Château Haute Roche

Superb hospitality and personal cooking from Lars and Nirin. Our second visit and we will be back. A unique and highly recommended venue and hosts.

We were a party of three — two pensioners and an elderly mother-in-law — and stayed at Haut Roche both on our way from Cherbourg to the Charente and again on our return journey. It makes a wonderful stopping point on the long drive towards southwest France, but what made us return was the experience itself. Our hosts, Lars and Nirin, were attentive and considerate throughout, helping us with our bags and taking great care in preparing the rooms. The rooms were large, spacious and well appointed, with very comfortable beds and excellent linen. They simply made us feel at home. We also got to meet their three little dogs and to learn something about Lars and Nirin and their lives. It is always lovely when hosts have the time to sit and chat and share something of their view of the world. It adds something special to a stay. The chambre d'hôte itself is small, with only a few bedrooms, so there is never a sense of being crowded. Its setting above the Loire has real impact. You turn the corner of the château onto the wide, elegantly tiled terrace and suddenly look down towards the Loire, with Nantes in the distance and another château across the river. Despite being within reach of Nantes, you feel that you are in a wonderful rural space. The railway and EuroVelo 6 pass at the bottom of the extensive grounds, but somehow they add to the sense of being connected to the world rather than detracting from the property. The high point, however, was the food. We were fortunate enough to have Lars cook dinner for us, and he really is an exceptional cook. The meal was superb, entirely homemade, excellent value for money and carefully prepared around our dietary requirements. We enjoyed it so much on our journey south that we booked dinner again for the return visit — and spent the intervening week looking forward to it. Breakfasts were equally exceptional: delicious and prepared with a great deal of thought and care.

Everything was great

Everything about the chateau was exceptional! Our host Lars was very friendly and welcoming. Had lots of stories and local knowledge to share. He’s a genuine lovely guy, and amazing chef, if we’d been able to stay longer I would have been happy to consider a friend.

There is nothing to dislike.

The best place we have stayed on our trip to France. Lars made us so welcome. Such a special experience to stay in a chateau. It’s such a lovely view from the chateau. Very nice sipping a wine from the terrace watching the sun go down.

Nothing