Domaine de la Commanderie de Ballan

Beautiful property with plenty of charm. Room was very comfortable. Staff were helpful; our limited French was tested, but they were kind and understanding.

The TV in the room uses Chromecast and this didn't work for us! We followed instructions, rebooted, ensured we were on the same network and removed the VPN from our phones etc (we have used this type of mirror software many times) but to no avail. That was a little frustrating. We felt some of the carpets on the upper floor of the main house (not in the room) needed deeper cleaning.

Staff were very helpful and accommodation was very comfortable

What a beautiful location and an extraordinary high standard of accommodation! We stayed in one of the 2 bedroom guest houses with its own kitchen, for 1 night. After a long journey we found the swimming pool an absolute joy, and warm. The pool was also a sensible length and depth to enable us to swim properly (although also with a shallow end). The pool area had an abundance of seating, lounging and separate social areas. Plenty of space for all. Our accommodation didn't disappoint either; very comfortable beds and blackout blinds/shutters as required. The A/C was also set correctly for us in advance. Both bedrooms featured en-suites, with 2 separate toilets in the properly. Luxury! We loved the pre-ordered breakfast (order when you check-in), which was discretely delivered to our door in the morning. We opted for 8am, in order to then swim at 9am (when the pool opens). We didn't investigate the local area, as we were enroute to Caen for the ferry the next day. However, we would return and stay for additional nights in order to see Tours and some of the surrounding Loire area.

The dishwasher was full (but clean) on our arrival; not a problem, as we emptied and put it all away. Provision of pool towels would have given an added level of luxury; again, not a problem for us as we had ours from earlier in the holiday.

This hotel is a beautiful old building and outside the facilities are very lovely - a fantastic swimming pool with a bar overlooking it and a sauna and jacuzzi nearby. Unfortunately the sauna was not switched on when we wanted to use it and it did not seem to heat up at all during the next half hour despite being switched on. The self catering gites in the grounds of the chateau looked really good, recently renovated to a very high standard. Its location is fantastic for visiting the chateaux of the Loire and I would recommend it to any family wanting to stay in one of the gites.

Breakfast was very disappointing. It was left in a basket in the very dark room which appeared to be where food was served, though there was no dining room. Luke warm coffee was provided in metal bottles, croissants were cold and not very fresh. It was impossible to get hot milk for our coffee. Unfortunately the hotel appears to be a little neglected with a very limited staff presence. It felt like a bit of a ghost town and though the staff were welcoming, there really was no hotel service at all. It is misleading to say this hotel is a paradise for foodies as there is no restaurant! I