Château de la Bûcherie

The natural setting was lovely, and the old house has a pretty look. But the stay was a bit disappointing. The room hadn’t been cleaned very thoroughly, the towels smelled a little off, and the pillowcase was dirty and smelled bad too. It just wasn’t very comfortable.

We chose the chateau because it was only an hour’s drive from Charles de Gaul airport for our departure the next day, yet it felt deep in the countryside. The grounds and buildings are stunning, the facilities are generally very high quality, and there are lovely salons and an outdoor terrace with a gorgeous rural view. Our reservation got muddled, though, so our family ended up spread across two floors, with one room assigned at the last minute on the third floor. During the heatwave that room was uncomfortably hot all night: there was no air conditioning, and we couldn’t open the windows because outside floodlights shone in. Renovation work also brought loud construction noise in the morning, which I understand, but I wish it had been mentioned when we booked. We also had maintenance problems, starting with no running water when we arrived and then a flooded bathroom the next day. The staff were very courteous and friendly, but didn’t seem able to sort out the problems or offer any recompense. I was asked to email a summary of our concerns, but several days later I still hadn’t heard back. The hotel is unstaffed from 8pm to 8am. There’s supposedly an emergency number, but the huge building felt deserted at night, and I wouldn’t have wanted to stay there alone. I’m not saying it was unsafe, but we weren’t sure how secure it was either.

We stopped here on our way to Normandy because we wanted to see Monet and try staying in a chateau. It was a cool place for a different kind of stay, and I’d recommend it if that’s what you’re after. The setting in nature is perfect for relaxing. The staff were nice and helpful, and reception took care of our issues. Breakfast was good quality too.

The breakfast was fantastic, with most of the products grown locally. We didn’t have time to try dinner, unfortunately. The staff were very nice, service was great, and the outdoor bar was a lovely extra. It’s all reasonably priced for such a great place. The building looks wonderful, and the huge park is really pleasant to explore. Rooms are large and well equipped, and though they’re old, that’s part of the place’s charm. They were comfortable too.