My family and I stayed for two nights in this three star hotel in mid-July 2007. Having stayed in a very nice chateau hotel in France five years ago we had high expectations. The pictures in the Chateau Hotels guide encouraged us.
This hotel is a lovely old house set in the countryside between Marthon and Montbron with a swimming pool and a couple of llamas in a pen in the grounds. There are also sheep, chickens and a goat to appeal to the children. So far, so good.
When we were shown to our apartment of two rooms and two bathrooms our initial excitement and optimism evaporated. On the way up the stairs the carpet was worn and dirty. This was an old property and it showed. Both showers were broken in the sense that the heads rested in the tray and the only way of washing yourself was to hold the head in your hand. The plastic doors in our shower were broken. The wall tiles in the 2ft sq. cubicle were different to the wall tiles in the rest of the bathroom and had been poorly applied. The counterpane on our bed was dirty and stained. Every time people in the apartment above flushed their toilet it sounded as though there was a gush of water on the way down to us but not in a pipe! Footsteps kept us awake at night. There were various water stains on the ceilings in this hotel and frankly it needed a ton of money spent on it that the proprietor clearly either didn't have or want to spend.
We stayed for dinner for both nights in the hope that our disappointment would ease with a gastronomic experience to remember. The first dinner was ok but the food was hardly the stuff of legend that one anticipates in France and was in sad contrast to our previous experiences and not helped by being warm rather than hot. Overall we waited about 40 minutes for the first course and the whole thing lasted over two hours despite pre-ordering. For the second night the food was luke warm and we were done in under an hour. The children (11 & 9) were charged at a full adult meal price price of €22 for a main course of a small steak and pasta; ouch! That hurt the wallet. There was no dedicated children's menu. Breakfast was €10 each and frankly not worth it. Better to stop at a boulangerie or a bar and get better value and fresher food.
For two nights, dinner for two adults and two children, modest wine of around €30 per bottle and one breakfast came to €624. We didn't go for the most expensive items on the menu either.
I'm really struggling to find something positive to say about this hotel. It's location is restful and in its heyday it must have been a wonderful place to stay. The staff although all young were enthusiastic and helpful. However it is outrageously priced for what it purports to be. I wish I had taken some photographs to submit but I'd rather forget the whole thing and put it down as one of life's experiences. In contrast the Novotel in La Rochelle was so much better but that's not the subject of this review. Why did we stay for two nights? Because we had booked in we rather strangly felt guilty about leaving early and we're too British and nice to complain. Serves us right I suppose. It doesn't deserve any stars. With proper investment it could be wonderful.