Chateau de Crazannes

We stayed here for one night on Monday 31 October which is Haloween night. The room was via booking .com. The room had zero facilities (TV/tea and coffee making/private parking/initially no hot water/no heating/no pool availability). All these were meant to be provided according to the advert for the room. We challenged the owner who said tea/coffee was only at breakfast and "we didn't understand!!!". We thought the room was a twin but it had a double bed (although in retrospect I see the booking did state this). However I asked why and was told "I wanted a dear room for a cheap price" and I could cancel over the phone with *********** and find a room in nearby Saintes at a hotel - on a bank holiday. The young owner is super confrontational and rude. Being Haloween, we knew that the Chateau was being used that evening for a party for outside people continued until 11pm (we had been prewarned) - but not prewarned that they intended to play loud sound effects repetitively in the coutyard or ring a bell on top of the accomodation tower around every 20 mins + run walking tours for groups up the spiral staircase directly outside the rooms - making a lot of noise. In the morning the breakfast was in the lower floor of the main chateau and this was OK except nobody around to help or speak to. Also the external reception was locked up so zero reception, no place to leave key (we left it in the door lock to the room), no receipt and even the side gate we entered the property into the day before was locked. Luckily the main gate was not. The owner has aparently taken the private courtyard parking for himself so our car had to go in an adjacent muddy field with c 30 other cars for the haloween party - not secure in any way. To cap it all the owner told me at the height of his ranting that "it was not a hotel" so why advertise it as such and why take 120 Euros/night from unsuspecting guests. I stayed in this Chateau in 2016 when it was under different ownership (current owner since 2019) and it was an excellent experience with full run of the chateau. Now you are only allowed access to the building through a tiny door at the base of the accomidation tower and no access beyond except for the lower section for breakfast. What a disgrace. DO NOT BOOK THIS PLACE.

Fantastic building with a lovely back story and friendly hosts (Paul was very helpful when we arrived, thank you Paul!) and we had a lovely chat with the owner on the morning we left. Very clean and tidy, great pool, comfy beds and spacious. Then breakfast room is one you will remember for a long time.

This is a beautiful place, the building is stunning - at least from the outside - and the gardens are delightful. However, having been booked an English-speaking tour, our group was told we couldn't be led in English, but would have to read from a brochure. The owner came and told us that English-speaking tours were not possible, but on the website it states that they are held in both English and French. He was openly hostile and arrogant, and we didn't stay to complete the visit. We were extremely disappointed and hope that his attitude is not repeated to any other English visitors or indeed, to any other nationality.

I brought 7 photographers over from the UK and one if our locations was the Chateau de Crazannes. We booked an English speaking guide for the tour of the chateau. When the tour started we were told that the tour would be in French. They refused to do the tour in English because the French people who joined the tour would have to wait too long whilst the English version was provided to us. Because we went around the garden whilst waiting for the tour to start, we were only given a 50% refund. I would not recommend this chateau as a place to visit, regardless of what language you could understand. The owner was rude and unsympathetic.