What People are saying

The Sad Chateau

Conor Kon 23/04/2017 21:35

We visited the Chateau-de-Lantic on a Wonderbox deal which we upgraded. The original deal was for one night/one meal and breakfast stay in a "tradition" room. We upgraded at an extra cost of €120 to two nights, two breakfasts, one meal and a visit with tasting to a winery.

We arrived at two o clock to find the place deserted, apart from a friendly Labrador dog. There was a sign at reception to ring the bell. I rang twice but no-one appeared. I walked around the building for about ten minutes calling out the odd "Bonjour", but no one appeared. There was a sign at reception to say that check-in started at four o clock but there was no one there to even take our luggage. Eventually I rang the phone number and the proprietress appeared. We explained the deal we had, gave her the Wonderbox token and paid the extra amount up front.

We were shown to our room which turned out to be quite small, despite it being an upgrade for which we had paid extra. On the website it is described as 25 metres square. It was much smaller. It had a nice view of the local Church but at night, due to the small size and the warm but not not excessively warm weather, the size of the room and the heat coming on early made it too warm. The website and the guest guide both mentioned a mini-bar and a safe but none was apparent. When we queried this, we were told that ours was the only room without these because the decorator could not fit them in. The decoration was incomplete as there was a hole in the plasterboard above the en-suite which revealed a cubby hole with spiders' webs.

We were told that dinner was at eight. When we returned from our afternoon sightseeing at around seven we decided to have a pre-dinner glass of wine on the terrace. So we ordered two glasses of wine. Nothing appeared for a while and as the terrace was exposed and a wind was blowing we moved to a protected courtyard. The proprietress appeared and said she would be along with the wine. However, some guests arrived to check-in and she had to go deal with them. Eventually, after at least a half hour waiting, the wine appeared. We amused ourselves in the meantime watching a bird fly into the dining room and the staff attempting to get it out before it messed up the tables and the tableware.

We then went for dinner. We ordered aperitifs and had the feeling that because we were drinking these, we were delaying the service for the other guests. The meal, when it arrived, was tasty, well cooked and appetising. But there was no choices offered. Luckily we enjoyed the food. However the service was slow as there appeared to be only two people looking after five tables. The husband of the proprietress was the waiter and proved very friendly, offering us the name of a local vineyard which he suggested we visit. (Unfortunately, when we phoned for a visit the next day, we discovered it was closed.)

The breakfast was basic and very much a self-service affair. There were a few pastries, jams, some cereals, some cheese and an egg making machine. There was a kettle for hot water, an assortment of tea bags and a complicated coffee-making machine.

When we checked out we asked why the wine-tasting had not been arranged and were told that we hadn't asked. We were offered one then, but as we had a distance to travel the time wasn't suitable. We did convey our concerns, rather than just moaning on Trip Advisor, but the proprietress explained that it was an old Chateau and that people's views could be subjective. Blame for the absence of a mini-bar and safe in our room was apportioned to the decorator. We feel there is great potential in the place, but it it woefully understaffed and that leads to cutting corners and delays.

Sadly we cannot recommend the Chateau, situated as it is in a lovely area away from the city of Bordeaux.

Excellent country charm among the grape vines

minhtranSGon 18/03/2017 16:14

I stayed at Chateau de Lantic for 4 nights with group of global colleagues. We all enjoyed a very charming, rustic, and peaceful experience overall. Rooms were very clean and comfortable with good WIFI connections. The owners and staffs were very polite and accommodating to us all...great people. We enjoyed a nice fresh breakfast everyday and good surroundings of the vineyard. It is excellently located and right across the street from La Tour Martillac Vineyard for great wines and tastings.
I would highly recommend staying here during your next visit to Martillac or Bordeaux.

Simply Wonderful!

michelle20162017on 02/01/2017 21:23

Beautiful rustic chateau set among the vineyards in the countryside just 15 minutes from the city of Bordeaux. Our hosts were marvellous and very welcoming. They offered abundant tips for touring the area and every second night, had a gourmet four course dinner in the charming dining room with local wines (at a very reasonable cost). The breakfasts were in the traditional French style of pastries, plums & figs from trees on the property, local eggs and of course good coffee. The pace here is relaxed and we felt like we were living as the French do. Our room was spacious and charming with a beamed ceiling and windows over-looking the vineyards and the village church. Just across the road was a grand-cru winery and a multitude of other wineries were a short distance away. Lovely people everywhere and we would definitely pay a return visit to Chateau de Lantic.

You don't get what you pay for

Ana81_12on 17/10/2016 15:16

We only spent a night there since it was a convenient middle point in a long 1600 km travel. I wish we would have checked more carefully the reviews. You pay a little fortune for quite a common place. Room was outdated and definitely not arrange with any charm, that included a noisy fridge that didn't work at all ( too bad since we were traveling with some perishables),a not very comfortable bed and a sensation of being in your granny's room. We have visited literally dozens of B&B in France and it's probably the only one I wouldn't go back.
I think the owners should be a little more flexible when it comes to their clients . We arrived late in the afternoon in a national festivity and were told under no circumstances any food would be served to us. A simple sandwich would have done after 1000 km driven that day) That's what I call leaving a good impression.
Avoid

Fine property but average service

DePo79on 31/08/2016 22:06

When we planned our trip to beatifull Bordeaux region this year we decided to stay in Graves. We wanted to stay some days in chateau and have access to outdoor areas. We were choosing between 3 places and this chateau looked very attractive as it had own pool. We had our 6 mnths old baby and planned to spend lazy here. The place looked charming at arrival. The room was spacous with nice view and antique futniture. Strangely there was a lot of dust in the corners after cleaning. The bed lining and towels were also quite worn out and sheets had a hole in it. Bit outdated bathroom, but who cares. Babycot 10Euro pr night...strange for 4 stars, but if the rules are such... The next morning I asked abt the breakfast and got reply that it was not included. Pointing out that their webpage where I made our reservation said the opposite did not help. I had to listen to a long explanation and suggested in return to update the webpage and avoid confusing customers. Food: we had one diner which was served in a dining room. Nice traditional menu (the main was precooked I assume, but I can be wrong). Rather stiff prices on wine by glass for a B&B. The other day we asked if they served lunch or any food/snacks. The answer was no and we were advised to go to the village. At 14 the only restaurant is closed, and there no places to buy food... the closest is Lidl 5 km away... They serve dinners only once a week as I understood, same menu. Once we asked If we could order a dinner to our room as we did not want to eat late meal in the village (after 20.00 which is late for our baby schedule). It took them by surprise, they had to check because the cook went home... They ended up with something which did not appeal.
And the dust in corer never gone after 3 days stay.
Maybe we had too much expectation for this place, but we never expected staff and owners less interested in their guests. The place could be a star if they just show more warmness and fixed small issues with cleaning, linings and food.
Easy access to Martillac, wineyards and Bordeaux, own big garden and a pool make this place attractive. Next trip to Bordeaux we will choose another chateau.