I've read the previous reviews and note their findings.
If you want a sterile 5 star hotel with cold snobish staff, ubiquitous similarity and indifferent surroundings then this not the place for you! It is what it is. It is beautiful, not pristine. It has creaking floor boards but a mobile signal. Health and safety but no clip
Boards. We found if to be a great base to explore outwards each day. The grounds offer loads of space and variety for children and an overall beauty for those that wish to see it. Meals are fantastic, hospitality excellent and advice helpful. For us as a family, the meal time was good and suited our routine. The one and only not so good point was this. Having travelled down France all day and feeling exhausted the first meal so late on the first night was hard to stay awake through. But that leads me to the second point of the whole Reason to come here, the food. The food standard is high, local, natural and cooked to perfection.
We will return and recommend it to others, if only for the fab meals, Patrick's G&T and the relaxing conversations on the lawn at dusk watching the long shadows on the lawn and bats flitting around the grounds. Long or short stay, it is
Unforgettable.
boards.

We were very disappointed with our stay a while back (it may have improved since) The prices charged are that of a good quality hotel but the service is that of a B&B where you are rather a nuisance in the day to day running of the family's life. The quality of the furnishings was rather basic and we really felt that we were subsidising a lifestyle choice by the patrons rather than being offered a luxury break. We would certainly not go back.

we booked the whole chateau for a 5oth party it was amazing! Collette and Patrick are very welcoming i thought they were family i hadnt met on arrival haha rooms are amazing collette cooks fantastic meals we had a great wine trivia, bbq, dress up party and even the kids 4th bday party!!!! everything is just amazing!!!!

We arrived at 4:30, on our stopover night, from the south of France. The long, peaceful drive swept up to the chateau, which was bathed in sunlight. The lake on our left and the magnificent parkland with towering trees, gave a sense of timelessness. As we were unsure where reception area was, Patrick appeared in his car next to us upon his return from shopping, and led us to the parking area. He immediately put us at our ease, and it was on hearing his voice, then seeing Colette walking past, smiling a hello, that I realised this was the castle from the Channel 4 series Chaos at the Castle. We'd enjoyed watching it several times, and now we were actually here! We had a very welcome cup of tea before being shown our suite. Aperitifs were at 8, so time to unpack, relax and freshen up before dinner. The tastefully furnished suite overlooked the grounds at the front; the exquisite marble bathroom was a treat, with the toilet and bidet in the round tower adjacent. I had a bath, then half an hour snooze before dressing for dinner. The bed was most comfortable. Husband sat reading before the large lead-paned windows. Only complaint re the bathroom was the time it took for our baths to drain. At 8 we went down for drinks in the drawing room, and joined by Patrick and Colette. A young couple with a baby who were due to join us had been delayed for a day, so we were just the 4 of us. We had a great time chatting on all manner of things, as well as talking about places to visit locally. Then in to the dining room for dinner, which was superb, excellent, yummy!! The only complaint, which didn't really bother us personally as we normally eat around 9, is that I feel most British people would find the timing far too late. I would think as one of the more unkind reviewers point out, that it is geared towards dealing with the owners children's meals being got out of the way first, before feeding the guests. As any parent would know, you can't really relax and see to your guests with tired, hungry children around. Perhaps, having an au pair to see to them, or hire one or two locals as waiting staff to speed things along so dinner could start at 7:30. I feel loathe to find fault with Castle Ribignac, as it is an UNIQUE experience. If you're looking for a posh, Michael Winner-type luxury hotel, with waiters in starched uniforms, and no English spoken, then this is NOT the place for you. Yes, there WERE children running round outside, having a great time in the September sun--but our girls would have been out there with them if this had been 15 years ago. It is a family-orientated, country house party atmosphere--very relaxed, happy, friendly and HOMELY. If you consider that a negative point, then I'm glad not to know you. We shall return--gladly!!