Domaine de Rymska & Spa - Relais & Châteaux

Albeit a marvelous property, with outstanding rooms and decor, it could of course get better. This is an amazing hotel. Hands down to that. It is located on the countryside of Burgundy with a very relaxed and bucolic atmosphere. The hotel is beautiful. The living room, the fireplace, the restaurant are all nicely decorated. Staff is very friendly, despite a portion of the employees struggling a bit with English (I consider this as mostly a place for the french people per se instead of tourists from other countries). There are much things to consider, however. Let's start with how I would consider a 5 star hotel, Relais&Chateaux should approach a guest and how I was treated. Firstly, no one helped me to take the luggage out of my car. I had to ask people to help me to take it to the room, that was on top of a staircase with no elevator available. This, coupled with nothing that could be considered as a "warm welcome" such as a glass of sparkling wine, or a coffee, was offered. The room was amazing. We stayed at the Rymska Suite. Plenty of windows. A large and comfortable bathroom. But a lot of little things again. Towels were really small. I don't have such little towels at my house, and I don't live in a 5 star hotel. Bathroom amenities were not refilled unless you directly asked the staff. It came to an absurd of the start putting back an empty tube of shampoo back in the shower. Regarding the restaurant, this is a one star Michelin with very good food and a large and interesting wine list focused on Burgundy wines. The restaurant, however, was limited to a handful of options that after three days there it made no sense to dine there again. There is no variety on the menu and the hotel is at least 15 minutes away from a restaurant. Said that, more variety would be interesting. Room service in non-existent. Once I asked for a room service menu they presented me three options: soup of the day, Caesar salad or croque monsieur. And that was it. Breakfast was good. But not outstanding. It is a la carte but the options are the exact same every day and with the need to appoint one specific time slot to have breakfast. On the bright side, the staff tried to be as friendly as possible with our daughter. However charging a significant price for it, they prepared the same dish (pasta with ham and cheese) everyday at request. It was a nice option, but that was the only option. Lastly, regarding our departure. Once again, nobody helped us with the luggage. I had to bring down myself all the luggage through a narrow staircase. Staff needs to be repurposed at this hotel to best understand what a guest would expect from a 5 star Relais & Chateaux hotel. Despite the upsides, this will no be my option in my next time in Burgundy.

Wow, what a special place. You really feel like you are living within the grounds of luxury farm, it is so special to walk out each time and see the geese, stallions, cattle, ducks, chickens etc on your doorstep. The views of rolling hills and the main pond from our patio doors were very relaxing.|The accommodation is tastefully decorated , modern and well maintained, The restaurant ambience is very warm and the quality and presentation of the food is outstanding. The wine list is mind boggling, they stock everything. |I loved the way that you pre-order your breakfast and choice your time and place of eating, it is great way of not wasting food. |We have already rebooked for next year.

We arrived today for the final stop of a holiday where we have stayed at various places around the Loire Valley. |The reception greeting was average with no form of refreshment drink offered - not even water after a long drive. A group who arrived just after us were ignored whilst we were served, despite there being a secondary member of staff at the desk.|We then were told they had us booked as x4 persons staying, when our booking was x2.|On arrival to our room there was a cot and camp bed set up, that we had awkwardly sit and watch staff remove, rather than be offered to wait in the bar with a drink which would have been a much more appropriate way to resolve this error.|There are no bell boys and staff give a half-hearted offer to assist with luggage, so my husband said he would do this himself. To their credit, the team did carry one bag up, as this was when they were arriving to remove the children’s beds we did not require. |We enjoyed some time around the pool, but the space is small and the ground undulating, with few options if you want to be in the sun during late afternoon.|To get a drink you have to walk inside to the bar and request, again it feels like there could be a more streamlined experience, especially when having to walk inside wearing swimwear and kaftan. |With regards to our room, the bathroom has a stale smell in the air and a better hairdryer would be expected.|However, the main reason I am writing this, as someone who rarely ever writes reviews, was our treatment in the restaurant this evening.|On arrival (we were told any time between 7-9pm) we were shown to the secondary space and requested a table in the main room which had more atmosphere and a table where the couple sat is adjacent rather than opposite. We were told this was reserved, which is understood, but were offered no alternative and for the duration of the evening there was another table available in this main atmospheric space which we would have preferred. |I had also emailed a week ago specifically to book a table to ensure we were well accommodated.|As hotel guests, we are always used to being given both priority and friendly service in the establishment you are staying in - neither of which we felt we received throughout the meal experience this evening. |On seating, we had to request for the aggressive AC machine next to us to be turned off and the door to the garden was open letting in a draught whilst people had apéritifs outside. In the end I had to return to my room during the meal for a blazer in order to stay warm.|At the start of the meal we shared that I had a nut allergy in French and English - it is severe, so we are always keen to communicate this.|During the starters, we were given bread, with a butter sprinkled with nuts - it took about 10 minutes and x3 rounds of asking to receive plain butter. During the cheese course, we were offered bread with hazelnuts in and as we left, we were given almond petite fours. I have an hour on eating nuts until my throat closes up and the lack of care of consideration shown by the staff on this matter was utterly shocking and quite frankly makes me nervous for the rest of our stay. |The food overall was very tasty and the cheese cart was divine, what could have been a lovely meal felt overshadowed with a vibe that we were not welcomed as guests.|As a result, we even chose to order far more conservative wine and food choices than we may have otherwise, as we did not want to spend where we did not feel appreciated. |Everywhere else we have stayed on our trip the teams have been warm, friendly and engaging and so far this is not the experience we have had at this hotel, which is a real shame.

