I've stayed at many Relais & Chateau (R&C), three in the past two weeks. This is my first ever…read morecomplaint. It concerns Les Hauts de Loire in Onzain, France. The site is advertised as having air conditioning and a Michelin two star restaurant. Still today their web site claims both. One area on your R&C site does say one star. We booked 5 nights in a suite, about 800€ a night. We get there and, as I have asthma, I need an air conditioner. We could not get it to work. We went to the lobby and were informed that air conditioning is not needed or available and is turned off. Turned off and unavailable, yes, not needed, no. It makes no sense. It costs nothing to leave it available; if no one needs it, they won't turn it on. But if it is needed, it is not available. But it was advertised as available. We were met with a shrug. Obviously it was a cost saving move. Not available--it won't be used. Room value to me was less than half of what was charged. Ridiculous price. And false advertising. I later expressed my concern to Eric, the manager, who stopped by our table and asked how our stay was. Another shrug. It's not available. A heel turn and he was gone. The room air was stifling and there was no air exchange. Windows had no screens against insects and were not opened. We sweated all night. Each night. Management did not care, did not sympathize, did not resolve the issue, and did not compensate or even acknowledge it to be an issue. As for the room, furniture is dated, blue rug throughout tacky. It was not up to R&C standards. As for the two star Michelin restaurant, it's been downgraded to one star and the website stills advertises two. Appointments are incredibly dated. Affinage on the cheese cart was not great, served a couple not yet ripe fromages. Continuing, the wine list shames Michelin. The first three wines I ordered were "out of stock." Two days later, they were still listed as available, yet still out of stock. In an era of computers and photocopiers, it is completely inexcusable that a wine list is not maintained accurately, especially when such a list is a draw to a restaurant. It's a fake wine list. Michelin should check the cellar, not trust the restaurant. The "wide selection of [actually available] excellent wines" is shameful for a Michelin restaurant. My opinion, after eating at multiple two and three star restaurants in just the past two weeks, is that this Les Hauts de Loire restaurant deserves none. The one bright spot of our stay was the bistro. Service was warm and gracious, food good quality. We really enjoyed the cuisine and the staff, felt like family, incredibly gracious. We did not receive any hotel request for a rating, and I'm not surprised. Other R&C hotels often ask after departure for a rating. This one does not. No surprise there. Why ask for a beating?

I have no idea why or how the other reviews are five stars. We stayed here for three nights and…read morewere basically treated like second class citizens the whole time. I've traveled all over the world, and I've ever experienced a staff that is more unaccommodating and rude in my entire life. I'll never go back here, nor would I recommend anyone stay here. It's quite upsetting to be spending so much on your stay and have an arrogant staff kill the entire vibe. The food is great and the place itself is nice, though the blow dryer in my room did not work. The issue is the staff. They don't care about their guests at all and when you ask for something, they consider it an imposition. I asked the hotel concierge if they could make us a reservation at a nearby restaurant, and they told me they couldn't do it (WHY NOT?!) and suggested I email them myself because the restaurant never answers the phone. A simple google search revealed that the restaurant wasn't even open that day. Another night, we had asked to reserve a table at one of two restaurants on site, which the receptionist confirmed 24 hours before the supposed reservation. We arrived at the restaurant where they told us that they did not have room for us and did not have our name on the list. We had to wait an hour and a half to eat something (it was pouring rain and we didn't have a car or know of any other restaurants in the area). The receptionist and the restaurant host went back and forth blaming each other for the fact that they didn't have room for us, and no one made even the smallest effort to rectify their error. This is also after we've been eating at the hotel for the previous two nights and spent over $1,000 just on the food there. You think they'd be a bit more accommodating for hotel guests instead of turning us away in the pouring rain when we had actually made a reservation. It made us so uncomfortable that we were happy to leave the next day after spending thousands of dollars at the hotel. It's really a shame that such a beautiful place employs such ugly people.

Very small and easy to navigate! The station only has two platforms going east or west. We arrived…read moreextra early before our train to ensure we didn't get lost, however signs are posted to help travels (French or otherwise) find their way!

