Les Chalets du Lac

Les Chalets du Lac stand at the entrance to the village of Belcaire, in the Aude, on the Pays de Sault plateau, at about 1,000 m altitude. Lake Belcaire, fed by a spring, is 100 m from the site. Ax-les-Thermes and its station are 25 km away, Quillan 30 km, and Carcassonne airport 80 km; access is by the D613, from Quillan or from Camurac.

Rated 4 stars, the campsite offers pitches and a wide range of wooden accommodation: chalets of 20 to 39 m² for 2 to 10 people, trapper cabins with or without bathrooms, a lodge, a Cathar castle chalet or a hotel-style studio. Some accommodation has a fenced terrace for pets, and units adapted for reduced mobility are listed. Since 2024, the management has been pursuing a sustainable tourism approach with ADEME: dual-flush toilets, rainwater harvesting and timed taps.

As for opening, the site announces a welcome all year round, for rentals and pitches alike, with no closure period stated. The wellness area and its 28°C indoor pool remain accessible in winter from 10am to 7pm, and the castle chalets are fitted with a pellet stove. Reception is open from 10am to noon and from 4pm to 7pm, with hours that may vary off-season.

In winter, the Camurac ski area is less than 10 minutes away, attracting skiers and snowshoers; in the low season, guests come for the peace and quiet and the fir forests.

Skiing at Camurac (less than 10 minutes), snowshoeing and sledging at the Col du Chioula, mushroom picking and the stags' rut in autumn, sauna and indoor pool at the campsite.

The campsite is organised around several water areas. In the warm season, from June to September depending on the weather, a 9.5 m by 4 m outdoor pool, heated by the sun and a heat pump, opens from 10am to 7pm, with a mushroom-shaped paddling pool, a water slide and an artificial-turf beach. All year round, the wellness area has an 8.5 m by 4 m indoor pool heated to 28°C, a sauna and whirlpool baths, from 10am to 7pm.

For meals, the restaurant Le Broc serves regional dishes and pizzas: every evening except Wednesday during the holidays, Friday to Sunday evening the rest of the year. The bar, with local organic beers, Aude wines and cocktails, opens every day in high season and Friday to Sunday otherwise. Takeaway dishes, meal boxes and, in winter, raclette and fondue are also available. A grocery is open every day, with local produce, and the bread depot operates in July and August.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the site, with a speed limited by the mountains. A laundry offers self-service washing machines and dryers, and reception lends an ironing board and iron. Communal barbecues are available, as well as plancha, pierrade and electric barbecue rental. A concierge service arranges restaurant bookings and ticketing, and a night watchman is on duty. Pets are welcome on pitches and in rentals alike, with a dog bar.

On site, children enjoy a play area with a slide and climbing net, two inflatable structures, a trampoline and a kids’ club covered in case of rain. A games bar has more than 150 board games, for an extra charge. Adults have a free-access fitness room (bike, rowing machine, treadmill), a table tennis table, an outdoor table football, a tennis court to book near the lake and a petanque area. Volleyball and basketball are available 100 m away. In high season, entertainment, themed meals and evening events fill the days.

Lake Belcaire, of more than 2 hectares, is 100 m away: fishing without a permit (with a trout release every season), supervised swimming in July and August, inflatable paddleboard rental. Around it, hiking and cycling, fir forests, caves, Cathar castles and Carcassonne can be visited on excursions.

Off-season, the programme remains full. In autumn, guests go mushroom picking and listen to the stags’ rut; in rainy weather, the Daniel du Lac climbing hall is an option. In winter, the Camurac area has 11 downhill ski runs and 2 cross-country runs, the Col du Chioula offers cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sledging, and Ax 3 Domaines has 37 runs over about 80 km. On your return, the sauna and indoor pool take over.