Château de Saint Paterne

From arrival to leaving for a one night stay the experience was terrible. About the only positive are the lovely gardens surrounding the property. We were kept waiting in the reception area whilst the lady was on the phone - no one else around. We were shown to a room and our hearts sank. It was beyond awful. All of the curtains were stained and dirty, the sofa was ripped, the rugs in the bedroom and bathroom are old and look like they have never been cleaned. The sink and bath are chipped and old and the cabinet was stained and extremely worn. The windows are all peeling and the blinds in the bathroom are stained. The throw on the bed was not clean and the floors were dirty. Then there was dinner. Everyone is given the same meal which is fine but you would expect quality if no choice given. The starter was tomato tart- my pastry was raw and the waitress (who was lovely) asked me if okay and I explained it was uncooked- zero acknowledgment from the kitchen. The main was bearable. The dessert tasted like washing up liquid although other guests cleared their plate. When checking out (after waiting again whilst issues with other guests were being sorted) I politely explained to the lady the problems she shrugged her shoulders and ushered us out of the door! We have travelled all over the world to all types of accommodation and this is the worst experience we have had. This stop was one night of a trip staying in five places over ten nights and all of the others were beautiful. This is not a low cost rate and is severely over priced. We are very aware of the nature of older authentic properties and have stayed in many. This is not even near shabby chic it is dirty and shabby. Having read the proprietors responses to other negative posts I am expecting a very curt reply. This was also part of our honeymoon trip after getting married in France. It will be unforgettable but for all of the wrong reasons

The Chateau and grounds were beautiful. The staff were friendly and accommodating. Our room was large and luxurious. The 3 course set dinner was tasty and the breakfast was excellent. The location is good for onward travel further south in France but the venue would also be good for a short break. No complaints. I'm sure we will be back.

This was our second visit and again we had a wonderful stay. The Chateau is just gorgeous the attention to detail and the decor is perfect you really feel like you are getting to experience a real French Chateau. We travelled with 2 children 9 and 11 who enjoyed the pool, badminton, table tennis and the lawn. They ate early made a couple of friends the same age who went off to play together whilst we could enjoy the evening meal outside it was such a perfect end to our road trip summer holiday. We wished we could have stayed for the second night but we will certainly be back again. Thank you so much

A new chef at this excellent, comfortable hotel. We were treated to some excellent first courses, including tomato tart and salad and gazpacho with melon sorbet. The vegetables with the main courses (veal, duck etc) were not over cooked (not always a given in France) and plentiful.

The Chateau is quite beautiful but this is no luxurious stay. Despite it's price, one might have not expected a sachet of Maxwell House for the room coffee choice and an inaccessible plug socket. I have seen the owner defend any criticisms by declaring the property as 15th century but really that's a poor excuse for not updating the mod cons. The house is seeking to impress but with tired everything, is falling short. The bathrooms are tired and our room was very underwhelming. As a pit stop, it would do but it is comparatively very expensive and really not a destination hotel. Certainly not the Mr and Mrs Smith standard we have been used to. The staff that we met were charming and hard working but the marketing photos are either dated or clever and we were not that taken with it. We wouldn't rush back.

This is truly an excellent hotel with beautiful things collected by the owners everywhere you look. It is also quite special if you want to blow the budget and go for the most stunning rooms but even the entry price rooms are beautiful. The food is complimented by an included aperitif in the lounge and a breakfast including the freshest of produce. Great if you have a dog or children still brilliant without as the number of rooms and huge estate gardens means there is room for everyone to have peace and quiet. I cannot think of any negatives- it’s even near the motorway turn off - and no they didn’t pay me to write this, it’s our third visit and we just love it.