Overall: Overall our group of twelve had a wonderful time at Chateau de Chance. Our part of the group flew into Toulouse airport via Heathrow and the drive to Aragon was extremely manageable less than an hour. My brothers and their families flew in to Carcassonne Airport which is about a 10 minute drive. The chateau has a charm about it and it does feel like a very unique place to stay. The bedrooms were generally spacious, with every one being a little different. The property offers a nice mix of old world feel with some nice improvements. Enjoyed Most: The first view of Aragon as you come round a corner is special but what I liked most is that this is a very unique property, different from most of the properties that we considered - a medieval chateau, set in a row of houses. You feel like you are entering a secret world when you enter the front door. Our experience with Chef Peter at the chateau was wonderful and visitors to the chateau should consider using his services if possible - not cheap but well worth it and comparable to going out on the town. Enjoyed Least: I must agree with some of the other comments about the furniture. I do think that the living room would benefit from an upgrade - the furniture is not particularly comfortable and there doesn't seem to be a sense of 'central design' to the large room. Much of the outdoor furniture is suffering from wear and tear, particularly the chaise lounges and the chairs. Somehow the pool looked bigger in the photos but it is a great addition to the property, especially on the hottest of summer days. The kids loved it despite our unseasonably cool weather. It provides a nice centerpiece for the garden. Perhaps a few more pool towels would be nice. Editor's Note: The owners have had the outside furniture repaired. August 2010 Surrounding Area: Aragon is a quaint, hilly, little, historic village that is well worth a walk abound. As mentioned, it has very few amenities, but offers a lot of photo opportunities. The major attraction of the surrounding area is Carcassonne's walled medieval city La Cite. It is about 8 miles from Aragon if you drive the most direct route from Aragon, following the signs to Carcassonne and then for La Cite. However for a more breath-taking first impression of this walled medieval city, I would suggest that you enter Carcassonne from its southern approach, the motorway side. Nearby Events or Locales: Not really. Aragon had some very basic amenities as described in the information package so that was no surprise. The nearest functional small town was Pennautier about 4-5 miles away - definitely not walkable. There are some village amenities - bar, boulangerie, tabac, fine restaurant and wine tasting at the chateau. On the outskirts of Pennautier, on the route to Carcassonne, there were all of the mall-type amenities that you would expect to find in a large town - supermarkets, gas stations, fast food, etc. Tips or Restaurants: La Bergerie has received many well-deserved recommendations. The couple that own the place have made it a true foodie destination. They have some extraordinary items on the menu and it remains reasonably priced. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of our lunch at the Chateau Pennautier. Their menu offered a good selection of reasonably prices dishes and a good wine selection, much of it local. Their wait staff very knowledgeable, could explain menu items in mouth watering detail and all in very good English sad to admit, a necessity for our group. The facility also has a wine tasting room and shop. Their wines are very good and very affordable. Directions: Instructions were generally good. Some of us got a little turned around but realised it by the next roundabout - obviously directions are harder to follow in the dark! The proximity to La Bergerie is definitely the main thing to emphasise. I didn't try GPS coordinates but I did have a Google Map Satellite photo that gave a good sense of where the property was.