Chateau de Noirieux

The restaurant was really nice, and once we got there the friendly, helpful waiters gave us amazing service. The reservation took a bit of back and forth, with several emails needed to get it finalized, and the process didn’t seem very organized. After that, though, there were no problems.

Breakfast service was limited, with just one person serving, and there was no help with my luggage at check-in. I was on the top floor, there’s no lift, and although they said they’d call someone to help with my bags, nobody came. Still, I had a nice stay. It’s a fantastic chateau, with a beautiful building and gardens, and the room was clean and comfortable. A gorgeous place to relax.

By the time the stars appeared above Château de Noirieux, we’d spent hours talking with a couple seated nearby, visiting from New York. The conversation ranged over family, travel, loss, and starting over. Their fathers had been architects, and they now lived in what had once been a cancer treatment castle NY themselves. It felt surreal to share such an open, unhurried conversation so far from home. We walked slowly back to our room, grateful for a night that felt like a gift. Earlier, after leaving Bilbao, we’d traveled northeast across France, moving from the rugged Basque coast toward the quieter Loire Valley. We reached the château near Briollay in the late afternoon. Its ivy-covered stone, tidy gardens, and stillness made a graceful welcome, and our room had old-fashioned charm with comfortable touches. We had dinner as the sun went down beyond the Loire. The inventive, delicate courses were seasonal and local, and sommelier Martin chose wines to go with them. He came by from time to time to tell us about each bottle. One wine from a nearby vineyard brought to mind sun-warmed stones and far-off rain.

The room was delightful and the food delicious. Customer service was great too, attentive, helpful, knowledgeable, and accommodating.