CHATEAU DE MAILLAT — Hotel in Nantua

I want to start by addressing some of the other reviews people have left for this location on Google and other sites. |- There are complaints about how the guest feel “anonymous” and no one was around. Whelp you are not staying at some fancy resort with staffing at your every whim. This is a family-owned castle with an amazing host that seems to finally understand that not all guests want to have constant attention and leaves them to enjoy their personal time as well as enjoy the amazing castle and all the grounds on their own. However, we found that if you strike up a conversation with Edward (The Owner) he is a very pleasant guy and willing to chat with you about the history of the castle as well as what they have done to restore it. |- There are some complaints about the breakfast service just being yogurt, juice, and jam in the fridge and that they leave a basket outside your room door in the morning with about 6 slices of bread. Again, this is not some fancy resort. We absolutely loved this approach. Edward explained to us that this type of breakfast affords the guest to eat on their own in the privacy of your room or out on the terrace overlooking the grounds. This provides a more intimate experience, and you’re not crowded into a room with multiple other guests. I honestly wished more places offered this.|- There are some complaints about it is unfortunate to hear the highway in the background as soon as you are outside. This is not something the owner can control or has control over. The current owners did not build the castle on this property. The castle was there long before someone decided to run a roadway out from it. Now I will admit you can hear the cars go by, but it is sort of faint, and you cannot hear a single thing when you’re in the rooms. We understood that the owner has zero control over this and completely expected that fact. It honestly did not take away any of the charm and beauty of this location. |- There are some complaints about the host not being there to welcome guests and that they were only provided a code to enter. Again, not a fully staffed resort. The host does not know when you will arrive, and they have lives to live as well. So, what if you got there and had to use the code to get in on your own. Maybe they were out running errands or had other plans that took them away on your arrival time. We are all adults and should understand that not everyone is going to be there to wait on your hand and foot. Our arrival went flawless, and we had no issues with any part of it. Just follow the directions and proceed. If you are lucky enough to have the owner there when you arrive, bonus! If not, oh well they have a life too. |Take in to account these complaints and do what you will with my feedback on them. However, I have to say that we had the best experience staying here and absolutely enjoyed every bit of our stay. Edward was a fantastic host, and we couldn’t ask for more than that. The room was extremely comfortable and accommodating. Honestly the best night sleep I had on or 14-day cross France adventure. Breakfast was perfect and had everything we would need. We absolutely loved the private breakfast idea. The castle is absolutely beautiful and the amount of work they have put into it is astonishing. We are huge history buffs and got the biggest kick out of talking with Edward about the castle’s history. We were even able to see then doing some old document preservation shortly after checking in. I would not hesitate to ever stay here again and if we were to come back to France and be in the area we would 100% book this location. Do not let the naysayers ruin this opportunity for you. Look past all the negative comments and go for it. We promise you will not be...

I want to start by addressing some of the other reviews people have left for this location. There are complaints about how the guest feel “anonymous” and no one was around. Whelp you are not staying at some fancy resort with staffing at your every whim. This is a family-owned castle with an amazing host that seems to finally understand that not all guests want to have constant attention and leaves them to enjoy their personal time as well as enjoy the amazing castle and all the grounds on their own. However, we found that if you strike up a conversation with Edward (The Owner) he is a very pleasant guy and willing to chat with you about the history of the castle as well as what they have done to restore it. There are some complaints about the breakfast service just being yogurt, juice, and jam in the fridge and that they leave a basket outside your room door in the morning with about 6 slices of bread. Again, this is not some fancy resort. We absolutely loved this approach. Edward explained to us that this type of breakfast affords the guest to eat on their own in the privacy of your room or out on the terrace overlooking the grounds. This provides a more intimate experience, and you’re not crowded into a room with multiple other guests. I honestly wished more places offered this. There are some complaints about it is unfortunate to hear the highway in the background as soon as you are outside. This is not something the owner can control or has control over. The current owners did not build the castle on this property. The castle was there long before someone decided to run a roadway out from it. Now I will admit you can hear the cars go by, but it is sort of faint, and you cannot hear a single thing when you’re in the rooms. We understood that the owner has zero control over this and completely expected that fact. It honestly did not take away any of the charm and beauty of this location. There are some complaints about the host not being there to welcome guests and that they were only provided a code to enter. Again, not a fully staffed resort. The host does not know when you will arrive, and they have lives to live as well. So, what if you got there and had to use the code to get in on your own. Maybe they were out running errands or had other plans that took them away on your arrival time. We are all adults and should understand that not everyone is going to be there to wait on your hand and foot. Our arrival went flawless, and we had no issues with any part of it. Just follow the directions and proceed. If you are lucky enough to have the owner there when you arrive, bonus! If not, oh well they have a life too.

