Château de Rouffillac — Attraction in Sarlat-la-Canéda

Please avoid if you are hoping for a smooth wedding experience. We booked our wedding for April 2023 and things took a steep downward turn about 2 weeks before our stay when we were causally told via email that the outdoor location for our wedding ceremony was now essentially a building site. This was a shock seeing as we had done a site visit just 6 weeks before and reconfirmed plans for ceremony location with the estate manager.

We voiced concern around this. At first our email was totally ignored. I followed up as I could see the email had been opened and read. Then the owner put her out of office on. Then the other owner who we’ve never spoken to at any point in the 16 months of planning the wedding - sent the most class-less email (see images). The fact that someone would send that to a couple the week before their wedding floors me. The stress we felt at the time of replanning the ceremony, not feeling welcome at the venue and the expectation of all our family and friends who had travelled to France to stay in a ‘luxury’ castle with us was overwhelming.

At that time the French strikes were also in full swing. Our and all of our guests’ flights had been cancelled and we were in panic mode, working out how to get 40 people’s plans rearranged. Instead of checking in to see if we were ok we received multiple aggressive emails (see images) about the security deposit (we had already sent the money).

When we finally arrived at the chateau we found tools, tarps, work clothes strewn across the gardens. Garden furniture piled in random places. Vehicles with tools piled up in front of the gym. We went round lifting bits of debris and construction equipment out of sight (see images) ourselves.

The rooms themselves also don’t live up to luxury in real life. The Royal (bridal) suite has no curtains or shutters so you are awake with the sun at 6am. There are no radiators in that room - for our stay it was -1’c at night. The rooms are crawling with stinkbugs which like to fly around at night like little helicopters. I thought I dreamed one crawling over my face - the next morning I realised that it wasn’t a dream revealing a dead one in the pillowcase (picture included). There was an LED light in the bridal suite that could not be turned off because they had lost the remote. And the toilet didn’t flush. I understand old buildings have issues but ALL of these issues simultaneously did not feel like luxury at all! I think it says a lot about how totally deluded they whole thing is that they have prioritised monogrammed pillowcases over curtains.

The owners don’t live in France and are totally disconnected from what is going on at the chateau in ‘real life’. I noticed that just a few days ago a picture of a gorgeous pool was posted to their Instagram. There is no hint of a mention that this is a pool has actually already been demolished. At what point does enthusiastic marketing become false Adveritsing?

To note, we were not made aware that the pool would be a building site during our stay. Despite the pool being quite clearly outlined in multiple places in the contract. Not only was it unsightly, they continued to do building work during our stay. Workmen wandering through, banging, crashing, just meters from where we were trying to host a bbq for our guests.

However! If you are cool with all this (!) and you have an excellent, quick thinking wedding planner (couldn’t recommend Perfect Day by Karen more) then the chateau’s location is exceptional. The views are breathtaking and we worked with some great local suppliers to pull-off a magical, sun drenched, nail-shreddingly stressful, French...

I can not find the words to describe how incredible the stay at Chateau Rouffillac was for myself and all my guests. Every detail was considered. From each guest suite to the indoor and outdoor living areas, and the entire property itself.

I am personally responsible for all my guests staying at Chateau Rouffillac as I run Awe, The Arts & Wellness Experience. This was our first year (of many going forward) staying at the Chateau and we stayed for 2 weeks. It had been bumped twice due to the pandemic and Cassandra and Kirk could not have been more gracious and helpful throughout the navigating of this situation. They worked with us through the entire process answering all our questions and helping to make the experience the best possible by recommending places to go, things to see and experiences, as well as, sharing their amazing wellness experts, Enrique, Dean, and Laurocia.

Before our stay at the Chateau, Cassandra continually sent me all the exciting updates that they were doing to the property. Being fairly new owners at the time, they dedicated their love and passion to making improvements in all aspects of the property all while keeping the true character of the castle.

I slept in the Royal Suite and each guest had their own beautifully appointed suite that they fell in love with. If there were any issues (which understandably there will be in a 12th century castle!) they were minimal and attended to right away. For instance, one of the bedroom showers wasn't draining on arrival. This was resolved immediately and certainly cast no reflection of negativity on our stay! Any reasonable person would understand that little things come up like this especially while improvements are continually being made. This is just part of the great charm of a magical property like this. As Kirk so eloquently put "we are simply all guests of the Chateau. It does not belong to us, but rather we belong to it". I think that some people have lost sight of this and have unreasonable expectations thinking that they deserve "perfection" based on their 21st century perception. Though the Chateau is a true 5 star luxury accommodation this is not what the Chateau is about. Chateau Rouffillac is a magical experience filled with incredible energy that all its guests should feel blessed to take a part in.

I have attached a few pictures below and I laugh as I did not take many pictures of the inside of the castle. I remember feeling that I did not need to as the pictures on the Chateau Rouffillac website represents them perfectly.

I can not recommend more highly that if you are looking to stay in a true fairy tale castle that will transcend you and your guests to a magical place then you should stay at Chateau Rouffillac. I also recommend that you consider what your expectations are before making the decision to stay at Chateau Rouffillac. Chateau Rouffillac deserves only love, patience, and positive energy. Thank you Cassandra, Kirk, and dear Portia for bringing her back to the beauty that she is and for sharing her...

My wife and I hosted 14 members of our family for a week at Chateau Rouffillac. It was a fabulous experience – I highly recommend a stay.

Others have posted pictures – and the Chateau website accurately shows the visuals. The site, and the building, are spectacular. I’ll not dwell there.

The renovation of the Chateau is spot on – the rooms lovely, and the beds comfortable. HVAC in the bedrooms means that sleeping is not a concern, regardless of the weather. The kitchen is well equipped – all 16 of us managed to make our own breakfasts and not get in each other’s way. And the outdoor tables set up in the courtyard were absolutely terrific for on-site dinners. And the grounds were in excellent shape.

At the end of a day of touring, almost everyone seemed to end up at the pool – which was well appointed with a pool house and comfortable nearby seating. The in-ground trampoline was a hit with the teenagers.

But what separated the Chateau from other properties I’ve rented was the support offered by the owner and the on-site caretaker both ahead of and during our stay. We were provided with recommendations for on-site chefs who could give us dinner every night. Lots of advice was provided in terms of other providers – in our case, a wine tasting for our guests provided at the Chateau. We had a recommendation for a wine shop where the wife and I went to taste wines before making purchases (I’ve never bought so much wine at one time) to match with the dinners arranged with the chef. When we decided to eat off-property two nights, there were recommendations for restaurants, and reservations were made for us.

And, the help continued while on-site. The caretaker took our breakfast shopping list and filled the refrigerator on our arrival. Every day she brought freshly baked croissants, pastries, and breads in time for our breakfasts. If one or another thing needed to be attended to on the property, it was done promptly.

My brother – one of our guests – announced that this was the best vacation of his life. While the Chateau certainly wasn’t the only reason for that, I think it undoubtedly played a part.

I’m trying to figure out another group of folks to collect so that I can come back for a second stay. I hope you get to...