Very beautiful, renovated hotel . Great spa and massage. We had a room facing the lake and fields . Situated on the farm , lots of animals. Quiet , peaceful surroundings. Good food , great service, incredible views

We spent a night here while passing through the region during a vacation in France. The place, including the rooms and staff, ooze class and professionalism. After offering us to speak English, we told them that we spoke decent French and would prefer and love to try to converse in French as much as possible. When they noticed that we have some minor difficulties expressing more complicated topics at certain times, they seamlessly switched to English specifically for those topics (their English is impeccable) before switching back to French. That's professionalism and class. The restaurant was also fantastic. We ate there with our 6 month old daughter with no issues whatsoever. The rooms are spacious, clean, and well-equipped. They are also dog-friendly. We will be back. Thank you!

We arrived today for the final stop of a holiday where we have stayed at various places around the Loire Valley. The reception greeting was average with no form of refreshment drink offered - not even water after a long drive. A group who arrived just after us were ignored whilst we were served, despite there being a secondary member of staff at the desk. We then were told they had us booked as x4 persons staying, when our booking was x2. On arrival to our room there was a cot and camp bed set up, that we had awkwardly sit and watch staff remove, rather than be offered to wait in the bar with a drink which would have been a much more appropriate way to resolve this error. There are no bell boys and staff give a half-hearted offer to assist with luggage, so my husband said he would do this himself. To their credit, the team did carry one bag up, as this was when they were arriving to remove the children’s beds we did not require. We enjoyed some time around the pool, but the space is small and the ground undulating, with few options if you want to be in the sun during late afternoon. To get a drink you have to walk inside to the bar and request, again it feels like there could be a more streamlined experience, especially when having to walk inside wearing swimwear and kaftan. With regards to our room, the bathroom has a stale smell in the air and a better hairdryer would be expected. However, the main reason I am writing this, as someone who rarely ever writes reviews, was our treatment in the restaurant this evening. On arrival (we were told any time between 7-9pm) we were shown to the secondary space and requested a table in the main room which had more atmosphere and a table where the couple sat is adjacent rather than opposite. We were told this was reserved, which is understood, but were offered no alternative and for the duration of the evening there was another table available in this main atmospheric space which we would have preferred. I had also emailed a week ago specifically to book a table to ensure we were well accommodated. As hotel guests, we are always used to being given both priority and friendly service in the establishment you are staying in - neither of which we felt we received throughout the meal experience this evening. On seating, we had to request for the aggressive AC machine next to us to be turned off and the door to the garden was open letting in a draught whilst people had apéritifs outside. In the end I had to return to my room during the meal for a blazer in order to stay warm. At the start of the meal we shared that I had a nut allergy in French and English - it is severe, so we are always keen to communicate this. During the starters, we were given bread, with a butter sprinkled with nuts - it took about 10 minutes and x3 rounds of asking to receive plain butter. During the cheese course, we were offered bread with hazelnuts in and as we left, we were given almond petite fours. I have an hour on eating nuts until my throat closes up and the lack of care of consideration shown by the staff on this matter was utterly shocking and quite frankly makes me nervous for the rest of our stay. The food overall was very tasty and the cheese cart was divine, what could have been a lovely meal felt overshadowed with a vibe that we were not welcomed as guests. As a result, we even chose to order far more conservative wine and food choices than we may have otherwise, as we did not want to spend where we did not feel appreciated. Everywhere else we have stayed on our trip the teams have been warm, friendly and engaging and so far this is not the experience we have had at this hotel, which is a real shame.

Great small hotel. Fantastic restaurant and wine list. Can definitely improve service at the spa, more towels, amenities, working shower, and may be put some weights and workout mats to use for guests. Lovely otherwise.

All of the Relais & Châteaux hotels are excellent, but this is our favorite (so far). It is in the perfect location to explore the area and also to stay on a trip to the Skiing regions. Beautiful picturesque surroundings and house, can't wait to stay again.