My husband and I stayed at the Manoir du Parc for 3 nights in Sept. 2011. We really enjoyed visiting Amboise and the region, and the B&B was a part of that great experience.
-Pros: We stayed in Room 1; which was spacious, nicely decorated, and had plenty of space for luggage. The toilet and shower were separate (all in the room though), which also worked well. Frederic was fun to talk to, and we had some great chats with him over breakfast. Breakfast was a standard French brekkie (pretty much bread, bread, and more bread); however, this B&B also includes a small fruit salad and delicious jams
Cons: I thought the B&B would be located a little closer to the main part of the town (i.e. near the Chateau Amboise, restaurants, etc.) It was definitely walkable; just not always along well-lit streets. The B&B owners may have suggestions for a better route that is better lit; this was just my experience. While this was a well-managed and nicely decorated B&B, it was also expensive. I felt like Amboise was the Beverly Hills of France, so just be aware of the higher prices to stay and eat in this area.
Suggestions for Chateaux Visits:
- Chenonceau - One of the most famous in the area; built over the River Cher. Very nice both inside and out, and we spent 5 hours just touring the house and grounds.
- Chambord - Huge with 400+ rooms, and amazing roof (which you can walk up to). Note that this hotel was a hunting lodge, so the furnishings are sparse, and there was not a clear tour laid out like in other locations (both Chenonceau and Cheverny provided great guides for self-tours)
- Cheverny - This was another beautiful home in a beautiful location. The owners still live in part of the home, and the rooms are truly stunning. The tour was well marked in the free booklet provided, and the grounds were very nice as well. My only issue was with finding a place to eat. The restaurant at the chateau was pricey, and served mainly desserts. There were only a few restaurants in town, and they all closed around 2pm and did not open until dinner (very common in France), so we ended up driving back to Amboise to eat.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC