Château de Pondres

The castle is beautifully restored, and the gardens are lovely. There’s also a nice pool, though it wasn’t staffed. Restaurant staff were pleasant, and breakfast included plenty of local products. But the stay didn’t feel up to four-star standards. We had two suites with our 3-year-old and 4-month-old, and ran into several problems. The largest, three-bedroom suite had no air conditioning. We had to ask for extra fans, and it was very uncomfortable in weather reaching 30 C / 90 F even at night, as well as dangerous for our 4-month-old baby. The restaurant schedule was restrictive: room service had to be ordered by 18:00, the kitchen shut at 20:30, and there was only a fixed three-course menu, no à la carte. Parking was confusing, with the lot far from reception, no obvious place to unload, and no signs to guide us. Leaf blowers started at 08:25, and there was music in the courtyard at night. Even a simple issue took four separate conversations with the same staff member to resolve.

Room 11 was amazing: a double room with two separate bedrooms and two bathrooms. The castle has a pool, restaurant, and spa, and the gardens are on a Versailles-like scale. It all feels and looks like a five-star place. We loved wandering through the reception room, arms room, dining room, and the rest of the castle. With its thousand-year history, it’s easy to imagine how the residents might have lived there. Incredible place to stay.

Our stay was spoiled by the lack of food options when the hotel restaurant was closed. It shuts several nights a week, and there are no restaurants within walking distance, with hardly any within a 20-minute drive. We called three: two were closed, and the other had no service until 8:30 pm and a very mediocre menu. The updated rooms are beautiful, but for a remote hotel with families staying there, it seems reasonable to offer at least a small room service menu, even just charcuterie, cheese, olives, and salad. Having no food available on site is pretty wild.

The grounds are exceptional, the chateau is beautiful, and our rooms were very comfortable. The staff met all our needs, although a few of them, not everyone, seemed frustrated and a little confrontational with some other guests. That took away from the atmosphere we’d expect at a four-star hotel. Thanks to the rest of the team, especially Manon, for being professional and so welcoming.