Need to know
Rooms
11, including six suites.
Check–Out
Noon, but flexible according to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More details
Rates exclude breakfast (€18 a person).
Also
Unfortunately, there's no lift at this storied stay, and no specially adapted rooms if you use a wheelchair; but ground-floor rooms are available if you have some mobility.
Hotel closed
From roughly December to March every year.
At the hotel
Tennis courts, 25-acre park, gardens with playground and trampoline, CD, DVD and book libraries, in-room massage, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV, DVD/CD, iPod dock, coffee- and tea-making kit, and Casanera products.
Our favourite rooms
L’Orangerie is set apart from the château, a huge, self-contained suite with an open bathroom, vast wooden bed and one wall made from a 19th-century backdrop found in a Barcelona theatre. The château’s most modern room is the Chambre des Mystères, romantically secluded up two narrow flights of winding stairs (52 in total, if you're counting…). It’s chocolate-coloured, with bold red accents. For a stay that’s steeped in history, go for the Chambre d’Henri IV, where France’s first Bourbon king kipped. Chambre de Madame may have been the bedroom of owner Charles-Henry's grandmother, but these days is prized for its four-poster bed and panoramic pool-and-park views.
Poolside
There's a heated outdoor pool in the grounds, open May to September, which shares its setting with a hot tub and sauna.
Packing tips
Riding boots and hats, and a hearty appetite for cider and cheese.
Also
In-room massages can be arranged on request, and there are bicycles to borrow.
Pet‐friendly
Pets can stay for €15 a night; the owners have dogs of their own and are happy to make meal arrangements for yours too. See more pet-friendly hotels in Normandy.
Children
Welcome, but it's better suited to adults and teenagers so may be best to leave the littler Smiths behind. Extra beds can be added to Parc, Canard, Roseraie, L'Orangerie and Datcha rooms for €35 a person, each night.
Overview
Kids of all ages are welcome. There's plenty for them to do in the château's grounds with a pool, playground, trampoline and a 25-acre park beyond.
Best for
Over-fives.
Recommended rooms
Clad in 18th-century wood paneling, the Canard suite has an imposing four-poster bed, a roll-top bath and an adjoining room with bunk beds for two children. Smaller double Classic Rooms Marechal and Terrasse can be joined together to sleep up to four .
Activities
The owners’ three little boys have grown up in this family château, so there’s plenty here to keep children of all ages busy. Let yours roam free in the 25-acre park, a halo of lush Normandy greenery and manicured lawns surrounding the castle, with a heated outdoor pool, playground, ping-pong, badminton and huge trampoline for active little Smiths. A tennis court lies in quiet seclusion an 150-metre stroll away from the main house. If relaxation is more your thing try your hand at croquet, or simply flop with a good book in the dappled shade of an old tree.
Swimming pool
Sitting by a paved terrace, the heated pool in the grounds is open from May to September. It’s not supervised, but the sunloungers set out on the surrounding grass are great for keeping an eye on little ones, who can pick from the hotel’s floats.
Meals
Children gather for dinner at 6.30pm to enjoy a special menu together. French kids’ staples of steak haché, ham or pasta are served in the dining room (highchairs are available); parents are then free to enjoy a peaceful dinner once everyone’s tucked up in bed. The hotel can heat up milk or prepare purées – just ask.
Babysitting
The hotel has local babysitters on hand to step in when required (€9 an hour). Book a day in advance.
Also
Extra beds can be added for €35 a person, each night, in the following rooms: Chambre de la Roseraie, Chambre des Canards, Chambre de l'Orangerie, Chambre du Parc, Chambre de la Terrasse and La Datcha. Cots are free. Please note that, in accordance with French law, children in pools must be supervised at all times.