Detailed review by Chouchin
Chouchin
Kent, United Kingdom99%
The Inn of the Good Ploughman. What a nice name for a hotel. It conjures up images of God-fearing peasants toiling in the fields and resting after a hard days work. A sort of Inn of the Sixth Happiness meets Breughel. Either that, or they do a damned good cheese and pickle sandwich. Whichever, we were keen to get there as we were tired, hungry and rather later than we intended. About 20 miles out, Mr C demanded that I ring and get exact details of how to find it as he didn't want to be "faffing about".
Well it was obvious we hadn't been in Chenonceaux before. It's a tiny village consisting of one main street and hotels. You simply drive through checking off the names until you get to the one you want. (It was even more obvious the next day when we jumped into the car to go and visit the Château. We turned right out of the hotel car park, drove 100 yards and found ourselves at the gates. So we turned round, reparked in the hotel car park and walked.)
Our chosen hotel certainly looked inviting, sitting on the corner of one of those sharp turns you find in village streets, and clad head-to-toe in ivy. It looked every inch an 18th century post house, even more so as we drove round the back to the car park. I shouldn't think this layout has changed much since it was built in 1786. The old stable block is still there; rooms above and car parking below.
From the car park/coach yard you walk through the hotel to the lobby at the front. Here you find yourself in a typical French rural hotel, and my heart sank a little. Dark wood panelling, dark red décor. But I cheered up on the first floor where our room was. Here everything was lighter, lots of windows, light coloured walls and a pleasant floral decoration.
Happily the room was the same. It was a rather strange shape, probably because they've had to renovate and upgrade over the years. The door opened into a small lobby (small table and dish of sweets nice). From there the door to the right opened into the bedroom and the door to the left into the bathroom. Both were long and narrow and ran parallel to each other. The oddity is the toilet which is not in the bathroom but in a separate cubicle at the end of the bedroom, not accessible from the bathroom.
Being on a corner there was again plenty of light, helped by the light décor. The furnishings were floral but not chintzy and suited the building. Ultra-modern would not have done. A lovely big comfortable bed took up the width of the room, with just enough space for bedside tables. In truth, the room was large enough but had just a couple of items of furniture too many to be totally comfortable. By the time we had installed ourselves and our clobber we were picking our way round obstacles, and a trip to the loo in the middle of the night meant much toe-stubbing and cussing.
The whole hotel has the problem of trying to fit into too small a space. Being on a corner in the middle of the village it is pretty much stuck with the area it had when it was built, with the exception of two adjoining houses it has purchased. Parking is a nightmare. At about 5pm when the car park is filling up, one of the managers has to be on hand to supervise things, as one car parked in the wrong place can create havoc. Small cars are tucked into bays in the stable block. There is an overflow on the other side of the small road that forms the corner; when that gets full the kitchen staff are hauled out to lose their cars somewhere so the guests can park. In fact, the poor kitchen staff have a torrid time here. You have to be careful as you turn into the car park that you don't flatten one of the lads as they make endless journeys from the kitchen to the cold store across the yard.
Yet it has managed to build a swimming-pool, on the other side of the main road through the village! If you ever fancied cavorting about a French village in a white towelling robe and flip-flops, here's your chance. To really indulge, do it in the late afternoon when the Château visitors are going home. Once across and through the pass-number controlled gates, however, peace descends. It's a decent size pool with plenty of loungers and a nice surround. Towels are provided, as is a phone to order drinks from the bar. It seems churlish to quibble, but at the end of the afternoon in September the surrounding tall trees were throwing long shadows across both the pool and the loungers and it got a bit chilly. But hey, I'm a wimp.
I've left the best bit till last. The restaurant. As you will see from the website it has a reputation for good food, and it did not disappoint. We spent three days half board here and every dinner was a delight. The half board menu is selected items from the carte, which was extensive, and consisted of no less than six courses: amuse-bouche, starter, main course, avant-dessert, dessert, cheese. Oh, and petits fours with the coffee. It's not going too far to say that the overall experience was one of the best I've had in France, and that's a big claim. Actually, I don't know why I'm telling you this: you'll all want to go and clutter up the car park!
The approach was small portions, delicate taste, artfully presented. If you're a trencherman you won't like this, but nor is it so arty that it becomes disconnected from something real people can enjoy. The service personified this. The waiters were knowledgeable and efficient, but quite happy to chat if you wanted. There was an English couple there (not us!) obviously keen to try out their French. The waiter indulged them happily without the pained incomprehension I bet they get elsewhere, and being efficient he could do this without other diners going hungry. Thankfully also, two things were missing which are my pet hates: the synchronised removal of plate covers, and a recital of what is on my plate. I am not yet so senile that I can't remember what I ordered.
The dining area itself was pleasant and airy, not too large and plenty of space between the tables. Coach parties have a separate area. You can eat outside on the terrace but we wimps stayed inside. Darkness falling in the Loire in September does not, for me, have the soft warmth of the Mediterranean.
Surprisingly, this was one of the very few hotels these days which do not provide a buffet breakfast. What we did get was, of course, impossible to fault: a basket of warm breads and croissants, fruit compote, yoghurt, jams, fruit juice, eggs to order, pots of coffee. Lovely start to the day.
At €135 per person half board (not the cheapest room) this is excellent value. We'll almost certainly be going back, probably in a small Fiat, and creeping gently into the car park in case any of the magic kitchen staff are scurrying to the cold store!
Auberge du Bon Laboureur9
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