hectares in the Vallon de Marcillac, and has been enjoyed by the best wine-lovers of London, Tokyo and New York. And the wines with seasonings of black pepper and hints of red fruits which are also included on our menu, go down well…
Hotel and restaurant in a vineyard. At the end of a drive bordered by century-old trees, this 16th century country house, set in the heart of magnificent landscaped grounds, offers an exquisite, tranquil retreat, just minutes from Montpellier city centre. Contemporary furniture is a graceful companion to its beautiful old stones and meticulously restored antique mosaics which combine to create a cosy cocoon. The 17 hectares of Verchant vineyards which surround the house, produce wines which can be sampled in the restaurant served with Mediterranean cuisine. The spa is open to the surrounding grounds, with views over the vineyards, and is the ideal spot to relax or enjoy some personalised treatments.
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This stunning city of insects was born following the phenomenal success of Microcosmos, a documentary which was held outside of the competition of the Cannes Festival in 1996. Located on the grounds of the famous entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre, the city today houses thousands of different species of insects. It also encourages visitors to discover a large number of images that were not used in the film. In recent months, a new route has been created, offering one an amazing feeling that they are actually heading inside a giant ant colony…
Viaduct and whipped focaccia
This work of architecture, designed by the famous British architect Lord Norman Foster, has proven itself an essential site in the region within the space of only a few years. Crossing this viaduct gives one the impression that they are flying over the valley. At its peak, the building which looks like a boat is 343 m high. More than a passing place, it is a contemporary work and an exceptional site. On the area that borders it, our family has created a gourmet area, intending to highlight the regional products. It is a place where one can taste Capuchin stuffed cabbages, vegetables, Capuchin «Aubrac Aligot meat» or even «Comprégnac Aligot truffles»…
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