L'Île Ô Château

Possibly the worst hotel experience of my life. We were greated (if you could call it a greating) by an extremely rude and angry host. She never said hello or welcome. We had changed our arrival dates via booking.com and she clearly had not received any notification about this and was very angry with us as we should have been there the previous evening. With my limited french & her limited English i dont know if she understood what I meant. She then pointed to a key on a board "room number 6" and walked approx 10 paces to point to our room. She did not give us any information about breakfast times etc. As for the room - it brought me back to my days as a teenage backpacker. It was tiny, a double bed with a very small single bed shoved against the wall. It was dark, poorly maintained and no air con. The bathroom was ancient and in need of a serious update. The wardrobes were just doors onto an alcove. The door into the room facing the pool had a window that could be opened from the outside so there was no security. I cannot believe this room is allowed be let out as a hotel room. We were supposed to finish out our holiday here & spend 3 nights but there was absolutely no way we were going to do that. This morning we went for breakfast, again there was no greeting or good morning, however she chatted amicably to other guests and to those checking out. When I presented her with the key and told her we would not be staying for the next 2 nights as was planned, again she became cross and angry. I told her the room was dreadful and in my limited french again I said she was extremely rude to us, no greeting whatsoever and she launched again into the issue with the booking dates. I really feel the booking.com website need to take some responsibility here, it has cost us a fortune to find alternative accommodation. This hotel should not be represented by any booking website. Do not stay in this hotel and do not accept room number 6.

Terrible service and horribly rude host. Upon entering the hotel, the woman at the desk gave out to us (refusing to speak a word of english) about how we were meant to be here a night prior- an issue fully caused by booking.com, and despite our explanation she remained hostile and gave us possibly the worst room in the hotel. She then took a measily few steps and pointed toward our room. Upon walking toward to the door, we saw that it had a window openable from the outside- an obvious safety concern. The room itself was supposed for 3 people, but only had a double bed and a cheap single bed hardly a foot off the ground, there was no air conditioning, the only lights we 3 ancient wall lamps, and the bathroom was oldee than France itself. The next morning we chose to leave this sorry excuse for a hotel, and when we explained we were even remotely satisified and were leaving early, she flew into yet another rage about how we were late (again). Poor service. Poor room. Pretty good location. Would not reccomend.

Really enjoyed our time here. Hotel staff are extremely welcoming and helpful. Very comfortable bed and spacious family room. We enjoyed breakfast once and it was good, but didn't do it every day as we wanted to explore the other local options ( bakeries). It was very hot, so after a day out and about the pool was very welcome. Parking is available for free about a 10 minute walk away, parking down the street is expensive. You can park outside to pack the car up. It was a wee bit noisy at night time sleeping on the chateau side, but perhaps this is just a summer thing, and it was hot so we had windows open. Some fantastic bars and restaurants a very short walk away and the island itself is pretty incredible.

We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel, it’s a delight! Perfectly situated on a quiet street, opposite the castle. |The decor is interesting, very French and you can tell that some thought has been put into it. |Our room was spacious enough for 4 nights with a comfortable bed and although advertised as a bath only, we were pleased that there was a decent shower over the bath. |The family that run the hotel were super helpful, they went out of their way to get us into restaurants when we couldn’t get reservations. |Breakfast buffet was lovely, plenty of mini croissants and pain au chocolat with a range of jam. Lovely crepes with delicious, hot, home made caramel, cereals, eggs and cold meats etc. |The small pool was a great way to cool off after a hot day exploring the town, we had it to ourselves for a good hour. |The hotel is minutes away from the market, shops and restaurants so ideal location. |Sadly no air con, this is an old building and it’s not permitted. We used our own fan which we’d bought with us and the hotel welcomed this.||The only slight issues that we had were:|No water in the room, we’d have really liked a bottle or two after our 4 hour drive. There were herbal teas though. |A set of drawers instead of the desk would have been much more practical!|There is no parking, unless you pay (can’t remember the actual cost but it was expensive). We were advised to park about 10-15 minutes away, which we did and didn’t mind the walk. In high season tho, this could be a problem. ||Don’t let these issues put you off, it’s really worth staying here. We looked at the location of some of the other hotels in the price range and this was by far the best!||Tips: for longer stays, get a room with a terrace overlooking the pool. |Research and book restaurants in advance, we were there the week before high season and struggled to find anywhere that wasn’t fully booked!|If you don’t mind the parking problem, I’d recommend this hotel as a great base to discover beautiful Noirmoutier-en-l’Île.

We recently stayed - unexpectedly - after our campervan was involved in an accident and became unusable, hence we couldn’t camp and indeed had to return home early. The stay was booked by CAMC Red Pennant who were excellent btw. Also excellent was Marianne and her two sons, Pierre and Lucas. They could not have been more helpful to us in our hour of need and Lucas in particular went over and above the call of duty to help us. The hotel itself is charming and in the heart of Noirmoutier-en-l’Île, recommend if only for the location. But the friendliness and help from the team was outstanding and for that we are eternally grateful. Beautifully designed pool and terrace area, plus secure storage for bikes if you’re velo touring. Recommend.

Stayed here early July. Very good location, with free car park around the chateau (if you are lucky - probably more difficult to find in August I guess). The rooms are bright and clean, very comfortable. Breakfast is plentiful, we particularly liked the pancakes with home-made salted caramel!. The bikes they rent are really good, at a competitive price. We also made good use of the pool as the wind was so cold on the beach! The owner is really friendly and helpful. Will go again!

We stayed overnight at the end of September so the hotel was fairly quiet. Nonetheless we were surprised that there seemd to be just one (very pleasant) lady doing everything from reception to cleaning to breakfast service!||Our room (a superior double) was very comfortable and attractively furnished in neutral tones and natural fabrics - very New England style. Unusually for France there was a full sized bath although this meant that it was a little awkward using the over bath shower. There was no grab handle so if you have mobility issues you might want to check out the arrangements beforehand. Also unusually for France, there was a kettle and tea cups with herbal teas.||Some reviewers seem to have had a problem with the price of breakfast. We booked via booking.com and it was quite clear that breakfast was extra and 10 euros a head. If you only want a coffee and croissant then yes, this is a bit steep. However, there was plenty to eat from cheese and ham, to cereals, fruit and yoghurt plus pancakes with salted caramel sauce. The fruit juice and coffee was good. The breakfast area is pleasant and overlooks the pool area and we actually felt that we had good value.||Overall this was an attractive no fuss place to stay for independent travellers.

The weather was warm so our rooms were (too) hot and the pool was bliss. Pricey but good breakfast: Try the crêpes with caramel!|There's no hotel parking but we managed to find a space after driving around the castle three or four times. August is a busy time in France. You can stop in front of the reception to offload luggage if necessary. |The location is excellent.