We had an absolutely wonderful 6 days here - the chateau is stunning, and has been beautifully restored. The apartment uses the servants’ staircase (even so it is huge!) and a suite of large rooms on the first and second floors. This means that the children can enjoy their own space away from the parents, and there was a thoughtful selection of Lego, books and toys available for them. The main rooms are spacious and grand, with high ceilings and shuttered french windows with beautiful views over the parkland down to the river, and despite the heat remained cool and comfortable. The bathroom was particularly lovely, and as it was sunny in the morning we often had our coffee there! The kitchen was well equipped and spacious, again with lovely views, and a fantastic coffee machine. I felt that a lot of consideration had been taken to make it convenient and relaxing for guests - even your own laundry room should the need arise - and although there are 2 other gites on the site they are barely visible from the apartment, and there is a private play area with swings etc and a BBQ for your sole use. Ours also loved the donkey, cow and sheep. We always seek out shared facilities as it has been a good way to socialise the children, and long standing friendships have been formed. Given the size of the place you will probably only encounter other guests at the pool, and this was always fun and sociable. The entertainment area has been created from a very ornate stable block (housing the changing room and an under cover area large enough to play badminton) and an orangery (housing 2 table tennis tables, a piano, and table football) plus a grassy courtyard between them for ball games. The pool and terrace was large enough to accommodate everyone without feeling crowded, and there were plenty of benches, recliners and pool toys - water was warm and lightly salty, so it felt more like the sea than a chloriney pool. It was also great to have kayaks and rowing boats freely available for trips on the river which runs alongside the grounds - all sizes of lifejackets are helpfully provided. Excellent location for exploring the Loire region too, and Monts itself (10 minutes walk, less by bike) has a SuperU with petrol station, and a very good pizza restaurant, though the best boulangerie is at the far end of the village so we drove. We will certainly be back!
