Le Chatenet

The owner’s were very helpful when trying to get in contact before our stay, accomodating and problem solving-oriented. When we arrived we were greeted with warmth and kindness. A short introduction to the house and grounds and they helped us book a table for dinner the same evening, which turned out to be an excellent choice. Lovely breakfast both mornings, slow but with continuous food offerings from the kitchen. The scrambled eggs with truffle were well worth the extra money! William, the owner, cooked for us and the other guests, a delicious five course meal, which with the wine, ca 3-4 glasses each, cost 65 € per person, a reasonable price if one compares it with restaurants in the area. The grounds are beautiful and a walk is definitely a must. The swimming pool is clean and refreshing. The rooms and adjoining bathrooms we had were clean. There was no AC, but closing the windows and blinds during the day and opening them in the evening worked just fine. One thing I will tell fellow travellers is that this is a guest house and not a hotel, so keep that in mind. We were very happy with our stay and can definitely recommend it!

I’ve booked this property through a very popular booking site and the next day hotel owners called me and spoke to me for a long 45 minutes, asking a lot of personal questions in a “friendly” way. At the end of our conversation they asked me to cancel my booking and send them a 200€ euro as a deposit so that they wouldn’t pay the booking site commission fees. They said that they have a garden room for me which wasn’t available on the booking site and that they said they would send me photos of it which they never did. The booking was for me and my son and then my daughter was also added. We agreed on 4 days for 600€ for 3 of us and they told me they have a surprise for me before we arrived. We stayed in a room with one extra little room inside. On the day of check out William insisted that I pay 100€ extra for the “surprise room” he decided to give us, he said that he changed our room and we should appreciate it because this room was bigger, I never asked for that room, they never told me beforehand they instead say they have a “surprise” for us. When I questioned this unexpected price difference he started shouting at me in front of my children which was traumatising, he lifted his finger on my face and tried to intimidate me, he said that I should pay the extra or I’ll miss my train and that I was cheap and he even mentioned which country I come from to make a racist remark. This was truly traumatic experience for me and my children. William was a calculated, scary and mentally not balanced person. I have started an official complaint with that booking site and will follow up actions. I do not care about the 100€ extra William tried to charge me, this was about integrity and principles. The hotel was run down, the pool was dirty with full of bugs and flys but we still enjoyed our stay until and the owner, William tried to charge us extra and lost his temper and made a fool out of himself in front of everyone, he tried but failed to scare me!

I stayed at Le Chatenet for three nights with my son. The location is beautiful - quiet, lovely grounds and a small but great pool. Anne, the co-owner couldn’t be nicer. She booked a restaurant for our first night and makes a delicious breakfast. (There are lots of wasps). Her husband, William, is however a different story. My son accidentally lost the key to our room. Yes that’s annoying but he’s 9 and kids lose things. It was an accident. The problem was, Le Chatenet doesn’t have any spare keys to any of the rooms. Which to me, is just stupid. Guest lose things. As I tried to find the key with Anne, and tried to come up with solutions, William shouted that I needed to “control my kid” and proceeded to slam doors and stomp up and down the stairs. It was awful. I felt bullied and he made me cry. He is not cut out to work in the hospitality industry. The rooms at Le Chatenet need updating. The carpets are stained. The shower head in the bathroom has to be held by hand. There is wallpaper coming down on the ceilings. And the walls are paper thin so you need to pack your earplugs. All of this I can put up with but an aggressive and angry host is not what you want on holiday. My son didn’t damage anything, he never behaved badly, he only accidentally lost a key!

Dear William and Anne, Our 3-night stay at your lovely home was a highlight of our France trip in May. We loved our suite (even the ants in the bathroom the first morning didn't worry us - this is a 17th century manor house and we have ants in our kitchen in our home built in 1999!!! ), and your kindness and hospitality were amazing. But not as amazing at that private dinner you both made for us on our second evening! WOW!! The lamb was the finest my wife and I have ever eaten! It was a highlight to NOT stay in a hotel but in your home. Thank you both for hosting us. Brian & Cheryl Mundy, The European Travel Club, Arizona, USA.

I stayed at Le Chatenet with my family. William was really helpful before and during our stay. We spent an afternoon listening to music and he cooked a BBQ which was delicious. The house and the garden are grand without being formal, this made our stay all the more wonderful as we felt at home and were able to enjoy ourselves by the pool and in the clubhouse in the most leisurely manner. The breakfast served on the terrace is copious and beautifully prepared. I'm looking forward to return for a longer stay as this is a jewel of a place.