Selwyn Lim
5/5
We recently held our annual family reunion at the Manoir de Comtesse du Mons. We've stayed in many large houses throughout France so we are in a good position to provide an objective review.
The accommodation was by far the best we've stayed in across the many years of visiting these types of very large homes. It was not the largest or most grand, but nevertheless stands out as the best place we've stayed in because of multiple factors. (it still is big, bigger than it appears in the photos)
Firstly there is the layout, the rooms bathrooms and en-suites have been arranged to suit groups comprising of multiple families. Everyone staying here has a shower room and toilet either as an en-suite or very close by. This contrasts to other Chateaus we've stayed where there were a handful of well appointed impressive rooms but most of the other rooms being much less impressive and having to share toilet and showers across many people. Clearly the owners of the Manoir put a lot of thought into designing the layout as it was just perfect for large groups. Everyone's room was well provided for, and nobody felt unlucky in their allocation.
Secondly the finishing was exquisite. A lot of money and care has gone into all the bedrooms. The attention to detail was not missed by us and neither was the aesthetic, the interior decorator who made these decisions is clearly talented. There was a bit of everything, some rooms had the most gorgeous wall paper or paint colour choices, some had finely crafted oak paneling, there were built in oak wardrobes with automatic wardrobe lights, new double glazed windows throughout that are in keeping with the traditional aesthetic, there was plenty of stunning ceiling plaster-work, the list goes on and on. All the family rooms are finished to a very high specification, not just a couple of master bedrooms. Often places don't show photos of their many less attractive rooms so it was a nice surprise to see that the quality of the finishing persists throughout the property.
We all slept very well. It was cool in the nights for the week we stayed, maybe around 14C. So was lovely to have the windows opened and feel the cold breeze while under warm duvets. It was very quiet and peaceful outside. The bed linen was very high quality, again this was another touch that was appreciated. It made it feel very luxurious. Similarly the towels as well are the sort that only 5 star hotels offer.
Downstairs, we spent most of our time in the kitchen. So we were thrilled that this was one of the largest rooms downstairs. It was well appointed with two fridges, two dishwashers and an extremely large range cooker with equally impressive extractor hood. One night we used up the gas, we could have changed the gas tanks ourselves but it was replaced 5 minutes later by the very helpful caretaker who was on hand to sort out this and other minor questions we had.
We ate in the kitchen or outside most nights. We only used the large formal dining room once. The living room was a very comfortable room to spend the evenings in playing games, the sofas were enormous and very comfortable. The decoration again was top notch.
Outdoors the grounds are very large and the children had fun playing on the trampoline and in the pool. The pool is uses salt generated chlorine, making the water much kinder on the skin and eyes. It was crystal clear although a little chilly. To be fair it was cold when we stayed, in particularly at night. Unlike the immaculate house, there is still much potential for the vast grounds, but formal gardens were not on our list of requirements. We just wanted the space to run around in of which there is no shortage.
We can thoroughly recommend the Manoir de la Comtesse and hopefully we will be back again.