Take these complaints and do what you will with my feedback on them. However, I have to say that we had the best experience staying here and absolutely enjoyed every bit of our stay. Edward was a fantastic host, and we couldn’t ask for more than that. The room was extremely comfortable and accommodating. Honestly the best night sleep I had on our 14-day cross France adventure. Breakfast was perfect and had everything we would need. We absolutely loved the private breakfast idea. The castle is absolutely beautiful and the amount of work they have put into it is astonishing. We are huge history buffs and got the biggest kick out of talking with Edward about the castle’s history. We were even able to see then doing some old document preservation shortly after checking in. I would not hesitate to ever stay here again and if we were to come back to France and be in the area we would 100% book this location. Do not let the naysayers ruin this opportunity for you. Look past all the negative comments and go for it. We promise you will not be...

Aangekomen in maillat, over de (slechte) toegangsweg naar het hotel verrast door het mooie chateau. De parkeerplaatsen zijn onvoldoende omdat een deel voor de eigenaar en er is ook nog een spa op het terrein. Je moet dus in het gras parkeren. Het eerste wat je echter hoort is de snelweg die vlak achter het chateau ligt en 24 uur per dag lawaaiig is. De tuin, zonder echte zitjes was mooi en de dame met haar hond was uiterst vriendelijk (vrouw van de eigenaar?). We werden naar onze kamers gebracht en die zagen er fantastisch uit. Goede bedden en een klassieke uitstraling wat je wenst in een kasteel. De domper kwam echter toen de eigenaar kwam. We hadden niet juist geboekt en de prijs ging omhoog. Waarom? De prijs op de site was voor een bezetting van 1 persoon op de kamer. Dus er kwam per nacht voor de luxe kamer 29 en voor de standaard kamer 16 euro bij. Bijzonder omdat ik nog nooit een kamer heb geboekt waar de standaard is: 1 persoon per kamer en als je dan met 2 bent zou het verschil het ontbijt moeten zijn maar tussen de prijzen van de kamers lag ook nog een verschil van 13 euro. Bovendien, de kamers waren al voorzien van handdoeken en voorbereiding van het ontbijt voor 2 personen.....We moesten meteen betalen. De ontvangstruimte/ontbijtzaal was niet in gebruik en we kregen ontbijt op de kamer. Wilden we kaas? Ja graag... dat bestond uit 1 blokje per persoon (comté). De koelkast op de kamer bevatte dagelijks een paar kuipje smeerkaas, melk, jus, een bekertje yoghurt, boter 1 een beetje jam. Koffie en thee op de kamer zijn maar in totaal 4 cups waarvan 2 voor espresso is wat weinig als je bv niet van lungo of espresso houdt. Het ontbijt werd dan in de ochtend gebracht, 2 sneetje brioche en wat sneetjes brood. Niet wat je verwacht. Bij vertrek was alles afgesloten en we zagen enkel in de ochtend bij ht brengen van het ontbijt de eigenaar. Ook miste we wel een mooie beschrijving over de historie van het kasteel en evt een rondleiding door de spa (eigenaar gaf 2 euro korting als je in het hotel verbleef en je betaalde 22 ipv 24 euro pp voor 1 uur en...