Château Latour Segur Suites & Spa

This was the worst hotel experience of my 63 years. My wife and I left after one night of a planned three. We arrived to find the host absent and ourselves placed in the wrong room. Later she offered to let us stay in that supposed “upgrade,” though we never saw the room we'd reserved. Ours reeked of fireplace smoke and had lots of flies. The host eventually brought something to deal with them, but we spent a lot of time killing flies ourselves. The window screens weren't properly fitted either. When we raised these issues, she seemed surprised we cared instead of apologizing. The next problem was a car race on the property the following day. Her elderly husband came in uninvited, opened our door without waiting, and wandered around talking strangely. He mentioned the race, but brushed it off as no concern. We hadn't been told about it, and it wasn't listed on Expedia, even though it happens annually. We would not have booked somewhere advertised for peace and quiet if we'd known. He said it would certainly be over by 2 PM, so we weren't too worried because our outings were planned for earlier. The next morning, while we were getting ready to go out, sirens sounded continuously for about an hour, followed by race cars buzzing just outside. It was loud. Her husband returned to show us how to leave safely, again standing in the doorway until we asked him to come in and shut the door. He did so very slowly and mockingly, making fun of our concerns about the flies. When I tried to speak with him outside about how disturbed we were by the race, he mocked me again and showed no regard for our concerns. It felt absolutely unsafe to leave on our own, and he left in a huff. The host came later and offered to escort us out. When we asked when the event would end, she said “around 5,” directly contradicting her husband. We planned to be out until 3 or 4, and my wife had a massage booked that afternoon, so we worried about getting back while the race was still going. She waved away our concerns and said to call her for an escort back. We explained that reaching her might not work: my SIM card was unreliable and my wife's iPhone, which had worked for texting, wasn't dependable either. She still seemed unconcerned, so we went to our appointments and hoped for the best. We then said we didn't want to stay the remaining two nights. She initially argued, but while escorting us out, which meant driving more than 1 km through a vineyard, she agreed to refund us if that was what we wanted. The roads were blocked, so we couldn't get back and couldn't reach her. A kind man at the roadblock called her for us and told us the race would last until dark. He reached her, and she came to escort us back. We hurried to our room, packed, and left. I sent her many messages directly and through Expedia, but got no response. Only after returning to the US was I able to obtain the promised refund through Expedia. A horrible experience. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pool and gardens were lovely, and the property itself is beautiful. There are animals everywhere, and the staff were friendly. Still, we had several serious disappointments, especially given the price. We'd been sold a fresh, hand-curated breakfast basket for around €25 per person. What arrived was a cute basket with old pastries and expired processed items, and it couldn't have cost more than €5 to put together. It felt like a rip-off. We had called ahead to explain that we're both severely allergic to cats. They said the cat didn't have to be in our room, but that didn't address the fact it had recently been there. The room smelled odd, dry, and musty. We found a dead mouse the cat had brought in, which housekeeping had missed before check-in. They removed it and apologized, but it was still jarring. The room was spacious, yet so dark, dry, and dusty that it wasn't pleasant to spend time in. The bathroom was nice, and the in-room sauna worked well and was a welcome addition. I had high hopes for this beautiful place, but the service and room upkeep let us down badly.

Andre showed us around the property over two days and was very hospitable and down to earth. The owners made us feel warmly welcomed, and we really enjoyed the stay. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a personal visit in someone's home and hotel.

Meeting the owners, Andre and Corrine, was the best part. They welcome you into their world and treat you like old friends and family. Chateau Layout Segur is a special, authentic place, with parts of the house dating back to the 7th century. We loved walking the spacious grounds among dogs, cats, chickens, geese, and a couple of donkeys. It's easy to drive to four small villages and the larger village of St. Emillion. The surrounding land stretches out with chateaus and vineyards as far as you can see. We enjoyed wonderful Bordeaux's and great French food, from Michelin to La Pusse just below St. Emillion, where our preference was a €14 five-course meal with wine. We loved the experience and will be back. Thank you, Andre and Corrin, for your hospitality! Ryan & Shyla Gowin