We had a beautiful and large room with a very good bed, A kitchenroom and a bathroom.
Tastefuly furnished and a very good place to stay. A quiet place and a beautiful garden with a peacock family. The breakfast was good, but we missed the cheese and ham. Benedicte is very kind and takes good care of her guests. She speaks English very well.

Domaine de la Thiau is even MORE beautiful in real life than it is on their website ~ I was deliciously and unexpectedly surprised.

I was expecting something interesting, but it is lovelier than I imagined. The hostess, Benedicte was charming and treated us as both part of her family and cherished guests.

The home itself was built in the 1800s and has old world charm and elegance and Benedicte has renovated it with a romantic French flavor.

We stayed in the room "Francois I" and it turned out to be more of a mini-apartment ~ it had a large main room with high ceilings, original Gien ceramic tiles (Gien is world known for its lovely painted ceramics), antique furniture, kitchenette, second bedroom area and spacious bathroom.

The Domaine de la Thiau has several acres of beautiful land, some of which were filled with brilliant yellow crops and some of which directly encircled the home and were filled with walking trails, flowering trees and budding flowers, a gazebo overlooking a small lake and very close to the Loire River. They also had a nice pool which was covered with a retractable roof which will undoubtedly extend their swimming season and keep it extra clean.

One evening Benedicte set up a gourmet supper in our dining room, complete with candles, authentic Gien tableware from a famous chef in town, bottle of Champagne and a sumptuous table setting for my family ~ she has that special French touch to everything she does and it is a thing of beauty. I will miss Benedicte - she is wonderful.

The one thing that I have though of and missed dearly every day since our visit is their two delightful peacocks on the land that are TAME - I never imagined that peacocks could be tame, but they really were sweet and I enjoyed sitting and working on my book (I'm an author) with "Jermaine" sitting beside me ~ and I mean BESIDE me - only inches away !!!

They were NOT noisy - they were amazing to see and I still laugh when I remember "Leon" constantly fanning his feathers to try to get Jermaine to notice him. My six-year old daughter (who illustrates some of my books) was so enamored with them that she sat in the grass and painted their portraits for our next book .... truly amazing and spectacular and I can't wait to return.

If you do not like birds they will not bother you - I love birds and actively went to be near them and they responded to this with pleasure.

Another advantage of the Domaine de la Thiau was its 5 minutes close proximity to Gien which is not only a secret jewel hidden along the necklace of the Loire, it also heralds the gateway to the Burgundy region with about 15 less known castles within a 30 minute drive.

This hotel and Gien (and surrounding areas) are a must see for those who THINK they have done the castle-run trip down the Loire .... there is much, much more to see......

We stayed for four nights and found everything as advertised. Our hostess was not only delightful, but helpful, as well. Her command of the English language was excellent and extremely comforting. The breakfast area is beautiful and serene. It was a joy to share the time with her and her other visitors and observe her pets (a marvelous dog, many cats and a pair of peacocks) and relax in a great atmosphere.

Francois is a very friendly and helpful hostess, comfortable and interestingly furnished rooms, delightful grounds complete with a couple of Peacocks and a very friendly Labrador. Good breakfast. Nearby Briare is lovely, not so sure about Gien though!