We stayed May 21 -28th 2011 and had been concerned by earlier reviews. However, apart from mosquitoes at night and a problem with the air-conditioning for the first 2 days, we had a lovely time and rate the hotel and its staff highly.

The Staff : overall they were very friendly and helpful.
The reception / management spoke good English ( and a new manager is a really pleasant English lady ) and were all very friendly and approachable. When there was a problem with the aircon they brought up a large fan to our room to help.
A lot of the Waiting staff spoke good English and were also nice, and we didn't experience the hostility an earlier reviewer found. There was one evening where a waiter who admittedly was a bit off-hand at times, ignored us to the point we had to get our own bread and wine, but this was more than made up for by the hotel's sole waitress who used her initiative and took over our table. She was brilliant throughout the stay and has a great future ahead of her - very capable and motivated. When she learned it was my birthday, she brought out champagne and candles etc, and made a real fuss, and it was genuinely done out of her own good will and kindness rather than it just being hotel policy. ( and she did other nice things during our stay ).
She also good-naturedly humoured my husband trying his ancient school-boy French out on her and his gentle flirting. A thoroughly nice girl and with the other staff , made it such a good holiday.

The Hotel : although we had an unrefurbished room, it was clean and comfortable, and thus we weren't bothered about moving, though we did look at a newly up-dated room and were very impressed. It even had a kettle and tea-making facilities ! Once that refurb has finished ( it was underway but we were not disturbed by it ) then the hotel will be very smart ; I just hope they don't raise the prices. The beds were large and very comfortable.

The gardens were a bit disappointing as much of the grounds had become neglected, but the important parts such as the dining terrace and the terrace at the front of the hotel and by the pool were well maintained and attractive. The pool was lovely and we had it to ourselves most of the stay. It is not heated but was a nice temperature.The poolside shower wasn't working and the lavatory in the next door Orangery was sometimes locked, but perhaps in high summer these will be remedied.

The Food : all credit to the chef and staff, this was excellent, but the menu wasn't cheap. The restaurant is obviously a gourmet destination for locals, and some nights it was booked up. The menu was the same all week and although there was a good choice, we found it a bit repetitive as the food was very rich and a couple of nights we decided to buy our own plainer food and have a picnic just so our tastebuds could recover. Breakfast was a buffet, but again was to a high standard.

There is a large carpark with plenty of room though with conferences it did fill up.

Its worth checking when the aircon works ; we were there in a bit of a heatwave, but the week or so before had been cold and they had changed the aircon to a hot-air function. The engineer was required to turn it back over, hence our problem, above. Being by a river, mosquitoes were a problem ( they are silent and difficult to spot ) and for the first 2 nights we kept the window closed and it got very hot, though the fan was much appreciated. There is a good pharmacy in the little village.

On a general basis, the newish ring road around Bezieres took some getting used to, so get a sat-nav or up-to-date map,and eating out was far more expensive now than when we last visited France. However, we loved the hotel and the region and would go back, though suspect in high summer when it is full it might lose a bit of its charm.

This chateau compares very badly with other chateaux standards - instead of emphasising its history it's gone the 'boutique hotel' route. The bedrooms vere very basic - did not even have shampoo/showergel, reception just told us they haven't got it!
Building/surrounds and restaurant are 5 star, staff and rooms are at best 2 star.
I'm not sure the hotel knows what its imge is and what it ultimately is trying to sell to their customers. For the prices charged we definitely expected a better service all round

