Chateau de La Lanette - Jardin

Nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees and run by a friendly British family with two young sons, Chateau De La Lanette and its six guestrooms could be tailor-made for active couples with tots in tow. From the huge list of baby gear, numerous toys and playthings for kids, to parent-friendly touches like sociable dinner party nights (baby monitors provided) and experienced babysitting, whether here to test out skiing 'en famille' in winter, or explore the scenery by bike or foot in summer, it is pretty much a given that a good time will be had by all.

Guests describe Chateau de La Lanette as a ‘home from home’ and, given that most of us don’t live in a 19th century Chateau on the foothills of the Pyrenean Mountains, it’s clearly the friendly ambience and not the Chateau's grandeur or stunning location that creates this impression!

Russell, with his 20 years experience in hospitality, and Heather, mum to Louis and Henry, are all too familiar with the demands of family life, and that includes knowing that doing battle with check-in staff over excess baggage or raming everything but the kitchen sink onto a roof rack is no way to start a relaxing break. Arriving to find a bottle of champagne on ice, a full complement baby equipment (see grey box for details) and patio doors opening out onto a large enclosed garden complete with ride-ons, a 14ft trampoline, a small pool, swings and a sandpit, certainly is!


The rooms share access to the elegant dining room, library and cosy salon, with its comfy sofas, open log fire and extensive DVD collection - perfect for a quiet evening drinks and relaxation, once the little ones are tucked up in bed. Best of all, although La Lanette is primarily a B&B, Heather cooks up marvellous kids suppers and delicious 3-course meals with civilised apperitif, for parents who can enjoy them in the beautiful panelled dining room within baby monitor (provided) range of the bedrooms...bliss! Picnics and baby purees are also no problem and recommended.

Chambre de Jardin is set at the back of the house with its own pretty bridge leading from its French doors into the chateau's garden. The room is fairly spacious with high ceilings, the original fireplace and a beautiful wooden floor. There's a large double bed and room for a cot. It also has an ensuite shower room with large walk-in shower (baby bath provided).

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Set in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Chateau de La Lanette is in easy reach of both cultural and outdoor activities.

For many, skiing and snowboarding prove the biggest draw. There are five ski resorts within an hour’s drive, catering for all levels. The family resort of Le Mourtis is just 25 minutes away , a superb family resort, with 22km of skiing including plentiful green, blue, red and black runs, plus facilities including ski school, crèche, sledging pistes and several cafes and restaurants. A longer journey of 45 minutes will take you to the resort of Peyragudes used in the pre-title sequence of the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies.

For those who prefer wheels to skis, the whole area opens itself up beautifully to cyclists. Last year the Tour De France passed Chateau de La Lanette’s front door – but you don’t need to win the yellow jersey to take to the roads - there are routes to suit all levels.

On four wheels, a 20 minute journey will take you to the elegant metropolitan spa town of Bagneres De Luchon where you can breathe in the waters in the vapourium and pamper yourself with a hydrobath. A further 15 minutes away is Parc de Loisirs in Lannemezan (35mins drive), which has a large boating lake with pedalos and boats for hire, pony rides, a carousel, bouncy castle, train rides, and a mini bobsleigh track. There's also all the usual playground equipment, large picnic areas, snack bars. And a themed fairy story area, and lots of animals and birds to discover.

Nearest Medical Services: Pharmacy 5mins drive, doctor 10mins drive and hospital 20mins drive.

Getting There: Both Pau and Toulouse Airports are within 90mins drive, whilst Lourdes and Carcassonne airports are with 2hrs. The ferry port at Bilbao is around 3 hrs drive away.

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3 Ears of Corn from Gites de France

We stayed in Chateau de La Lanette for six nights in August this year. We had a ...

We stayed in Chateau de La Lanette for six nights in August this year. We had a wonderful time, the kids were happy playing with Louis and Henry, we were very well looked after by Heather and Russell; nothing was ever too much trouble. We spent our evenings enjoying Heather's delicious meals and desserts (pear tarte tatin 10/10) and chatting amongst friends. The accommodation is first class and finished to a very high standard, spacious enough for all four of us. Heather's recommendations of local attractions were always spot on and there was plenty to see and do for the kids. We will be back and are considering a skiing holiday. A huge thank you to Heather, Russell and the boys for a great holiday!

I would highly recommend Chateau de La Lanette to anyone travelling with small c...

I would highly recommend Chateau de La Lanette to anyone travelling with small children. Heather and Russel are fantastic hosts they cannot do enough for you, nothing is a problem. The food is excellent and the nursery teas worked a treat, Heather asked what the children liked and planned accordingly. The house and garden are perfect for the children and Louis and Henry are great playmates. We loved it!

This B&B was a great find. We stayed 2 nights with our baby daughter and it was ...

This B&B was a great find. We stayed 2 nights with our baby daughter and it was incredibly relaxing. Heather and Russell were so welcoming and took care of everything we needed. It is definitely worth staying in for dinner, as we did both nights,as not only was the food delicious, but it was so lovely to be able to unwind with the monitor on and the baby safely in bed. It is just not something you can do in a hotel.The chateau itself is beautiful and feels very luxurious, especially considering the very reasonable price. The spacious room (Chambre St Julien)we had was a far cry from the cramped hotel room we stayed in later in the holiday.The garden has everything a child would want and our daughter loved playing with the other children there.I cannot recommend this place highly enough, we had a wonderful time!

What a fantastic family holiday! We stayed at La Lanette for 9 nights in Septemb...

What a fantastic family holiday! We stayed at La Lanette for 9 nights in September 09 with our 21 month old son. The Chateau is absolutely beautiful and the rooms really luxurious but what really made our stay special was the warm welcome and hospitality shown by Russell, Heather and their two little boys. Nothing was too much trouble for them and they seem to have thought of everything to make life easier for travelling parents. Our son was in paradise - a huge garden with big trampoline, climbing frames, sandpit, ride-on toys (plus two keen playmates); goats and donkeys to feed just down the road; rivers to throw stones into...etc. etc. And plenty for the adults too - it is a stunning rural location with fantastic cycling & walking opportunities; even just hanging out on the terrace in the autumn sunshine watching the kids playing was a real treat. Heather and Russell offer baby sitting on request but actually we chose to eat dinner at the chateau most nights which meant we could relax over Heather's fantastic food in the dining room within easy range of the baby monitor (provided). All-in-all, highly recommended!

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