Gîte Ecuries de St Cyr

The grounds and garden are lovely, but the rest of the stay was a huge disappointment. I came with 24 teenagers and 3 counselors from the Déclic Ados program. Dinner was frozen food, and the sheets were dirty, dusty, and stained with urine. The breakfast photos on the host's website give a very different impression, with fruit, cheese, cold cuts, and pastries. What we actually got was a small baguette, industrial brioche, jam, cereal, orange juice, and overly sweet chocolate milk.

The owner charges €550 for cleaning, but we found crumbs, pebbles, and bits of paper on floors that clearly hadn't been vacuumed. There were cobwebs, stained blankets, foul bathrooms, and an upstairs sewage smell. We stayed one night and were so cold we didn't dare use the blanket, worried about bedbugs given how filthy everything was. We met the previous guests when we arrived, so it was obvious there hadn't been time to clean between stays. Making money from the cottage's location near Chambord while leaving it in this state is scandalous. Stay away.

The kids panicked as soon as we got there. The photos give a misleading impression, and the cleanliness was very questionable: dirt in corners, cobwebs, a blanket that smelled of cat urine, and a bad odor in the bathroom. The fire alarm also went off for no apparent reason in the middle of the night, something the owner had warned us might happen. With hygiene this poor, the price is far too high for what you get. Avoid this gîte.

The large kitchen is fully equipped, and having a cold room makes the layout especially handy for big groups. The hosts are very welcoming, too. There are beautiful walks nearby, and the fireplace is a lovely touch.