clive manners (16 months ago)
Loves being able to see a Château furnished as it would have been hundreds of years ago.
Glenn Reffin (2 years ago)
We booked here having enjoyed our stay before. Booking.com's details looked the same when we booked. This is a detailed and accurate review of our experience. We were told there was a Halloween party and the pool wasn't available two days before our reservation when it was too late to cancel.
On arrival, staff told us to park in a field because the private car park was for the owner's use, not guests. The room was across a muddy lawn and through a dark side door at the tower's base.
The room had a double bed, not a twin as booked. The room had no kettle, hairdryer, and tea/coffee. There were two plug sockets in the room, and both were used by lights; there was nowhere to charge a phone.
We asked reception about the lack of facilities, and the owner said the tea/coffee facilities are available at breakfast and that we wanted "an expensive room very cheaply". He wouldn't accept that we wanted the room we booked. He said we hadn't booked a hotel room and that we didn't understand.
He said if we didn't like it, we could cancel and find an alternative in Saintes, some 20km away, at 6pm on a public holiday. He blamed us because we hadn't checked his website's photographs and Booking.com for inaccurate details. He was the only person without any responsibility for the situation.
After travelling 800 miles, the shower had no hot water. The water remained cold until the following morning. The free wifi was non-existent, and the room was not heated throughout our stay.
The staircase to the room was dark when we went out for food. We had to turn on the lights at the stairwell base to safely make our way out.
The Halloween party continued until 11pm. The light at the bottom of the stairwell stopped working when we returned. The darkness made entering the building and the stairway unsafe for paying guests. The light outside our room was removed, so there was no lighting.
The party had repetitive music on the lawn in front of the room. Groups trekked up the stairs past our room to the room above where we were trying to sleep. There, they rang a bell.
The breakfast was provided by someone who disappeared when guests arrived, but the buffet was adequate.
No one was around to complete a check-out or explain what to do with the room key. The reception was deserted, so we left the key in the room door and hoped someone would find it. We didn't get a receipt, and no care or hospitality was provided.
We accept this is a historic building and thought we knew what to expect. We made allowances for its limitations because the facilities would be at the standard for a room costing €132 off-season. Our experience didn't meet expectations for even a third of this price. It failed to provide the advertised facilities, including a twin room, terrace, socket near the bed, soundproofing, private entrance, coffee machine, tea/coffee maker, heating, hairdryer, private pool, free private parking, and wifi. It just provided a bed and a toilet. You had to wait until morning to drink or shower.
It was a genuinely medieval experience with equivalent facilities. It will be hard to forget being told we "don't understand what [the owner] is trying to do" and we hadn't booked a hotel room. Understanding customer expectations and professional maturity in delivering those needs are required when running hospitality; this business lacks experience and needs a professional manager to take control of the hospitality.
Brent Kennedy (2 years ago)
Incredible atmosphere, quiet and the rooms were beautiful. Highly recommend it!
Jennifer Brennan (2 years ago)
We attended a Wedding here and the castle was lovely. Beautiful grounds and very clean. The room we stayed in was spacious and very comfortable. We stayed for 3 days, 2 nights.
The general area in the castle were setup with historic pieces. It looked fabulous and was wonderful to explore.
Two days were sunny and beautiful. One day rained. I believe it would be nice to have a better area outside if it rains. Large umbrella's provided outside the function room leaked water on the inside (not really useful).
Dag Tennerus (3 years ago)
Super! Beautiful chateau. Nice interiors and gardens. Calm. A must to visit.