ASA DES IRRIGANTSD ALLY

Great place to visit, amazing stay in a family's owned castle, 1 night back to the middle age!

Visited a castle during my cycling tour. The "park" is not really worth much as the view can be seen from the road, but the rooms are interesting to see. The young guide was informative and helpful. The tour was in French, but QR codes for info in 6 main languages were avaliable. Gift shop had basic soft drinks. The collections are cutes and have an authentic amateur touch.

Glorious views, great food, lovely atmosphere: this is what you can expect staying at Chateau de la Vigne.||||We chose the Troubadour room (which was incredible) and had a romantic candle-lit dinner with delicious, home-made food elegantly served just for us. All preceded by an interesting tour of the castle and its history, where we could also admire an impressive collection of dolls and miniature cars (two of the passions of the hosts). In a nutshell, we felt like a prince and princess from an enchanting fairytale.||||We definitely will be staying here again. If you are looking for an exquisite room, gracious hosts, and an unforgettable experience staying in a 15th century castle then look no further! We fell in love and we are sure you will too!! Amazing!!!

We stayed overnight at Chateau de la Vigne in early October 2014, and it greatly exceeded our expectations. It is located in a lovely, tranquil part of the French countryside. Owners Anne and Bruno Fayet de la Tour, whose family has lived in this beautiful castle since the first stone was laid in the XVth century, greeted us on arrival in the courtyard. After showing us to the spacious Troubador room (our choice), they invited us to peruse the beautifully organized collection of miniature vehicles in one of the towers - everything from Ferraris to Tintin was there - while Madame saw to dinner (dinner and breakfast are optional). At the agreed time, we enjoyed aperitifs and lively conversation with them in front of a huge fireplace before sitting down to a tasty five-course meal served on the family china and silver, and a bottle of St. Emilion produced by a de la Tour cousin. There were other wines on offer, but the connection was irresistible as we had already learned a lot about the family and its history. (On leaving the next morning we discovered that dinner for two with wine cost 85 euros, in our opinion a real bargain.) We slept like royalty in the very comfortable four-poster bed, and awoke to the sun coming through our stained glass windows. After breakfast, and in spite of a bad case of laryngitis, Madame gave us an enthusiastic tour of the family's living quarters, complete with Aubusson tapestries, ancestral portraits, a huge armoire filled with a Minton service for 50, and a close look at how French décor evolved through several periods. The highlight was a partly-complete restoration of XVth c. frescos covering the walls of the tower room where the seigneur dispensed justice long ago. Monsieur is now researching which grape variety might have given the chateau its name originally, and has started a small vineyard on the grounds. Visiting Chateau de la Vigne is a wonderfully personal opportunity for a bit of time-travel, an experience of castle life with

We were there in October 2012 and of course several rooms and unfortunately the dining room were closed for the winter - but even tough we had a wonderful time at the Chateau. Anne and Bruno de la Tour are charming, helpful and very warm hosts. We were there for two nights and stayed in the Rose room and the Troubadour door. The toilet and bathing facilities are not up to date - and the castle as an overall needs a face-lift. We know that Anne and Bruno would love to do this - but a big castle's maintenance needs a lot of money. Hopefully the family we get this to keep the Castle in the family - which it has been for generations.||Anne makes a wonderful dinner - do not miss it!

The hosts are a charming family and couldn't do enough to make our stay more comfortable. They are very down to earth, natural and vibrant people, and their personality made the difference to the stay.|The room was beautiful - the red room with a extra large canopy bed and views over the area. We had a fireplace in the room and candles.|The dinner was superb - An entree of crepe and blue cheese sauce, A main of veal and mushrooms in a cream sauce encased in a pastry, all proudly cooked by Madame and the dessert homemade mint icecream in a case of chocolate. |It was our wedding anniversary and first time away without the baby and they made it all so wonderful. We will be back.||

Leaving the beautiful valley of the Dordogne River, we set off for Lyon, with a planned route through the Auvergne Volcanoes National Park. We had reservations at an old castle, Chateau de la Vigne. Here, we found French hospitality at its finest. Bruno and Anne du Fayet de la Tour were friendly, gracious and interesting hosts. Their ancient family home sits over rolling fields near Ally in the Auvergne region. Surprisingly, Chateau de la Vigne is home to one of the world’s largest private assemblies of miniature collectibles, largely cars, trucks and fire wagons. It is housed in the upper levels of the castle, accessed by a winding stone stairway.||That evening, we dined with the couple and a son, sharing fabulous regional foods before a giant fireplace. We learned history of the family and the property and, after a relaxing time of wine and conversation, retired to the Louis XV bedroom. There in 1767, political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau stayed for three months. His quiet presence in the Auvergne was probably because he was officially banned from France at the time because of religious and political writings.||Sleeping in an ancient castle was a new experience. We were first time visitors to the Auvergne region as well. In early autumn, France is a particularly beautiful country and the Auvergne is truly unique. In one valley of the Cantal, we sat quietly beside mountain pastures, listening to a symphony of bells played by the Salers cattle. Nearby animals provided the melodies and tuneful harmonies reverberated from cow bells all over the surrounding valley. Reluctantly, we moved on as the concert continued.|

Glorious views, great food, lovely atmosphere: this is what you can expect staying at Chateau de la Vigne. We chose the Troubadour room (which was incredible) and had a romantic candle-lit dinner with delicious, home-made food elegantly served just for us. All preceded by an interesting tour of the castle and its history, where we could also admire an impressive collection of dolls and miniature cars (two of the passions of the hosts). In a nutshell, we felt like a prince and princess from an enchanting fairytale. Easily one of the best experiences of our lives, we definitely will be staying here again. If you are looking for an exquisite room, gracious hosts, and an unforgettable experience staying in a 15th century castle then look no further! We fell in love and we are sure you will too!! Amazing!!!