Chateau de Bagnols

Magnificent property and rooms, Dinner was really amazing and the spa treatment the best we ever had. Will definitely come back and try it in the winter too, the fireplace are quite spectacular. Really friend staff although the maitre d’hôtel at the restaurant was a bit stressed when we asked to move the reservation by 15mn…

Stunning property! Must visit! What we loved most is the super friendly staff. Everyone was nice and friendly. French hospitality at its best! Reminded me of Indian hospitality :)

The castle and ambience was really fantastic. It is truly a beautiful setting. That is why it is a shame that the service level is consistently not on par of a five star hotel. We did not once feel that the staff was welcoming or friendly. I really hope that they improve this as it would be a marvelous place.

In the Beaujolais countryside, about 25 minutes outside Lyon, lies an old castle or chateau. We booked it with no expectations, but the positive reviews and its perfect location with five-hour drive from both the Côte d'Azur and Paris sealed the deal. Is this hotel worth visiting? Here's my take on the pros and cons. What I Loved Location: It's absolutely perfect. Being outside Lyon, amidst the rolling hills and vineyards, offers a refreshing change from a typical hotel stay. It's unique, and sometimes, that's exactly what you need. The View: The vista from our room, overlooking the surrounding landscape, was nothing short of world-class. I honestly can't remember the last time I witnessed such a flawless view. The room - We had a 100 m2 room which wasn’t modern, but still ok given the price range and the presumed restrictions buildings like this comes with. The toilet is either hilarious or gives your a royal treatment. Depending on how you look at it. What I Didn't Like The Service: The woman who showed us to our room was fantastic – friendly, welcoming, and informative. Just perfect for this kind of place. However, the service during dinner was less than ideal. Despite notifying them well in advance about a dietary restriction, everything was made incredibly complicated for no good reason. The standard procedure is for the chef to offer alternatives prior to or upon arrival, or to discuss options with the guest on the spot. A simple steak with some fries would have done. The Menu: The gourmet menu was exclusively for adults, featuring a tasting menu for foodies and an à la carte option that looked decent. There was also a bar menu for kids and those wanting more standard food although not very kids friendly. However, this bar menu wasn't available in the "nice" dining room; it was relegated to a seating area that felt more akin to a Holiday Inn Express, with a rather stoic table setting. The Dinner Room: As mentioned, for a restaurant with high ambitions, children weren't allowed in the "nice" dining room. While I don't dispute the decision to separate kids from "high-value" gourmet guests, I do mind that when the room rate is 700-800 Euros and a simple dinner sets you back ~225 Euros, one expects proper set table and an ambiance and service that's worth its salt, even in the "less nice" room. The room was buzzing, but not for good reasons; it was due to staff scurrying around to serve guests in the gourmet room. It truly felt like a second-tier experience. The Food: We only ate from the bar menu. While we don't dispute the excellence of the gourmet food because that was something they cared about, the bar menu was pretty awful. - Beef Tataki (34 Euro): Just some meat. Nothing else. No rice, no potatoes, no fries. - Croque Monsieur (25 Euro): One basic toast (think the one you buy at the supermarket) with cheese and ham. No salad, no tomato, no nothing. I guess this food was prepared in advance, because that’s what it tasted like. For a French restaurant to serve Croque Monsieur like a highway stop in Leeds is disappointing. - French Fries (12 Euro): Maybe 25 sticks of fries, comparable to Burger King fries. We also had a Burrata with Tomato and a Gazpacho, which we only received after a heated debate about how it could fit our dietary restrictions. - For dessert we took sorbet and some mixed fruit (the fruit salad was pre-prepared we were told when we asked if we could have it without the strawberries). In the end after eyes rolled from the chefs, we got our fruit salad without the strawberries. The breakfast - Not much love was put into the breakfast I can tell you. Equal to a cheap hotel, the selection of food was sparse and of not very high quality and when the charcuterie ran out, not one filled it up for 45 minutes. The omelettes we ordered missed ingredients (tomato, onion) because the kitchen claim they didn’t have it (or at least this is what they told us when serving the omelette and us pointing out some ingredients were missing. A team of chefs worth it’s grain of salt would never be so careless in preparing food, even for a bar menu or a breakfast. They should develop a menu that genuinely suits the audience they aim to serve, not something like this. There was no love, no care in the preparation and a lack in general ambition. There are many good things to say about this hotel and they would be able to charge double the amount if they only cared, but unfortunately, the staff, the food, the breakfast, the ill-fitted clothing and the dinner room will prevent them from doing this. If these three aspects are important to you, I'd suggest picking a different hotel.

What an experience. A historic chateau in the Beaujolais wine region, rooms that made you believe you were in a french historic novel, located in a charming hillside village with a dedicated and professiona staff. The grounds were meticulous, the dining was superb and the staff were fridendly and unpretentious (a real treat from other high end establishments we have stayed at). Make it your base camp for walks, wine & dining.