Les Jardins Sothys - Auriac

We arrived at 12:40 on a Saturday in late May, we were only the second car in the car park so expected to be able to have lunch. An extremely rude receptionist told us that in France one arrives for lunch before 12:30 so there...was no chance of lunch! It was obvious that the real reason for the lack of lunch was that the restaurant was obviously catering for a coach party, we did not appreciate either her manner or the lack of truth. The garden is peaceful but we were disappointed by the rose garden , in England it would have been described as no more than a rose bed. Think there are probably some interesting walks in the area so we may return but we will ensure that we have lunch in one of the nearby villages. Our main memory of our visit to the gardens will be the extreme rudeness of the only staff member we encountered

We visited the restaurant at the recommendation of a local and what a find. The food was incredible and beautifully presented, the location delightful and the service fantastic (attentive, informative but unobtrusive) it is now up there with my favourite restaurants. Superb. We will...be back!!!

You need to book as it is very popular. We were able to get drinks and snacks but the restaurant at the weekend was fully booked so not a full dinner-but i totally except that if a place is popular-you have to expect to book. The gourmet coffee with desserts was yum. The food being served around us looked scrum! This place is all about detail-the coffee came with crystalized sugar on sticks-the staff were very charming and attentive so I am most certainly going to return! Now I did see fellow Brits getting all shirty as they expected to just turn up and not introduce themselves to the staff etc-you do have to book. Had they have been polite they might have been handed a snack menu. The gardens are totally delightful-and the restaurant sits in the most idyllic setting with a view of a lake. I would rate this as a must visit place-the gardens, the restaurant and the gardens have a little boutique with top quality cosmetics and perfumes-so do pick a sunny day and enjoy the lot! I'd recommend you lunch at midday and then saunter round the gardens-the gardens include a relax area with music-hee! The drive up includes stunning views. You cannot take dogs into the gardens. If you take children-just by the restaurant and gardens-the lake has a swimming area with little beach...a day out for all. Outstanding place to visit-a luxury treat that wont break the bank balance

We visited in July 2016 with some friends and had an excellent meal. Everything was right - the service, the food, wine and drinks. It is in a beautiful setting and is surprisingly good value. Well worth the hour or so it took us to drive from the other side of Mauriac.

We arrived at 12:40 on a Saturday in late May, we were only the second car in the car park so expected to be able to have lunch. An extremely rude receptionist told us that in France one arrives for lunch before 12:30 so there was no chance of lunch! It was obvious that the real reason for the lack of lunch was that the restaurant was obviously catering for a coach party, we did not appreciate either her manner or the lack of truth.The garden is peaceful but we were disappointed by the "rose garden", in England it would have been described as no more than a rose bed.Think there are probably some interesting walks in the area so we may return but we will ensure that we have lunch in one of the nearby villages. Our main memory of our visit to the gardens will be the extreme rudeness of the only staff member we encountered