Les Douves — Hotel in Blois

We recently stayed two nights at this enchanting place. The host was friendly and welcoming. We stayed in the smaller of the two available options. 20-30 minutes by car away from either Blois or Amboise (and just a little bit further from Chenonceau). Parking at Les Douves was easy and within the moated grounds. Breakfast was served at our requested time on the lovely stone courtyard - basic French breakfast - breads, jams, honey, butter, OJ and coffee. The rooms were spacious, clean and absolutely gorgeous. They were filled with quirky art and sculptures nestled among beautiful old furniture and fixtures. The main bathroom (shower and tub) are up a small staircase (note for anyone who may have trouble climbing stairs). The tub was huge, perfect for soaking up all the surroundings. The windows opened up to stunning gardens - roses, lemons, sculpted trees with fantastic outdoor sculptures at every turn. And the Moat - could not get enough of the moat! I paddled around for quite a time, snapping photos, greeting the swan and ducks and just escaping into this magical place. At night, the gardens cast an entirely new spell with a star-filled sky as the backdrop. The cool night was warmed on the inside by a fire that was lit by the host for our comfort. A quick word about the town. We fell in love with this tiny village - we arrived on market day - a handful of cheese, meat, flower, vegetable and fruit stalls in the little town square - speaking a bit of French helped here - but everyone was very patient with my earnest attempts to communicate. Of course, there is a lovely old church. Shout out to the traditional dance and music group that was practicing at the community center. Again, we were welcomed in and enjoyed an hour of so of local entertainment - we thought it was a performance, but ended up being a practice. All the more enjoyable as we attempted to communicate and take it all in. The town is well positioned to take in the surrounding chateaux - don't miss Chaumont (which is 10 minutes away). None of the guidebooks particularly focus on this gem - the gardens were an...

We arrived at this beautiful chateau and were warmly welcomed by the host. We were advised that there was a function happening that evening and local people were going to enjoy some live French music, dinner in the grounds and a film! A screen had been erected on the side of our family room ready for the evening and we were asked not to open the curtains on one side of the room! We were asked if he would like to attend however we declined as we cant speak French and the event wasn't really geared towards children. The film commenced quite late maybe 9.30ish and was incredibly loud!! There was no way anyone could sleep and the children were quite scared on the noise. The film was in French but consisted of mostly loud gun fire with no one ever seeming to win the battle and the film ending!! How the owner of the chateau thought it was a good idea to still let the room out especially to a young family with such an event was planned I do not know! The chateau was very beautiful but not suitable for families even on a non film night. I'm sure artists, people travelling without children would enjoy the setting ON A...

It is hard to imagine a more charming place to stay in the Loire than Les Douves. Once a grand chateau occupied the small island, with its 360 degree moat, on which the current “manor” style building sits. The island home is situated in the center of the town of Onzain, a perfect location from which to tour the surrounding area and grand chateaux.||Family owned and operated, Les Douves has only one guest accommodation. A suite consisting of a large bedroom and sitting room, two other salons, and a bath, all on the second floor, as well as a breakfast room of its own on the ground floor. The rooms of the suite all have very large multipaned windows overlooking the moat and gardens and the main house itself. The rooms are furnished with antiques and are delightful. Pictures reveal the charm of the location and rooms.||The owners and their four children could not have been kinder or more accommodative. We were asked for champagne served in the courtyard. A wonderfully generous gesture.||This is a rare gem and not to be missed. Les Douves will be long remembered as one of our favorite...