Pet friendlyAsk Smoking allowedNo Suitable for childrenYes Suitable for the elderlyYes Wheelchair accessibleAsk
Description from the manager
The 17th century Chateau St Surin Estate comprises 12 acres of tranquil garden and parkland with 3 private swimming pools (one for each of the properties on the estate), providing an ideal location for families and larger groups. Enjoy a self-catered holiday in the sunny and warm climate of South Western France. The Chateau St Surin (sleeps 16) shares the estate with the Domaine (sleeps 10) and the Etables (sleeps 12), each property has its own private terrace, swimming pool and grounds. This is wonderful chateau holiday experience and will exceed all your expectations. Within a short driving distance (30 minutes) of the Chateau St Surin ar...e blue-flagged beaches, wine and cognac tours, and of course shopping possibilities.
The Chateau St Surin has 8 double bedrooms to sleep up to 16 guests. The Domaine St Surin can sleep up to 10 guests in 5 double bedrooms. The Etables St Surin can sleep 12 guests in 6 bedrooms. Chateau : On the ground floor there is a salon with piano, satellite freeview TV, a snooker room with full sized table, a dining room and a fully equipped kitchen. There is also a double bedroom with en-suite bathroom, and a further shower room. On the first floor (bedroom floor) there are 5 double bedrooms, 2 twin bedrooms. They all have their own bathroom, 6 en-suites and 2 seperate bathrooms. Domaine : On the ground floor there is an airy modern kitchen, a dining room, gallery, and a large living room with satellite freeview TV. There are 2 double bedrooms, a bathroom and a WC. On the first floor there are 3 twin bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. Etables : The Etables enjoys spacious living areas, and separate fully equipped kitchen and open-plan dining room. There are 2 bedrooms with the tower house also has 2 bedrooms. All bath & shower rooms contain washbasins and WCs. There is a further WC. On the first floor there are 2 very large bedrooms with large en-suite bathrooms where extra beds can easily be added. The houses are well appointed with all modern conveniences, the kitchens having electric cooker, gas hob, microwave, washing machine, dish washer, fridges and freezer as well as kettle, coffee machine, toaster, iron and hair dryer. There are cots, satellite TV, CD/radio, internet connection and bicycles available for hire. All linen, house towels, kitchen towels and utilities are included in the rental. We do ask you to bring pool and beach towels. Outside each property has its own private parkland, swimming pool and BBQ with decked eating area. There are a full 8 acres of parkland.
*Please note, locations shown on the maps are approximations only The region of Charente Maritime is one of the sunniest parts of France and benefits from a mostly sunny and warm climate from April through to October. The influence of the Gulf Stream means that winters can be as mild as the Mediterranean. Cognac & Saintes are 15km away and Royan is 25km from the estate. The airports of Bordeaux, Angouleme and La Rochelle are within 1 hours drive and are served by an increasing number of UK regional airports. St. Genis & Pons are both 5km away where there are restaurants and small shops. The nearest beach is only 35 minutes drive. There are 3 golf courses we use on a regular basis, Saintes (typical UK type club), Cognac (good course, above average) and Royan (reminds one of the Berkshire courses - pine on sand - good course). The area has many historical sites relating to its past including the periods of Roman occupation, Richard Coeur de Lion and Eleanor of Aquitane, the French Revolution and the Second World War. As the centre of Cognac production, the towns of Cognac and Jarnac are must visits with guided tours around the headquarters of such as Hennesey, Martell, Remy Martin, Otard, Hine etc. etc., as well as many opportunities to visit local producers. The coast line from St Georges de Didonne north to St Palais sur Mer has miles of sandy beaches, good fish restaurants and the towns of Royan, La Rochelle and Rochefort are interesting places to visit and are all within one hour's motoring. The area abounds with many fine restaurants, some more expensive than others but all incredible value for money. Many local artisans welcome visits to view their business, including, barrel making, wood carving and sculpture, pottery production, chocolate making and many more. The wine production areas of Bordeaux are within easy reach with the Blaye region only half an hour away and St Emilion only just over an hour by car. From the towns of Blaye or Royan it is possible to take a car ferry across to the Medoc. The city of Bordeaux can be reached in an hour with its good shopping, art galleries, museums and historical buildings. The same can be said for Saintes. Within an hour there are three top golf courses, at Saintes, Cognac and Royan with more around Bordeaux. As well as the obvious sea fishing, river fishing in the Seugne is only 5 minutes away and in the major river of the area, the Charente only half an hour away. Only 5kms in either direction, there are good quality local tennis courts. There are several horse stables around providing riding for all levels through the local woodlands. A very local stable provides carriage rides around the lanes of the area. An international length (1.2km long) go-cart track is only 10 minutes from Clerbise. Canoes are available for hire on our local river Seugne. A busy nightclub is just 5kms away and is open from Thursday to Sunday inclusive.
