Château de la Motte

The 15th century era Château de la Motte is a very authentic and charming French chateau B&B near the Loire Valley between Tours and Poitiers. It is very much a homely, boutique affair and, with a total of just 6 rooms to choose from, early booking is advised.

It is a special property, with a rich local history and a carefully maintained old world atmosphere. At first glance the interior design barely seems to touch the 21st century, such is the sense of authenticity, but the modern comforts and facilities are also there.

The breakfast is a lavish spread, fit for a king or queen, and there are some top restaurant standard, multi course, evening meals as well as fine wines to be enjoyed too.

THE ACCOMMODATION:

Though the building is large Château de la Motte has just 6 rooms in total for guests; 3 cosy double/twin rooms and two ‘deluxe doubles’ which have more space, an extra bed and the added perk of a spa bath in the bathroom. Finally there is a ‘family suite’ with two extra beds. Check your options on the booking page here.

All of the rooms come with views, and some also come with a nice romantic open fireplace, put a note in the booking form to request if you’d like. The decor of all is beautifully old fashioned; all the double beds are four poster for example and almost every piece of furniture is antique.

The breakfast at the château is a great feast to be taken in the old dining hall, and, for an extra charge, equally good multi course evening meals can also be provided with advanced notice. It is not a restaurant but the friendly owners are tremendous cooks and the standards are of the very highest level. If you’d like an evening meal write a note on the special request form when booking.

The grounds are pleasant to wander around and have some wooded parkland, pretty gardens and an outdoor swimming pool. Beyond that are the vast rolling plains of Poitou-Charentes to the south and the Loire Valley to the north.

THE LOCATION:

Château de la Motte is in the small village of Usseau near Châtellerault, about a 30-minute drive north of Poitiers and 40 minutes south from Tours, along the A10 motorway.

This area immediately around, and to the south of the château is the old region of Poitou-Charentes, now incorporated into Nouvelle Aquitaine. This is a real rural heartland, and very much a place to experience authentic French rural life but gets overlooked by visitors in favour of the far more well known Loire Valley just to the north. Likewise the historic city of Poitiers in comparison to Tours.

The Loire Valley deserves its fame though with its countless grand châteaux and tremendous food and wine, and it has a well developed tourist infrastructure with lots of wine & food tours, château tours, boat tours etc. to be enjoyed.

Paris is less than three hours away via the A10 motorway, Nantes can be reached in just over two and Bordeaux in about two and a a half.

SOME HISTORY:

The present Château de la Motte has been a protected monument since 1973, and dates back to sometime after 1449, when a previous château on the site, owned by Geoffroy du Bec, secretary to King Charles VII, was mentioned as having been burned down, and at some point afterwards the current structure was built to replace it.

Though it has been renovated and refurbished over the years the original early medieval style is still evident in the architecture; sculpted battlements, high gable windows with pediments, window crosses and the machicolations and arrow slits on the parapet.

The castle passed hands numerous times over the years through marriage and inheritance y marriages until, in 1863, the last heiress of the Viart family grants the castle to a monastic order known as the  Picpus Fathers who kept it until 1905 when laws on the separation of Church and State leads to the dissolution of the order. The château thus went back into private hands, got a full restoration in the year 2000 and not long afterwards opened its doors to paying guests for the first time.

WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY:

“Everything was amazing. The tour and history a delight. The family hosting was friendly and the grounds so very peaceful…”

“A wonderful castle experience. Very friendly and attentive hosts. Large and well-equipped rooms. Property meticulously maintained. Very clean and comfortable. Excellent breakfast. Very interesting tour of the castle. Highly recommend!..”

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Location Category:

Castle & Chateau Hotels in France

Castle & Chateau Hotels in the Loire Valley