We were very happy with our stay at Kyriad in Tours. It was the first time in Tours and with this…read morehotel chain. The hotel itself is a bus ride or drive into town. There is a laundromat 5 min drive and a supermarket a quick 5-10 min walk from the hotel. The rooms and bathrooms are very clean and comfortable. The price is quite reasonable. The breakfast is inexpensive and offers a selection of fresh yogurts, cheeses, jams, hams, breads, etc. Coffee is excellent. Many juices and some fruit as well. The reception is very helpful with advice on the area, places to visit, shop, laundry, etc. Their English is clear and far better than my French. Also, the wifi is strong and fast.

Great place to stay if you're on a budget and want to make some of your own meals. I stayed here…read morefor 3 nights on a solo trip around the Loire Valley. I booked through hotels.com and it was pretty cheap, but there were several charges that came later. For example, it's 1.05€ per day for internet (which was reliable and had a strong signal). And I was renting a bike, so I requested a ground-level room--that was another 8€ for preferred placement. I also thought I"d arrive outside of reception hours (reception is closed between 12pm and 3pm) so I requested that my key be left in the safe in the lobby. That option was another 5€. So it added up to more than I thought it would be, but each option was worth it. The staff were friendly and professional and answered all of my questions before my arrival via e-mail. The location is really excellent. It's just three blocks from the train/bus station. Exiting the station, you'll see the red facade of a restaurant and hotel St. Jacques. Head up that street and it's three blocks down. You'll go one block, cross a street, cross an empty dirt courtyard (this is where I went awry and got lost my first time), cross the next street, and you'll see the Appart'hotel entrance to your right. It's a 6-minute walk to the chateau and shops, restaurants, cafes, post office, and bike rental. I felt safe walking around at night, and the surrounding area has some quiet apartment buildings and a peaceful park. The room was clean and sized just right for one person. The bed was a fold-out and squeaked when I moved around. No electrical outlets near the bed, so I charged my phone either next to the table or in the kitchenette. TV worked well and watching the French news and dubbed movies was fun. I don't know if it was just a feature of my ground floor room, but there was an odd sort of loft above my bathroom and kitchenette area. I crawled up the ladder to peek and there was a water heater and not much else. Plenty of closet space, both shelves and hangers. The bathroom was fine. No shelf or spot for your shampoo and soap in the shower, so you'll be forced to keep them on the shower floor unless you bring a shower caddy or even a plastic bag to hang on the corner of the door. The kitchenette came with a small pot, pan, and strainer, plus utensils, small plates/cups/bowls, a wine opener, and a kind of sharp steak knife which I used to cut most of my meat and veggies. It was just enough equipment to make pasta and hardboiled eggs, and assemble sandwiches. The mini-fridge held everything I had and was clean. They provided a sponge, but I didn't realize until later that the cleaning liquid was concentrated. It really dried out my fingers after I did the dishes. I would purchase a small thing of dish soap at the market, or make sure to dilute it if you get the same stuff that I did. I'll definitely stay here again if/when I return to Blois!

The Alliance Hotel in Tours was probably the most basic place we stayed on our trip through France…read moreand Spain. It was still a nice enough place though. The room is around $130 USD. Restaurant was fine too. Room has Wi-Fi and a safe. It also was spotless. It's next to the central train station, but we didn't notice any noise from it. If we go back to Tours we will probably stay someplace else for the same price.

Nice hotel downtown in Tours just few hundred meter from the main train station. Great location to…read moreexplore the city. The breakfast is well above french standarts. Rooms are spacious and clean with free fast wifi. Parking behind the hotel is also a huge plus. Recommended.

It was interesting to see the caves & learn about their 120km network where they grow shiitake,…read moreblue foot and champignons de Paris They also house an underground city carved out of the limestone and the carvings were intricate and whimsical Please note there are not English tours offered every day. The day we went was French only and they do not list on their signage or their website which days are which so you'll take your chances. Wednesday was not an English day.....we still did the tour but missed out on the translation with all the pertinent details

Beyond what I expected! You MUST do the tour if you are staying or driving through this area of the…read moreLoire Valley! Bring a warm coat! It gets cold underground & tour goes really deep within the caves. A unique experience, with beautiful caved walls by local artisans reminiscent of the chateaux interiors you will be visiting in the area. You will have a tour through the cave & see difference types of mushrooms & hear an amazing history of the region & the different ways different mushrooms are grown, it's just fascinating! Our tour guide was an amazing woman who told us to excuse her because she didn't speak such good English, but she was just perfect & did a great job! We went on this tour & then brought jars of mushrooms from the store, bread & cheese in the town center & headed for a lovely makeshift at Chenenceaux which is a short 18-20 minute drive.

