Le Chateau de Bricquebec

There’s a lot of potential here, and the common areas have some lovely furniture and paintings, but they feel dusty and neglected. The bedrooms are tired and uninspiring, which lets the fantastic building down. When we arrived in torrential rain and found the entrance blocked, the staff weren’t very helpful. They suggested parking in the public lot and running over. I wouldn’t book this for a romantic getaway.

The welcome was warm and friendly, and the rooms were fine. Breakfast was where things went wrong, with limited food and not enough crockery.

The rooms were okay, but the service wasn’t. There was no breakfast on the first day, and at every breakfast after that something was missing. There was nobody to speak to, and they only speak French. The restaurant looks very posh, but there was just one menu with little choice, despite having had Michelin stars in the past under the previous owner. The wine we ordered wasn’t available, and they charged a lot for it on top of that.

The chateau has plenty of character and history, though the decor needs investment. The bedroom doors don’t fit the style of the property. We ate there on the first night, which was also their first buffet dinner service. The food tasted okay, but things were disorganized. The staff were trying hard, and I’m sure they’ll improve, but €26.90 each was too expensive.