Chateau des Marquis at Pays de la Loire

The grandness of Le Château des Marquis as you approach it is all encompassing - the sheer size of it is impressive and the excitement builds as you drive down the avenue and see the imposing façade. Welcome to Château des Marquis. Our home is your castle. History has played an enormous part in the life of this château. Generations have come and gone, and now the aim is to give guests the ‘The Chateau Experience’ and experience historical glamour and royal charm in this palatial country residence. After many years of neglect, the new owners have taken it upon themselves to bring back the former glory of this magnificent building and recreate the luxury offered by such a beautiful estate. The newly renovated interiors within the well-preserved façade have been redesigned to provide elegant living in a beautiful old building with modern kitchens and bathrooms, yet feeling very much part of an old world. The rooms are large with high ceilings so you enjoy the freedom of space. The furniture style is Country French, and the bathrooms are traditional, so you immediately feel you are in a lovely old Country Home. This castle boasts 13 elegant apartments spread over three floors, where guests can live like royalty, in their own self-contained accommodation of either a studio, one- or two-bedroom apartment. The ground floor offers communal salons around a central fireplace, a large banquet hall, a chapel and a large dining area, as well as a large front terrace to enjoy the sunlight while sipping a good glass of local French wine or bubbly from the many vineyards around Saumur. Outside in the formal gardens you can enjoy the large swimming pool, play boules in the pétanque court, find a seat to read a good book, enjoy the fruits from the orchard, smell the roses and sample herbs from the garden. In the broader grounds, you can take a walk in the forest, visit the grotto, enjoy a BBQ picnic out in the side garden, explore some caves in the moat and even find the chickens to collect some eggs. Chateau des Marquis enjoys a fabulous location in the heart of the Loire Valley in the outskirts of a little village and just 19 km from Saumur. The Loire River is part of the UNESCO World Heritage and the whole region offers countless of places to visit, from its famous Chateaux to wine tasting tours and plenty of outdoor activities. Chateau Interior Summer/Autumn 2018: 39 guests/18 bedrooms/18 bathrooms Winter 2018 and 2019: 43 guests/20 bedrooms/20 bathrooms - 4 x studios - 4 x 1-bedroom - 4 x 2-bedroom - 1 x 2-bedroom suite (available in winter 2018) - 1 x clock tower apt, 2-bedroom + mezzanine with 3 x single beds (children) Ground Floor - Grand staircase and entrance - 2 Salons with a central fireplace, library and computer - Grand Banquet Hall with 150 seats (ideal for dinners, meetings, private functions and conferences)* - Chateau Dining Room with 20 seats - Chateau Kitchen - Chapel - Crypt (for wine-tasting) - Chateau Office - Cloak room - Front terrace with patio - Raiponce Suite with disability access (West Wing) - 45m2 - Bibliotheque 2 bedroom suite with disability access (West Wing) - 98m2 First Floor - Ackerman 2 bedroom suite (access through West Wing staircase) - 96m2 - Marquis de Breze 2 bedroom suite (access through West Wing staircase) - 112m2 - Prince de Conde studio (access through West Wing staircase) - 55m2 - Marie suite (access through Grand staircase and lift) - interconnecting door to Suite Blandin - 61m2 - Mme Blandin suite (access through Grand staircase and lift) - interconnecting door to Suite Marie - 42m2 - Infant of Spain 1 bedroom suite (access through Grand staircase and lift) - disability access - 61m2 - Vue Foret 1 bedroom suite (access through Grand staircase and lift) - 45m2 - Bonnes Soeurs 2 bedroom suite (access through Grand staircase and lift) - 98m2 Second Floor - Maillé de la Tour Landry 1 bedroom suite (access through lift) - 48m2 - Louis Gilbert 1 bedroom suite (access through West Wing staircase) Third Floor - 2 bedrooms suite (94m2) with two bathrooms (newly renovated, available from winter 2018) *The Banquet Hall is not included in the rental prices. Supplements apply. Please enquire. Suites All suites are self-contained studio, one or two bedroom for self-catering. Temporary beds can be put in some Suites for extra bed space if requested, for an additional charge. Studio Suites – all have a mini kitchenette, with a microwave/convection small oven, two induction hot plates, an extractor, a mini fridge, a small dishwasher, a single sink and washing machine/dryer (or shared) integrated into the kitchen cupboards. The king bed can be split into two single beds as standard, and the living space has seating and dining for four people. Every bathroom has a bath, shower, toilet and hand basin. Utensils provided for catering up to four people. One Bedroom Suites – have a slightly larger kitchen than that of the studio suites, with a larger fridge.  All other items are as above. One suite is much larger, so has a full kitchen. Two Bedroom Suites – have full kitchens with a large fridge and all larger electrical fittings and double sinks. Utensils provided for catering up to six people. Most bathrooms have a bath, although some only have a shower in the second bedroom. Maison de Fretigny (Clock Tower) - 136m2 Independent 3-storey stand-alone suite located in the front lawns of the chateau. - Master bedroom with en-suite bath - 1 double bedroom with en-suite shower - Mezzanine area with 3 single beds - Fully equipped kitchenette - Entertainment area Outside Grounds - Semi-heated swimming pool (size: 20x8 m / depth: 1.1-1.7 m) with child-safe fence (open from May to October from 9 am to 7 pm) - French Gardens: the front lawn offers an area in which to view the moat and the front of the chateau.The main gardens are found through the main building to the back, where the area is divided into four sections – the topiary walk, the swimming pool, the orchard, and the garden walk. - Forest: 22 acres of forest, in which our guests can take walks along the pathways and accesses that are within our guided map.  Low hanging branches and fallen trees make it a ‘nature walk’, so care needs to be taken – do so at your own risk.  Wild flowers and chestnuts can be found on the ground. A Pilgrimage Grotto is also in the forest, to view and read about. - Change room, sunbeds and parasols - Picnic area with 2 gas-lit BBQs - Petanque court - Caves: exploring the caves is a fun past time, but you will need the Caves Map to find your way around, and you need to let one of our team members know you are going down to the moat to explore. You will need to be guided in the right direction, particularly on your first visit. - Cycling: the chateau bikes can be used on a first come, first served basis.  Cycling down to the village to collect your morning croissants or baguette for lunch is a popular thing to do. Having a coffee enroute is a very French thing to enjoy. - The Plants: a herb garden is near the foot bridge across from the back of the chateau and guests can help themselves to what is in season, for their personal cooking pleasure. The orchard is to the back of the formal gardens, and when in season, pickings can be made by our guests of the fruit on the trees, or some of the vegetables in the veggie patch. - Off road parking space - The Neighbour’s pets: our neighbours have a deer and peacocks in their enclosure. They also have a donkey and a horse… Sometimes our staff will be happy to walk with you to meet the animals, but as it is private property, this is restricted to us being available to take you over to meet them. Facilities - LCD Flat Screen Satellite TV - DVD player - CD player - I-pod docking station - PC with internet access - Safe - Burglar alarm