Airelles Château de la Messardière

I stayed in here the first week of July. I really wanted to love it and was so looking forward to it but it wasn't a great sign when a day before arrival they called me and told me the Suite I had booked in January (and had confirmed by email. twice!) was no longer available and I was getting downgraded to to a room with a queen sized bed. No Bueno when you are 6 foot 5 ! In the end they stuffed a king sized bed in a room where we couldn't even fully open the wardrobe. The pool can be hell on earth with kids and large families hanging out and screaming. So don't expect to snooze/chill there in the late afternoon after "some" wine at one of the beach clubs. Also don't expect to get a sunbed at the other garden pool as they get "reserved" by guests at 9am...and i'm not getting up at 9am on holiday after a night partying in st tropez! All in all I would say the experience was average. Although it probably is worth coming for a quick drink and seeing the place. It is a beautiful setting.

We stayed here for 3 days in what was billed as a ‘junior suite’. The room was small and not really a suite, but a largish bedroom. Very disappointing for the 3k plus price charged. Style-less decor and a sweltering bathroom. Overall we were completely underwhelmed by our experience here. The hotel is charmless and ordinary. By day 2 we decided it was really like a Disney cruise ship experience. There are gaggles and gaggles of school age kids traveling with parents and a few nannys in tow...this place ain’t cheap…There are groaning buffets breakfasts and equally overstuffed buffet lunches. If you don't arrive just as the buffet opens, the place is in shambles with half empty platters , a frazzled waitstaff and inedible picked -over looking food. The spa is decent, the restaurant waitstaff tried really hard. The concierge was just absent even though he was sitting at the front desk with a sign in front of him. We asked for help with one dinner reservation. 6 hours later I had to call to follow up and he gruffly told me’ don't you know there are many other guests in the hotel?’…really ? At 3k plus a night, one tiny request for a dinner reservation and this is the response? I ended up making the reservation myself. Staff at front desk is useless….go elsewhere..a big big big disappointment. Gigantic disappointment for the price. A Sheraton in Des Moines is more exciting.