Although the Estate is mainly let on a self catering basis there are extras available to help take a little of the self out of self catering. We can provide a chef, maid service, babysitting, morning bread delivery and access to the increasingly good wine cellar. We are also able to arrange Wedding Blessings on the Estate which are becoming increasingly popular.
Capacity Indoor reception capacity: 50 Outdoor reception capacity: 100+ We almost always set up a marquee on the terrace. Of course price depends on capacity / size - e.g. 60 person including chair and table hire from 650€. We are almost always involved in the arrangements for such as marquee hire, catering, flowers etc. for which we charge from 500€ depending on involvement and numbers. Availability Outside our normal rental period (May to September) we are happy to consider short period bookings for weddings and in these cases we are happy to quote on an inclusive package including rental and arranging. The Service We have the ruins of a 13th Century Romanesque church within the grounds. This remains consecrated ground. Over the body of the church we erect a simple white marquee and set out chairs etc. Alternatively there are R.C. churches in the villages around. There is access to an English speaking vicar or priest. Catering From 40€ to whatever menu desired. Costs include service etc. Other Services Flowers: Yes a local shop does all our floral arrangements. Live bands/DJs: Pop, jazz, western/folk, D.J. all possible. Transport: All as required from coach hire through minibus, car or taxi. Maquee hire: As mentioned above. Accommodation 38 guests can stay at the chateau (normal set up) with up to around 45 (with extra single beds in the large bedrooms to make family or singles rooms). Extra single beds at 100€ each to cover linen, towels, extra utility use and set up costs. Two gite complexes within 10 minutes can accommodate a further 35 also local hotels (within 15 minutes) a further 50 minimum. Travel Bordeaux and La Rochelle - both around 55 minutes away with most of the lower priced airlines flying in from most UK regional airports.
Chateau St Surin Estate Poitou-Charentes, France located in Poitou-Charentes, France, but cannot be displayed on a map. Contact the manager for more details
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We booked Chateau St Surin and the Etables (locally known as Chateau Clerbise) through Simply Chateau (SC) as it promised great things and seemed ideal for our needs.
The garden is large and well maintained and some of the rooms in the chateau are beautiful. However, there are many things which need attending to urgently in order to bring the estate up to standard overall.
Particularly disappointing was the general attitude of the owners. We were certainly not made to feel welcome and they seemed to resent our presence. It wouldn't have been too much of a problem except for the fact that they live on site. On arrival we were not permitted to even temporarily park in front of the chateau to unload our bags! Sc website mentions wine tasting but when I enquired about “access to the increasingly good wine cellar”, we were told we’d be better off at the supermarket.
The chateau’s kitchen is woefully inadequate for a large group, the fridges were old, rusty and inefficient, with no door compartments and the salad drawers either non existent or broken. There were no working coffee making facilities (one was scaled up and unusable and pieces from another were missing until the owner found them in storage). We bought an extra one in the end. There is a large purpose built catering kitchen alongside the hall which would be ideal for large groups but we were not permitted to use it.
The owners’ own website mentions a covered bar area alongside the swimming pool, inferring a pleasant area under which to gain shade from the heat of the sun. In reality, it was a dirty and dusty dumping ground for old pool toys and games, which were scattered around the floor when we arrived, and a number of half built unusable bikes in a heap at the back. Sc website says there are bikes available but the owner said he hadn’t had time to fix any of them for this season.
The barbecue was filthy, had not been cleaned and still had food on it. The plastic garden furniture was dirty and looked as though it hadn’t been cleaned even once during the season!
This is an old chateau and we didn’t expect everything to be perfect but much of the maintenance that has been done has obviously been done on the cheap – both in the chateau and the etables. During the rain, the kitchen walls in the chateau leaked profusely, as did the front door – much to the surprise of the owners!
It would have been nice for the towels to be have been placed either in the bathrooms or the bedrooms, instead of in one pile in the hallway.
The grooms’ tower in the Etables smelled strongly of urine when we arrived (the owner later admitted that one of the guests before us had had an accident). Even after airing the place, it was still unpleasant. The owner found us a mop and bucket so that we could clean it!!! The downstairs shower room was grubby and dank, with mould in the shower. When this was queried, we were told it was a mould particular to the region and would take a lot of maintenance to keep it at bay. The mattresses in the two large bedrooms are in desperate need of replacement and are very uncomfortable (springs actually pinged during the night). Again, the fridges were old and rusty and the barbecue had not been cleaned. We left the entire estate much cleaner than we found it.
To respond to the tone of the notices left in the properties telling us of all the things we must not do (rather than the things we might like to do, and there was very little of that) - “Could do better”.
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