From the internet site and photos on a brochure, I doubted my stay would meet my standards. But my boyfriend already booked the "chambre superieur" at Villeray because it was one of the few chateaus in the area that was open in February.

It was romantic. The home-made jams, upholstered walls in our room, the morning view of the manicured lawn, a fabulous cheese cart, and a great wine selection made this trip unforgettable.

We stayed at the Moulin, which I believe is better than the rooms in the chateau itself because it offers many more modern comforts. We also recommend that you have your breakfast brought to your room because it's not a buffet breakfast and for 2 euros more, it's worth being able to have breakfast in bed.

The bathtub was also a decent size. We were able to soak in a bubble bath after dinner and sip on a half bottle of champagne. When we woke up we were greeted by the owner's handsome son who seems to require no sleep because he was assisting restaurant guests past midnight and was taking calls from hotel guests at the reception desk before we were fully awake!

If romantic is what you want, I would suggest two nights at the Moulin! If I wasn't already very much in love with my boyfriend, I am sure I am now. Over lunch, I nearly proposed to him!!!! But I saved myself from completely embarrassing myself and simply fantasized outloud what our lives would look like together. He then added details of regular weekend getaways beginning next year.

Lovely location, good for peace, quiet, country rides or walks. Hotel OK, if a bit shabby in public areas, food good, though not cheap, staff pleasant - our complaint was that the wine list was ridiculously expensive - the mark up on UK prices was unjustifiable. It's a fair drive away from any other local restaurants, so they seem to have you cornered, and we felt that advantage was being taken.

We arrived tired, and were greeted as old friends from the moment we crossed the threshhold. The owners could not have been more helpful, and service in all respects was excellent. All the rooms that our party had were superb, and one particularly was exceptional (but we wont say which one!!). The food was to a high standard. We will go out of our way to stay here again. We left relaxed, with just one regret..... that we had not booked in for several days rather than just one.

We loved the Moulin. I wasn't sure if it was going to be what we wanted as their web site is rather too arty to be properly informative and they would do well to improve the photos and information available on the site.

We arrived after spending a night on the ferry sitting in reclining chairs so were very tired. The welcome from Cesar was warm and friendly and any previous concerns evaporated when we were shown our room in the chateau, which was huge and very comfortable.

We then decided to have lunch which was served on the terrace by the river and by some miracle along came the sunshine - as promised by Madam when she invited us to have lunch outside. The wine, food and service were perfect as was the rest of our stay.

We were going out very early the next morning and asked if it was possible to get some tea before departure, not only did we get tea but the most delicious breakfast of warm,tiny, fresh buttery croisants, warm rolls, FRESH orange juice, fruit, yoghurt all beautifully served.

The hotel is run by the family who have managed to strike just the right note between providing superb service with informal charm.

It was expensive but worth it and we look forward to a return visit.

Graeme and Vanessa