Relais et Châteaux Michel Trama l'Aubergade

The food was a highlight, with local flavors that I really enjoyed. The welcoming, attentive staff made me feel at home, and the hotel in Puymirol was comfortable too. A wonderful stay, with hospitality and comfort coming together beautifully. Highly recommend!

The pool was full of wasps, and we had to track down a staff member just to get a cup of coffee, which we still had to pay for. That summed up a stay that felt far too expensive for the luxury and five-star service we expected. We won't return or recommend it. After more than 12 hours of travel, our room wasn't ready. There was nowhere in the hotel to get food or a drink, and no one even offered us water. We were there four nights, with bookings at the Bistro and Michelin Star Restaurant for two of them. Service was poor, and the food didn't meet our expectations for a big culinary experience. Both restaurants were in an open courtyard. A bottle of water cost five Euro on one side and eight Euro on the other, less than 4 meters away. Michel Trama, the chief, mingled with local guests but barely acknowledged us, though we were staying at his hotel. We paid a lot for a stay that turned out to be a major disappointment and way overpriced. Paddy and Lisa

That beef main course was the most succulent I've ever had. We were visiting for a wedding and had dinner here, which was lovely, with delicious food presented beautifully. It was very expensive, €48 for a risotto starter, and the chef was quite rude when he came out. We had no idea why.

The reception staff were lovely, especially when they helped us with our luggage. The room was very comfortable, breakfast fresh and light, and the food memorable. Michel Trama and his son were attentive, and their staff were superb. We'd come for our anniversary and had the full menu gourmand with champagne and wine at the main restaurant. It had seemed like an excellent stay until checkout. The bill matched what I expected, excluding drinks, but I spotted an offer notice on the reception desk for about €180 less. It covered the room, main dinner menu and breakfast, the same things we'd just had. I politely asked if it could be applied. The two receptionists said they'd check with the back office. Then a woman, who we think was the owner's wife, came out without introducing herself or asking how our stay had gone. She just said, 'c'est pas possible.' She went on for about three minutes, insisting the offer was only for online bookings and couldn't be extended to us. The receptionists looked embarrassed while we listened. When we could finally respond, my wife explained she'd booked directly with the hotel and hadn't been told about any offer. I pointed out that the notice didn't say online only, and anyone walking in could have seen it and booked. The woman kept repeating that it wasn't possible, though it clearly was. We were fed up and paid, ready to leave. While we waited for the receipt, she realized we were unhappy and offered us a pot of jam. Good grief, what a way to handle guests. The receptionists seemed mortified. We thanked them for their attentive help, but told them Madame didn't represent the standards we'd come to expect from our many lovely stays at Relais & Chateaux hotels, let alone Michelin 2* restaurants. We told plenty of friends about it in case we were overreacting. Every one of them was horrified. An excellent experience, ruined. I suspect Madame will simply take the offer notice off the desk 😊.