A word of warning to anyone considering an Acco Dispo tour…read more Acco Dispo shares on their own website "The first reservation of two-people minimum can choose the tour itinerary." Since our tour, they have added the clause "Some programs will require a minimum of 4 people." None of this is true. We were visiting the Loire Valley for only 1 full day, and were very intentional about the sights we wanted to see. After doing our research, we decided to book an Acco Dispo tour. We attempted to book on March 23, only to be told that they schedule their tours 1 month out. To be sure that we could choose the itinerary for our given date, July 16, we submitted our reservation at midnight on June 16. Acco Dispo responded, confirming our reservation for the desired itinerary. In the month leading up to our trip, other guests expressed interest in an alternate itinerary on July 16. So as to not lose this additional business, Acco Dispo changed the itinerary (despite guaranteeing that we would be able to choose the itinerary) and then poorly communicated the change in schedule. It wasn't until we had already departed for the day's activities and had left the pick-up point that we learned we would be visiting other sites. Our carefully planned and intentional holiday was ruined. We were entitled to a full refund as we didn't receive the experience that we paid for. Still, I attempted to compromise, and only requested a partial refund, as we did ultimately visit chateaux that day, just not the ones we had intended to see. Acco Dispo refused to refund any of our payment, and has kept the full amount for themself. Unfortunately, there seems to be few tour agencies in the Loire Valley offering a similar service to Acco Dispo, and thus they can run their business in such a dishonest, disingenuous manner. I encourage other tour operators to consider establishing a competing business and operate with honesty and principles. I also encourage anyone considering booking with Acco Dispo to use caution. While they say you can choose the day's itinerary, they may change it unexpectedly, thus ruining your carefully planned holiday. Acco Dispo will likely respond to this review, disputing these claims. I'm happy to provide our email correspondence as proof of everything I've shared here.

We had a wonderful time with Pascal of Acco-Dispo's mini van tour company we found through our Rick…read moreSteve's guide to France book. Pascal was very knowledgeable, not only about the chateaus in the area, but off the surrounding area past and present. We had a lot of good advice and special group rates to get tickets to each château. I can't say enough about the ease and enjoyment we found on this adventure through Amboise and the Loire valley.

Couldn't be happier with our choice of hotel! Château d'Amboise and Clos Lucé are within walking…read moredistance, and there are plenty of restaurants nearby as well. The hotel itself is everything you want a French boutique hotel to be: quaint, cozy, charming, but the rooms are surprisingly large, especially after the rather cramped hotel rooms of Paris! Our room felt surprisingly spacious. A small detail that was a big plus for me was the towel warmer in the bathroom. I wanted to do a little laundry midway through our trip, and it came in very handy. Breakfast was excellent and managed to please both my French husband and me, the American, which I think is quite an accomplishment! And a special mention has to go to Olivier at the front desk, who is quite simply the sweetest, nicest, friendliest, and overall bestest! He made an already lovely stay even more enjoyable. My only regret is that we didn't plan to stay longer. I would happily come back!

We absolutely loved our stay here. It's a small and charming hotel in the heart of Amboise. We…read morestayed on the top floor of the main building and had a wonderful view from our bathroom! Each morning we watched hot air balloons go by :) The room was very comfortable, the staff were kind and helpful, and the location was fantastic. Keep in mind that it's a small building and there is no elevator. A few notes that may be helpful to others: 1) The parking area is through a gravel area. If you have luggage on wheels, I highly recommend you stop near the front door and unload your luggage before parking your car because it's impossible to really drag luggage on wheels through the gravel (you'd need to carry them). 2) Rent a small car! The entrance/exit is on the corner of two one-way streets and is quite narrow to enter and exit through and also to make a sharp turn in either direction when exiting. Having a smaller car will be easier to navigate. 3) They lock the main gate at night for security and there is a small door you can exit and enter through by foot but we couldn't figure out how to exit through there (we had the code to enter from the outside but couldn't figure out how to open it from the inside to leave). They ended up opening the main gate for the cars and we walked through that in the early morning but if you need to leave very early (for example for a hot air balloon tour) before the main gate is typically unlocked you'd need to check with the staff to make sure you're able to exit early enough with your vehicle.