Château de La Ballue - Teritoria

Gardens: Consistently praised for their beauty, historical charm, and unique design .

We felt a bit like we had landed in Downton Abbey, however on a much smaller scale, but the interior of the several living rooms (and our bedroom) plus the setting for breakfast was certainly "grand". The house is decorated with taste, has lots of well maintained period furniture, an impressive amount of silver (from nick-nacks to table ware), china, chandeliers and candles, this certainly felt like visiting a noble family's country estate. Very comfortable bed in a huge room with windows overlooking the gardens in the back (we had the Chambre Perse). Very dark and quiet at night! The bathroom is simple with a single sink, low toilet and a bath with hand-held shower (no curtain). Fast hot water, huge towels and make-up mirrors. Breakfast is almost the best part with beautiful silverware, fine china, candelabras and a side-buffet with an extensive Continental breakfast. Staff will ask for coffee or tea and how you like your eggs (we had excellent cheese omelettes all 3 mornings we were there) and delicious warm crepes. All guests sit around a long table in the dining room, which also encourages conversation. The only negative I have to mention is that you have to drive at least 1/2 hour to get dinner. No restaurant on the premises. But there is an "honor-bar". And in the former stables next to the Chateau now is a gift shop that also sells snacks and homemade cakes for lunch or (as we did after an extensive lunch out), a light dinner, with wine by the bottle or the glass. The (very impressive) gardens are a treat for a morning walk and they're open to non-guest visitors as well. This was a wonderful stay to experience country living in a real Chateau in France. We recommend it and hope to return. The owners are a delightful French couple assisted by their sons. My wife and I traveled two weeks through Normandy and Brittany and this was one of our favorite stays.

There are almost no words to describe how wonderful this is. Beautiful, obviously, but also entirely and exceptionally maintained and loved, the chateau (castle), gardens, grounds, everything. It feels like a home, and is. We were warmly greeted by Marie-Francoise and her sons, Theo and Alexandre, and their delightful Chesapeake Bay retrievers. Anticipation felt a bit intimidating (I've never been the guest of a chateau before), but no pretentions or arrogance here, just genuine love for the place and pleasure in sharing it. We relaxed by the large pool (there was shade, which I appreciated), had cocktails and breakfasts in the chateau parlors, and took morning and evening walks through the fascinating gardens. In June, the sun sets around 10 p.m. My husband, adult daughter, and I stayed in the Suite de France, and it was spacious, with comfy beds and fine linens, two bedrooms, a sitting room, and the beautiful view. The rural landscape is lovely. We explored surrounding villages, and all the restaurants were good. Events are occasionally held on site, and we experienced one. It was well managed, not overwhelming, and we were welcomed to join the festivities. A brief heatwave struck during our stay (temps in the 90s) but it remained remarkably cool inside the chateau's stone walls. We were provided a fan, and with the windows open at night slept well.