Although end of summer season a great night at this place. Very friendly people, beautiful castle in great condition, nice and quiet. Loved it. We really will be coming back in summer and relax at the great pool or stroll through the gardens and park.
Taking safety measures
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Booking.com
We were a little apprehensive about our stay, as a previous trip advisor review mentioned the hosts/owners wore "painted smiles" and were arrogant. But the beautiful photographs of the place drew us in and we felt the risk was worth taking.
Our fears were put to rest immediately Claude and Sylvie were wonderful hosts, they went about their business but we're always on hand to help. We loved our stay here all the rooms are beautiful the grounds are stunning breakfast fresh local produce. The swimming pool was immaculate Claude's pride and joy. Thanks to our hosts for sharing their beautiful place with us-- they certainly put a smile on our faces.
Claude the owner was very welcoming and although he speaks NO English at all we managed with the help of my IPhone translator!
Very accommodating, the pool area and views a must and drinks on the patio. No dinner served as we did not book but the bar was very quaint.
We paid the extra 10 Euro for the main suite but a tour of all 5 rooms were all period furnished and comfortable. Access through the gate requires a security code which is a bit of a nuisance in the dark and Wi Fi was absolutely useless with 3 different codes depending where you sat. We never succeeded and stayed with Vodafone!!! Breakfast was also disappointing with only a few small items from a pre ordered menu and no choice of meats or fruit. Great coffee however.
This Chateau is a notch above most however.
We attended a wedding reception recently which was held in the barn of the chateau which although nothing to do with the chateau, other than to accommodate as many guests as possible in the main house, was an outstanding success.
Unfortunately we were unable to get a room in the chateau on the night of the reception but were fortunate to stay in a magnificent b and b not far away. With a day of festivities planned at the chateau the following day we managed to secure a room that night along with two friends. Unfortunately the weather changed and all the guests had left by early afternoon, which is where we come to the surreal part.
Four people in a huge, empty, deathly quiet chateau for a day and night is an experience we will never forget.
The chateau itself is a grand throwback to the days of the French aristocracy. Huge towers either side of the main building, decorated in antique French décor with equally antique fittings and furniture the place was magnificent. The room we were given overlooking the huge terrace was unbelievable. Massive 4 poster bed with awnings, tapestries, large table chairs, mirrors, history books, paintings and so on meant we felt as if we had entered a time warp. Only the en - suite brought us back to the present with its modern shower, loo etc.
As it was Sunday, the kitchen was shut so the 4 of us sat at a large table in the middle of the terrace overlooking the magnificent Ardeche countryside feasting on hams, cheeses, breads, fruit and copious amounts of wine with only the sound of the birds to break the silence when we were not chattering ( the more wine we consumed the louder we got).
The owner and his wife could not do more for us. Despite not speaking any English (or not wanting to) we were fortunate to speak enough French to communicate with them and we ended the evening chatting to them by the huge fireplace inside the main door drinking vintage whisky! A truly fabulous evening.
On going to bed you again realise how weird it is staying in such a place when there are only 4 guests. However, after an undisturbed nights sleep, a feast of a breakfast was served in the conservatory for the four of us and we ate and drank coffee until we could eat no more. Upon leaving we were waved off by the owners who I hope were sincere in their enthusiastic 'au revoirs'.
In summary it was an awesome experience and a totally surreal one which will live with us forever.
We stayed there by accident when attending a family wedding. It is not easy to find accommodation in that area which is wooded and very hilly. It proved a lovely surprise. The setting is beautiful, the bedrooms full of antique charm and the hosts extremely attentive. We had the Master's bedroom /Chambre de Maître With its own little balcony from which to enjoy the view. We will certainly pay the Château a further visit.
This is a low tourism area and one might expect a welcoming attitude, especially at relatively elevated prices. Many choose the nostalgia in of a recreated older French atmosphere. You won’t be disappointed but you may not enjoy it. The lodgings are old-fashioned and you may get a painted smile. You will also get a whiff of old-style contempt for “outsiders” (all people not from the local area) from the lady owner. Depending on your sensitivity, you may or may not appreciate it. It is after all an interesting and well-preserved bit of French provincial nostalgia.
Here is how one polite reservation (in French) went: easily reserved and guaranteed on booking.com. Several weeks later, received three increasingly pressing anonymous phone calls from the owner over two days “call about your reservation on June XX” (no name, no location, no phone number, of course). Five return calls to the “Chateau”, leaving voice messages were not answered. Finally a live connection: “I want your (credit card) pin #”. Fax OK? Yes. About ten days and thirty or so fax attempts later, more calls to the inn with voice messages (unanswered) . An email arrives announcing the reservation (guaranteed on booking.com) would now be cancelled. Successive calls result in a connection to the (very pleasant) owner’s son: the fax machine has been in fact disconnected for weeks. “Send credit card info with the pin via email” (declined for obvious security reasons). Eventually took info by phone. Requested confirmation of cancellation policy: “it’s like everywhere else” (in fact not) – never received this info. Hours of effort were invested in unnecessary communication attempts, a reservation guaranteed via booking.com web was disregarded, and no effort was made to display common business courtesies or simple customer concern. Yes – all communications were in French. Such “painted smile” attitude coupled with complete disregard for the customer is possibly of cultural interest. Your mileage may of course vary.
