My family (myself, my wife, 8 year old daughter and 9 week old son) recently spent two nights at the impressive Chateau Mont Royal, north east of Paris.

First impressions were excellent, with electric gates and a long winding drive leading to a fantastic looking building. On checking in, we found that the staff were very friendly and helpful but it was probably an advantage that my wife speaks fluent French.
For some reason, we were upgraded to a larger junior suite which would have been about three times the price. For the baby, we had our own travel cot and our daughter had a single bed opposite our king size. It was a lovely room but possibly not worth that much.

We had some problems with the food at the hotel, which offered an extremely limited choice. My wife is vegetarian and there was very little for her. We ended up sharing a cheese salad, some potato wedges and a baguette cut up – a little pricey at £30! Little things could have made so much difference such as they did a tuna sandwich and they did cheese salad, but they wouldn’t do a cheese sandwich – I felt like offering to go into the kitchen and make it myself!

We enjoyed the indoor heated pool which was very clean and we had it to ourselves both times that we used it.
All in all, a lovely building in a lovely location, but if we return, we will investigate the local cafes and restaurants in the surrounding villages.

Occupying a hilltop location in a forest north of Paris, this building has an interesting history that nearly came to an end after it was looted by the Germans in the last war – or what one should perhaps now refer to the Second World War. The resultant ruin was bought and restored by the Concorde chain in the early 1990s, and it would seem that little money has been spent on it since then, as some areas and some rooms are now distinctly careworn.

Access is via a gated road. The only way to open the gate, either going in or going out, is go get out of your car and use an intercom. It is to be hoped that it is not raining at that moment.

During a long trip across France, Switzerland and Italy with a disabled family member, this was the only location of any description that had failed to ensure that some parking for the disabled was reserved close to its main entrance.

Corporate events are clearly an important part of this hotel’s business, and fairly raucous ‘meetings’ can go on until quite late. As most of the rooms and terraces used for these events are at the rear of the hotel guests wishing a quiet time would be well advised to seek rooms at the front.

The restaurant is somewhat formal and perhaps best described as adequate rather than good. However, staff were unfailingly helpful and solicitous, and their willingness to fetch and carry during the morning’s buffet breakfast was much appreciated by my elderly mother.

I took my 8 year old son away for a special trip to see Paris before he returned to school. We decided to stay at the Mont Royal, after I phoned them up to confirm that they are child friendly and therefore appropriate for our stay. Unfortunately, this turned out to be far from the case. There are only 2 places to eat in the hotel - the gastranomic restaurant and the bar. The restaurant ONLY offers a set dinner which is totally inappropriate for an 8 year old. They do not do childrens food, would not produce anything that wasnt on the menu and generally looked very confused that I would ask for such a thing. The bar food was no better. They couldnt even manage a sandwich, a plate of french fries or anything that resembled food appropriate for a child. Their staff were totally unhelpful. A disasterous location for children. Be warned. As far as a location for adults only, I would suggest that they staff are so stuffy and unhelpful that again i would avoid it, even though it is a beautiful building.

Spent our last night in France at the Chateau Mont Royal and were very glad we did. The hotel is definitely of the highest calibre and is excellent quality. The bathroom was luxurious, they provide guests with bathrobes and they have a turn down service where like magic when one returns from dinner, the towels are changed, the bed is prepared for sleeping and the drapes are closed. My only regret is they got to see the cotton nightie with little cats on it that I had left on the bed instead of something tres chic as one is wont to wear near Paris! I imagine they laughed the whole time they gently placed it on the pillow.
Anyway, the meal we had in the restaurant was extremely good. We had the prix fixe, however they give you an option of changing the dishes per course for a small charge which is a nice touch. There is a swimming pool and hot tub, which we didn't use though they were being enjoyed by others. There is a lovely terrace with good quality wooden patio furniture and I believe you could get bar service there, though again we didn't use it. We just relaxed in our room as we were at the end of a whirlwind trip through France and were exhausted. The minibar is complementary, which is also a nice touch. Not much in it other than two types of water (fizzy and non), a Coke, two beer and tonic water. One could have room service for breakfast (cost of 8 euros) or go to the extensive hot and cold buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant for free. One could also have dinner in your room (limited menu) which might be nice if one were travelling with children as the dining room of the restaurant was definitely more adult friendly since supper in France starts quite late. The hotel is located in the midst of a forest, about 20 minutes from Charles de Gaulle airport. This hotel is good for the beginning or end of your stay in France due to this location. Stay at the end, pamper yourself, wind down and be refreshed for your journey home. Highly recommended.