Auberge Resorts Collection has been selected to manage Domaine des Etangs, a historic French chateau in the region of Limousin in southwestern France. 

The property, located in the town of Massignac, will reopen under the Auberge brand in April. 

Owned by French hotelier Garance Primat, the 13th-century castle was once the private holiday estate of the Primat family and was transformed into a luxury hotel and art de vivre retreat in 2015. 

Restorations of the ancient castle and original farm buildings have added “curated modern art and artisan architectural interventions”, including an art gallery experience in the old dairy barn, a wellness space built around the original works of the old mill building and multi-storey rooms carved out of restored 18^th-century beams. 

Accommodation includes six standalone farmhouse cottages, four multi-storey suites and a main chateau with seven rooms and suites.

The property features three lounges designed with different guests in mind and a recreational hub for children and adults equipped with lounge furniture, trunks filled with dress-up costumes and pool tables. 

Set on more than 2,500 acres of grounds covering forests, meadows, gardens and lakes, the property offers more than six miles of walking and biking trails, a ‘floating’ tennis court, a seasonal, heated outdoor pool and a large children’s play area.

Activities on offer include farm tours, row boating on the pond, catch-and-release fishing, horse riding and golfing at the nearby 18-hole golf course.

A vegetable garden, an organic orchard and a certified organic farm home to more than 600 ginger-coated Limousin cows drive Domaine des Etangs’ farm-to-table ethos. The property’s flagship restaurant is fine-dining French eatery Dyades, which offers indoor and outdoor seating and a seasonal menu. Daily breakfast is served in the chateau’s dining room while farmhouse cottage guests may opt for private dining. Evening drinks can be enjoyed in the chateau’s three salons and library. 

The Moulin des Etangs wellness centre features five treatment rooms, including a triple suite designed for families, while the basement floor of the chateau offers Gallo-Roman inspired thermal baths, an indoor pool and frigidarium. 

Domaine des Etangs marks Auberge’s second property in Europe, joining the existing Grace Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection, in Santorini. In early 2024, the luxury hotel brand will open Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Resorts Collection, in Florence. The rest of the brand’s portfolio is concentrated in the US. 

Chairman Dan Friedkin said: “As we continue our focused expansion in Europe, we are thrilled to add this magnificent and historic property to Auberge Resorts Collection’s portfolio of one-of-a-kind hotels.

“We are honoured that Garance Primat has entrusted us to manage another one of her family’s properties that, like Primland in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is devoted to helping travellers forge a unique and authentic connection with its locale.” 

Garance Primat added: “Auberge Resorts Collection has been managing Primland, our family resort in Virginia, for the past two years. Seeing them in action has given me the confidence to entrust them with the management of Domaine des Etangs. 

“At the Domaine, nature is at the heart of everything, because our health depends on the health of the earth. Committed to preserving and respecting a balanced environment, the Domaine’s philosophy is built around an art of life reconnected to nature. I am confident Auberge shares those common values with me and that they will take good care of my beloved Domaine in the future.”