I had read the reviews before booking so we were prepared for the unusual decor in the breakfast room & halls. I wanted to stay in at least one chateau & Lignan was one of the few in the region priced reasonably, a relative term.
The location is quiet with nothing in walking distance but is very convenient to several large cities & regions by car. We made a day trip to the Cote Vermeille stopping in villages from Coullioure to Cerbere & also had time to eat lunch & take in a boat excursion & still got back to the hotel before dark.
The hotel grounds away from the hotel are not particularly well kept but are very large with 500 year old trees. The river Orb flows along one side but is not accessible from the hotel grounds & can barely be seen through the trees. The pool area is well kept as are the terraces which are used for dining. It is a pleasant area to relax in. We enjoyed walking the grounds and many others were sun bathing & in the pool.
There is plenty of free parking.
The reception & bar are underwhelming as is the stained carpet in the elevator.
Our room was identical to the one pictured. The desk & table tops were rather scuffed & worn for contemporary decor. The room was a decent size, clean, with a comfortable bed & many pillows, a sheet & blanket & no duvet, new carpet and good AC. There is a bar frig., a small t.v. & wifi which we could not connect to. The gray tile bath was quite large and seemed new,. The shower had 2 shower holders, high and low, and worked well. The WC is separate. The towels were very white & fluffy but there were no wash clothes. There are 2 large windows looking down on the terrace. We were very comfortable for the 2 nights we were there & had no complaints.
We had not planned to eat in the restaurant but arrived late on a Sun. & there were no other options in Lignan-sur-Orb. The menu seemed quite expensive with most plats & some entrees costing 30E or more. Everyone was seated on the terrace which was very comfortable & bug free. After ordering a beer & Kir, we ordered the caramelized duck.The maitre d' seemed surprised we didn't want an entree or dessert with it. To be honest, we expected to be ripped off. Instead, each of us was served 3 small appetizers on a tray accompanied by a detailed description provided by our server, and a selection of breads - we chose the nut bread- even though we had not ordered an entree. One appetizer was a light crab mousse, one was a small duck brochette & the other a Chinese spoon of salsa without the spices. All delicious. This was followed by a small tray of 2 appetizers, which was followed by a single scallop appetizer - really delicious. Then our dinner. We each received 2 duck breasts, perfectly cooked with a crunchy caramelized top & a side reduction & tiny stuffed & sautéed courgettes. Everything was perfect. Although we didn't order dessert, we still received a pre-dessert : 2 small meringues with chocolate, a chocolate mousse topped with orange & a jelly-type square concoction like we had seen in many patisseries in Aude. We were completely full and can't imagine eating an entree and/or dessert in addition to all the samplings but most everyone did! What happened to lunch being the big meal!? Everything was really excellent as was the service & ambiance. With coffee our bill came to 85E which was reasonable considering the quality, variety, quantity & service. It was a two hour dinner. We would highly recommend dinner there.
We also had the breakfast buffet one morning. It was a typical continental breakfast but included some very good flavored yogurts & fresh fruit salad. At 13 E it didn't have cooked eggs as we had in a few other hotels for that price. We also had to ask for a second cup of coffee . There was a coffee machine, but it was not hooked up.
We found the female staff very friendly but were a bit put off by a couple of the male staff. The decor is odd but entertaining, especially at breakfast. We got the impression it is all tongue-in-cheek here, except in the restaurant! I give the hotel an average rating as a 3 star hotel but the restaurant gets an excellent rating.

My husband and I stayed here with our son, his wife and small child. The staff were very pleasant and helpful. I cannot say the chateau provided the best bedrooms we have stayed in, we had the only suite in the hotel which was not too large but had aspects both to the gardens at the side and front of the chateau. Basic furnishings but clean and pleasant. The bathroom and separate toilet were small but adequate. We understood that some of the bedrooms could be quite small so request the largest available. The gardens were extensive and house a small swimming pool. They were well maintained and the large patio is used for breakfast and meals in fine weather. The lounge is small as is the breakfast room. However in our opinion the one thing that makes the Chateau stand out is the evening meal. We chose the menu du chateau which in our opinion was both superbly cooked and presented but also very good value. Not cheap, but when compared to the price charged in the U.K. for the equivalent almost half the price. The pieces of art which adorn the whole venue in various guises are strange and many could have been taken from a teenagers' art class, but don't let this deter you from giving the venue a try. We did not think it was overpriced but don't expect luxury, just a very pleasant and welcoming place to stay with a fantastic evening kitchen.