Oh my, what a wonderful treat this chateau is! It looks like there has been some massive…read morerenovations. Excellent lighting everywhere with plenty of outlets. Our room was spacious with a separate sitting room and a newly remodeled bathroom. The decor is fitting to a castle. There are many stuffed animals in one corridor and lots of nooks and crannies to explore. The salon is beautiful. To reach the pool, you walk through an underground tunnel which also houses a wine cellar. A pond and wildlife are visible from the lawn. Continental breakfast available for 12 euros and is completely French. When traveling through the Loire Valley, make this a stopover for the night. There are only 12 rooms available so plan ahead! I would have liked to spend more time here because it is so lovely.

A fantastic find near the city of Amboise in the center of the Loire Valley. This former chateau…read moreabout 4 kilometers from the city center is a deluxe and quiet country get away. We stayed for 4 nights in the Catherine suite (all of the 12 rooms are named for members of the owner's family) which was a huge room on the 1st floor (2nd floor in the US) with 11 foot timbered ceilings, 3 large double windows (at least 5 ft tall each), a small adjoining turret room and a very large bath room with claw foot tub, giant tiled shower, heated towel rack and more. I don't believe the room has A/C but as we visited in late September, opening up the windows a bit was just fine. In the back they have a large pool that is available from mid May to Mid September and there is a lot of property if one wishes to explore. The view out our window was of the woodland pond and fields. Breakfast (continental only) is included at the leisurely hours of 830 to 1100 in case you want to sleep in like the lords and ladies of bygone days. You will need a car to explore the area and to go into town (4KM) for dinner.

4.5 stars We had a…read moredelightful, three-night stay at La Rocheliere. The property is beautiful, built into the side of a cave. The location is great and really central if you want to visit different chateaux in the Loire. We made day trips to Blois, Amboise, Chenonceau, and Chinon, and it was the perfect base. We did have to drive an hour each way some days, but it was a good tradeoff to stay in a comfortable place and not have to worry about packing/unpacking and changing hotels The owner, Anneli, was incredibly nice and gave us a lot of great recommendations for things to do in the area. By the third day, I felt like she was family. She took good care of us, and we liked playing with Jaguar, her enormous, playful dog. Breakfast was simple but good, with a selection of bread and croissants from a local bakery, plus butter, honey, and jam. It came with coffee and juice. The rooms are quite comfortable, but not luxurious. I was quite sore after the third night. We stayed in the cave room, which was really cool, but had a few downsides. The cave room is the only room without wifi, because the wifi can't penetrate the cave walls, but you can use the wifi in the B&B's common kitchen/living area. We knew this in advance and chose the cave room anyway, because we thought it would be awesome to stay in a cave room. Also, the room had a bit of a musty smell, but after visiting a few wine caves, we discovered that this is a smell that all caves have, and there's really no way around it. In terms of toiletries, Anneli provides the basics, like soap, shampoo, and towels, but it's probably worth bringing your own toiletries if you're particular, like I am. If I went back to Vouvray, I would definitely stay at La Rocheliere again, but I would choose one of the non-cave rooms. But if you've never stayed in a cave room before and think it would be cool, it's definitely worth a try.

This was our first time visiting this region and looking for something different, I stumbled onto…read morethis incredible Bed & Breakfast. Run by Americans, Gloria & Bob Belknap, this 18th century mansion has been meticulously decorated & maintained. Everything from the grounds to the rooms are beautiful. We were fortunate to stay in 2 different rooms, the George Sand & Madam de Lafayette. Both rooms, were unique and beautiful with gorgeous antiques. I only have a few pics and they don't do this place justice. Go to the website, their pics depict the place much better. Upon check-in, Gloria takes the time to sit down and get to know you. And then, she makes FANTASTIC recommendations of what to see & eat. She DID NOT lead us in the wrong direction. In fact, her dinner recommendation is still hands down my favorite meal over the years in France (she even called the proprietor for us to make the reservations). But it doesn't end there! Gloria graduated from La Varenne cooking school in Paris, so you can imagine how wonderful breakfast was every morning. Breakfast is held in the back of the mansion in the Conservatory, overlooking the backyard garden. Even my husband still thinks about those breakfast meals. The only negative I had with this place, was it was so beautiful that I worried about breaking things. Haha! We'd love to go back!

You will not be disappointed in any way. Owner is an American woman of means and has created a…read morewelcoming, classical environment. Every comfort, excellence in design and culinary execution. Warm without being overbearing. We were given an excellent recommendation for local dining and tourism, as well. If I am ever returning to this area, I will be certain to call again.

From the owner: Chambre d'hotes de charme - B&Bread more

We absolutely loved our stay here. It's a small and charming hotel in the heart of Amboise. We…read morestayed on the top floor of the main building and had a wonderful view from our bathroom! Each morning we watched hot air balloons go by :) The room was very comfortable, the staff were kind and helpful, and the location was fantastic. Keep in mind that it's a small building and there is no elevator. A few notes that may be helpful to others: 1) The parking area is through a gravel area. If you have luggage on wheels, I highly recommend you stop near the front door and unload your luggage before parking your car because it's impossible to really drag luggage on wheels through the gravel (you'd need to carry them). 2) Rent a small car! The entrance/exit is on the corner of two one-way streets and is quite narrow to enter and exit through and also to make a sharp turn in either direction when exiting. Having a smaller car will be easier to navigate. 3) They lock the main gate at night for security and there is a small door you can exit and enter through by foot but we couldn't figure out how to exit through there (we had the code to enter from the outside but couldn't figure out how to open it from the inside to leave). They ended up opening the main gate for the cars and we walked through that in the early morning but if you need to leave very early (for example for a hot air balloon tour) before the main gate is typically unlocked you'd need to check with the staff to make sure you're able to exit early enough with your vehicle.

We travelled from Paris to Amboise by way of a train that stopped in Tours. We arrived in Amboise…read moreand made our way to Pavilion. We were greeted warmly by the British/French concierge and made our way to our rooms. Throughout our stay, the staff were amazingly accommodating and friendly. One evening, while sipping Calvados, we were accompanied by the concierge who gave us a thorough history of both the B&B and Amboise. They made an outstanding recommendation for meals (Chateau du Pray). Finally, the breakfast meals were simple but amazing. Fresh fruits, meats and made to order omelets all made the experience very enjoyable. My only complaint, as we traveled with another couple, was that our two rooms were separated. That is, my wife and I stayed in the detached building while our travel companions where in the main building.