Chai du Chateau de Morteuil

La décoration, l’espace, les suites

L’équipement cuisine même si tout y est mais c’est de l’ancien et donc un peu moins pratique.

This outbuilding to a chateau is as cute as a button, with lovely lavender surrounds (look for the tiny hummingbirds), a reasonably functional if quite out-of-date kitchen and all en-suite bedrooms -- bathrooms without doors, however, so couples take note. It also has ample parking for more than one car and quick 15 minute access to Beaune, which was the centre of most of our activities.

There is a question on this site as to whether the building has air-conditioning and the reply is that it doesn't require it because the building is 250 years old and keeps temperate. To be 100% clear: it does not keep temperate and is simply not fit for purpose in the height of summer. We had to beg for fans as the owner maintained that we should not "be afraid of the summer" as the house's 60cm walls are the best air-conditioning -- which proved to be an absolute delusion. Further the fans provided were the cheapest Bricolage version and barely moved the overheated stagnant air from the windows we had to keep closed all day to avoid overheated air pouring in. There was no air movement at night and the bedrooms never got below 27C -- but the insects certainly were in motion! Between the 4 of us we averaged 3 hours sleep per night but easily 6 mosquito bites. The first bedroom also had no blackout or even dark window covering but instead had a see-through rattan blind so, as well as waking the occupant at the crack of dawn, even if we wanted to keep heat out, it was impossible. The same was true downstairs where huge glass entry doors make for a lovely design feature but they are completely uncovered throughout the early afternoon when sun streams through and superheats the downstairs air -- which predictably rises to bedroom level, completing the cycle of kamado-style cooking. As a last note, there was little to no preparation for our stay - as we arrived the doors and windows had been flung open to the blistering heat of the day (something we were admonished not to do to maintain the natural cooling ability of the walls), the fridge had been turned off for days prior and was warm and the owner didn't even leave a bottle of water despite the sweltering temperatures.