Chateau Hotel & Spa Grand Barrail — Hotel in Libourne

My husband and I chose this hotel as part of our honeymoon because of the junior suite and due to the fact that it claims to be a 5 star hotel worthy of the price tag of ~$700 per night. We have both traveled extensively and this is the worst experience we ever had. I wanted to avoid posting a negative review but after 5 months of trying to dispute the charge, I'm left with no choice. The hotel has lied to Chase and refuses to give our money back so here is a summary of our experience. This is NOT a 5 star hotel and the majority of the staff were not interested in helping those staying. There were empty towel baskets at the pool and no one to assist with finding new ones, there was no one at the front desk throughout the evening hours, flies all over the food at breakfast, and everything in this hotel is very old and dated and not in the way one would hope for a romantic experience. We had to ask for help multiple times and never received it. To start with the room, it was not the room we booked. We booked the Junior Suite and were given a completely different room than was advertised. The hotel confirmed by email in advance that the junior suite was lovely and when we complained we were told by the hotel that we should have asked them in advance for help choosing a room even though we did and I had the emails to prove it. They apparently have different junior suites but do not advertise this or allow customers to choose one over the other. Our terrace was tiny with astroturf, full of rust, and had no view of the vineyards as advertised. I sent the photos from the junior suite on the hotel's website in advance to confirm that we had indeed booked this room! Our room looked directly at a building and was unpleasant. Had this been the room advertised we never would have booked it. While we were offered to move our room for the second night, it would not have been available until early afternoon and we would have had to cancel other activities we had booked and lose money as a result. Although the hotel offered, we of course did not want the hotel staff to pack our belongings. Instead of offering to make this right in any way, the hotel chose to blame us for booking through Chase rather than booking with them directly, and again, we did reach out to the hotel to discuss the room type while booking several months before. We had no functioning AC throughout our stay which was amidst a heatwave with temperatures reaching 100 degrees and I was pregnant. We advised the front desk multiple times yet no one worked to resolve the issue and no one communicated with one another. When we came in from dinner our first night and wanted to confirm it was fixed, there was simply no one at the front desk to ask and no one to be found in the hotel lobby, which is not indicative of a 5 star hotel. The next day the staff said we should just keep the black out shutter windows closed (even though we advised multiple times that we kept the windows closed) during the daytime to try to cool the room off. When we left our room for dinner in the hotel our second night, we again advised the concierge that our AC was still not working. We were told we should have told someone about this issue even though we told several different people already! We were told by the restaurant staff we were not permitted to eat indoors even though it was 97 degrees out! One of the indoor rooms had a large party but the other was empty. We explained I was pregnant and it was extremely hot and they still said no, so without any other option we sat outside in the heat. After dinner we found our room sweltering hot with the AC still not working. We called to ask if someone checked and reached housekeeping who said no one told them. At 11pm, housekeeping brought an old fan and towels to use as lighter weight blankets. The hotel claims they fixed the AC but they certainly never did. Upon check out, we were blamed by the women at the front desk for all...

Modernised and refurbished chateau located adjacent to a vineyard and which certainly looks the part. The original building has been very impressively updated whilst maintaining the key original features. I suspect the majority of the accommodation is within two rather obvious new blocks to the front and the side of the main building.||So we were probably quite lucky to find ourselves in a pleasant upper junior suite at the side of the chateau itself. This is an interesting double-level room with a vineyard-facing terrace located down a flight of external stairs. Plenty of room there although the lounge deck chairs were not the most ergonomic, and sun loungers as per the website would have been preferable. Not overly private either as the side view was basically an entire block of accommodation.||Inside, and below the exposed rafters, the decor was peaceful and the large bed was very comfortable. Sleep was no problem; for a hotel with plenty of guests we were completely undisturbed. No shortage of storage space here, and ample minibar and hot beverage facilities. The L-shaped floor plan was rather unusual and the small lounge nook was quite cosy with a good vineyard view. The air-conditioning worked well and the automatic window blinds were effective. An interesting smattering of rococo fixtures, fittings and furniture added interest. Down some stairs for a separate w.c. which was across from a higher-level bathroom with separate shower, the latter of which was notable, again, for the splendid view across the vineyard. The hairdryer was rather a monster, and the badly stained floor tiles in both areas really did need replacing urgently. Looks like the whole suite had seen plenty of action as there were plenty of chips and scuffs all over. Slight irritation in that the front screen TV welcomed a Mr Rodrigo (very much not me) for our entire stay. In saying all that, we actually liked the room a lot. It had character, space and comfort. ||Breakfast is located in the dullest of a pair dining rooms and was not very inspiring; all the usual basics and not a lot of variety. Egg dishes can be requested, which appears to be a big secret. ||There is no manned bar on site so it's a question of finding a member of staff (not usually a problem) who will then deal with it remotely before returning. I must admit that I found it very odd not to have a physical bar in such a large hotel. However, the restaurant, which is situated in the best room in the building, is undeniably excellent and well worth a good blow out. Note that it frequently seems to be used for corporate functions so punters are relocated to the dull breakfast room in such instances.||We liked the ornate grounds and terraces which enhance the whole feel of the place, and there is plenty of car parking adjacently. St Emilion is about 5 minutes drive away; a pig for daytime parking but all free after 19.00 and plenty of room. There is a hotel shuttle bus but the timings and frequency really do need to be reviewed.||Finally, I have to commend the staff here. All very friendly, keen and eager to please. Mostly very young but clearly highly motivated. ||It's a nice place, it ticks all the chateau boxes and it's convenient. It's also not remotely posh or elevated so would represent a good option for most potential visitors. And it does look...

We expected our stay at the Chateau Grand Barrail Hotel to be the highlight stop of our two weeks in France for our honeymoon. Those high expectations were met and then some! The "wow" factor you experience every day you're on the grounds is something special. It's breathtaking to arrive at the magnificent Chateau in the heart of the vineyards surrounding it. That feeling was matched by the professionalism of the staff the minute we walked in the door. We were treated exceptionally well and made to feel special!

None of that could prepare us for what was next. We opened the door of our room to find the bed, table, and bathroom beautifully decorated in rose petals with other special creative touches. We had a note and chocolates waiting for us as well from the staff to celebrate our honeymoon. Minutes later a well-dressed staff member knocked at our door with a bottle of the region's excellent Cremant sparkling wine in ice. It was like a dream! So was stepping out on our balcony to take in the incredible view of the vineyards just outside of our room. We sat at the table there and enjoyed our drinks and scenery for awhile to take it all in.

The grounds are fascinating as well. You can relax on the folding chairs outside and stroll down to the grape vines. We rented bikes from the hotel and took a scenic ride down the quiet roads to see other chateaus and vineyards. It was so much fun! The pool area is very relaxing, too, and included crystal blue water and excellent views of the chateau itself.

Did I mention that there is also a top-notch Michelin starred restaurant right inside the chateau as well? We had an elegant meal and enjoyed some wine as we looked outside through the open-air doors to see a magnificent sunset.

I also need to point out how courteous and professional the staff was in helping us through the process of having to postpone our trip twice due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. Celine and the rest of the Chateau's team made things easy and took care of all of our needs as we figured out the logistics of rebooking our room. We're so glad that we finally got to make the trip to such a remarkable place!

There are times in life when it's worth it to pay the extra money for that wow factor experience. We are so glad we did it here! This was a once-in-a-lifetime place to stay that made us realize how beautiful the world can be. The staff made us feel very special throughout the stay and took great care of us. If you're in this region, go for it! The Chateau Grand Barrail is a place you'll enjoy and be wowed by throughout your...