Wow WOW WOW WOW! is all i could think and say as we pulled into this amazing Chateau after our 3…read morehour drive from Paris to this beautiful "little town, in a quiet village." The near by town of Chinon is out of a movie set. I would never have imagined this could be real. Beware: our navigation took us to the wrong location and we were very confused and lost. However, we asked people on the street which way to go and they were all very knowledgeable and about Chateau Maracy and had great things to say about it. As we pulled in, we were al in shock! the first glimpse of this Chateau is magical and awesome! We were taken care of very nicely and professionally. The hotel staff is gracious and friendly and kind. They break every "french stereo type." We were able to check in right away and we had a 2 story cute room with stone walls. The master bedroom was on the top and 2 pull out beds were on the 1st floor. The towels and linens were clean, white, fluffy and much more plush than I expected. The views from our room was magnificent. You could see the beautiful french countryside and French sky for miles. I'm convinced that the sky looks different in France. I need to look this up because I understand it odd it sounds, but really, it looks different than our American sky. it seems lower set and wider. The Chateau had e-mailed us earlier about reservations at their restaurant and I wish I had booked it. They were completely booked at the restaurant and I now understood why. This remote Chateau had a michilin rated restaurant!!! Although they were booked, they agreed to provide my kids with a 3 course meal in the Parlour room! The meal was licked clean by my extremely picky and anorexic kids. We were served by 2-3 waiters in tuxedos in the parlor room of an 11th century Chateau! 1st course was cantaloupe (melon) slices. I swear, it was not your typical melon (lol, as Max Amini says, "I am not your typical Persian girl"). It was the most delicious cantaloupe and I am usually not a fan of the orange melon. Next course was Sea bream with Ratatouille and pasta with the most delicious white light sauce. Yes, my kids were thrilled to have ratatouille and they ate up veggies for the 1st time and LOVED IT! All 3 plates were licked clean and the kids sat in anticipation of dessert. Vanilla ice cream. How could vanilla ice cream be any different than all the vanilla ice cream you've ever had? Thats what I thought too! trust me, this WAS different. so freakin good! all the portions were relatively small for American Standards but to was enough. we left very satisfied and not stuffed/gross. They had turn down service with little chocolates on our pillows. We woke up to roosters and the beautiful silence of the country. They were able to squeeze my kids in and take them horse back riding. They had a beautiful pool and some outdoor toys and balls you could borrow. My kids loved walking around and petting the horses. My sister bought back pizza from Chinon for my kids and the hotel restaurant held it for us and then served it to us outside, warm on a beautiful tray! I will never forgot the kindness and grace of the staff and the breathtaking beauty of the Chateau. Our room lacked hot water so they refunded part of our stay.

I am just back from vacation in France. I wanted to make sure I wrote a favorable review for the…read morechâteau de marçay. We stayed there for a night and had dinner. We actually arrived after the noon meal, but before dinner was available. The staff told us they could provide us with some cheese to get us through until dinner. I came to find out that they are well known for their cheese monger because they brought us the most incredible cheese platter I have ever seen. There were like 20 some different kinds of cheeses. They also brought some wonderful bread and we had the house red that they produce which was actually quite good. Near by Chinon is not as famous for their wine as other regions of France, but as we were traveling through Loire, we drank a lot of it, and were not displeased. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that even the average wines are quite good. That night we had dinner. I think it was the best meal we had in France. I got a set menu that had well paired elements starting with foie gras, followed by a fish dish, then duck, a for dessert a soufflé. Clearly a traditional french menu, but all the preparations were inspired and subtle. Also, the house served small dishes in between courses that were equally unique and inspired. The staff is quite young, but very professional. The service was excellent. We got what we needed just as we were about to ask for it. It is such a pleasure being served this way. Just when you think you need more water, you look down and someone has filled your glass. The owner came and spoke with us prior to dessert. She was wonderful and inviting. After meeting her it was clear to me how they maintained there strong level of service. It is clear that the château is very important to her and she delights in its maintenance, improvement, and stewardship. I have nothing but good things to say.