Relais du Castera

We had lunch yesterday after not eating there for a couple of years. It once again did not disappoint. Excellent service, and the food is absolutely delicious. Highly recommend if you’re in the area.

The food was very nice, traditionally French, interesting flavours, well presented and we all enjoyed eating it, one of the better restaurants in this area. However the waitress was somewhat sombre which could make you feel miserable whilst eating there...A little smile and perhaps some calm background music could make the atmosphere a little more jolly. A good value French meal nonetheless.

We had booked a 1 night B&B as part of a trip from the Languedoc to Bilbao. On arrival, after a brief trip to St. Bertrand-de-Comminges on the way (don't miss it), 'madame' could find no record of our booking, made some weeks earlier and seemed a little put out that we had actually turned up. Luckily I had brought a copy of the confirmatory emails, which she studied at length (perhaps she thought I had forged them?) and then decided that she could offer us a room, as though the mix-up was our fault! The room was spacious and fairly quiet with a small balcony, but smelt slightly of urine and was inhabited by a group of flies who circled the centre of the room lazily. However, the room, bedding and bathroom were all clean (actually, the bathroom smelt fine) and an extensive spray with 'Armani Mania' eau-de-toilette soon sorted out the odour (and, strangely, the flies all left too!). However, dinner was a revelation! We had an excellent meal from start to finish although the waitresses were a little dis-interested and surly. Excellent wine too. We had a quiet nights' sleep and an excellent breakfast in the morning. I can't say we got service with a smile, although when we left, the patron chef was rather more friendly when I told him how much we had enjoyed the dinner the night before. Or it may have been because we paid.

Had lunch here on 11 Jul with a work colleague and his wife. The dining room is unassuming but the service was warm and efficient. The menu is varied but its strength is its emphasis on local produce, pork, foie gras, cheeses from the local dairy etc. We werent expecting much but were blown away by the high quality of the food. I had a black pudding tart which was delicious, followed by a pork "shepherd's pie" which was a meal on its own, incredibly tasty and very rich. The cheeses were all local from a few kms away. A glass of nice red topped off a wonderful, unexpected meal in a hostelry that I will definitely visit again. A real gem.

The service is not a three Michelin star but who cares? The lady ran around the room and did he best, who could ask for more? On top of that Madame came and said hello to everyone.||The foie gras entree on the degustation menu is outstanding.||Maybe the best I have eaten. ||The following plates good cuisine de terroir. If ever the chef reads this I would perhaps suggest that he simplifies the confusing flavours of the desserts and follow the line of the previous dishes of local ingredients treated simply and accurately.||But this foie gras is worth doing 100kms for it!

We stayed here (via the Logis book) while travelling. It has fairly simple rooms but excellent food and it's all very reasonably priced. However, it's run in a bit of a cool way. There's no management or staff in any of the common areas most of the time and it would be so much better if everything was better lit (loads of light bulbs were out), the dining room a bit warmer - the fire had one small flame and that was only because I asked someone to attend there was it as we were sitting in a draft - a few candles would improve the atmosphere. All in all it's very worthwhile but could be so much more comfortable and welcoming.

In this area of the comminges there is so little choice of good restuarants in fact zero but this restuarant is an exception. It is very tradtionally French which really adds to its appeal and the food is what you would expect, quality French cuisine. The dishes are tasty, innovative, interesting and presented beautifully. We have had their 42e menu and 20 e menus both excellent value. The wine is also excellent and we only had a cheapish bottle. Its a peace of food heaven in area where there is a serious drought of good chefs and good food. Recommended without hesitation.

We chose this hotel because of the reputation of its restaurant and we were not disappointed – the food was excellent. The hotel is located in a small village which was quite pleasant but had no shops or services apart from the hotel/restaurant. We arrived late in the afternoon to find the hotel door shut. We had to ring from the phone by the door – a bit stressful when your French is not good and you’ve had a long and very tiring day’s drive.||||We booked a standard room but, without realising it, were given a superior room which was spacious, comfortable, nicely decorated and had a covered balcony. The only problem was that at check-out we were charged for a superior room which was not what we booked. Fortunately we had our booking confirmation with the agreed price and although our host was not happy, he did back down, if somewhat ungraciously, and charged us for a standard room. This was a bit unpleasant and was the only negative aspect of an otherwise enjoyable stay.