This is not a 5-star hotel and certainly not worth the €500+ per night price tag. The grounds are beautiful, but the property is run like a simple bed and breakfast (later searching reveled that it was classified as one until 2019). The owners live on the property and run most aspects of the hotel, including the food service, themselves. This can be a lovely experience, but not here. The couple moved from the Netherlands as a semi-retirement from previous careers and treat the grounds first-and-foremost as their home. There are numerous spoken and unspoken rules that they expect you to follow so that you might have the “privilege” of staying on the property. For example, picnics are not allowed anywhere, despite the presence of over a dozen of picnic tables and the lack of any alternative dining options some nights of the week. They also have posted signs that there is €15 corkage fee, even for bottles enjoyed privately in your own room, despite not having a real bar at the hotel. In a futile attempt to follow this rule, we asked about our own wine for dinner on the second night, expecting to be able to pay the corkage fee and enjoy a local bottle we had purchased. Instead, we were admonished loudly and embarrassingly in front of other guests with: “Do you not understand how restaurants work? You’re American so that must be why you don't understand.” Many high-end restaurants and hotels all across France allow the droit de buchon, particularly those located in wine regions. To understand the attitude that will great you here, I suggest going through the responses to the negative reviews posted here and other sites (something I wish we had done as well). The owners often try to turn the issue into the fault of the reviewer; on more than one occasion, they even resorted to posting unnecessarily personal attacks back at their own guests. For the price of this hotel, you could stay at almost any other high-end countryside hotel in France (such as the Relais & Châteaux properties or Les Domaines de Fontenille) that are run by professional staff with high levels of expertise, service, and hospitality. Our experience at La Borde did come close to matching our experiences at these other properties. I strongly suggest that others avoid it as well.…
This was truly a great find. A castle/chateau in the middle of the Burgundy wine region, run by a couple who truly love what they do. We have never been small inn people, but, this inn which has 6 rooms, was luxury. The food, and ambiance were what you would expect. The rooms were large and comfortable, with high end toiletries. The happy hour by the oversized fireplace were so memorable, and the service was great. We can’t wait to come back.
All I can say is wow! We just returned home from 2 incredible nights at La Borde and already look forward to returning. The property and grounds are stunning and Marieke and Rik made us feel so at home. We loved relaxing by the pool, wandering through the expansive gardens, playing tennis each morning, and enjoying Marieke’s delicious cooking. Our room (Safran) was luxurious and spacious. The landscaping is absolutely beautiful. We returned feeling rested and relaxed and so well taken care of. We will be recommending La Borde to all our friends!
My husband and I stayed at La Borde for 5 nights in July 2020. We had a really good stay, the place is beautiful. The food, although overpriced is very good. The rooms are luxurious and we had a great time. We aimed at coming back in May 2021, so in June we booked and paid for a room for end of July for a few nights. Only the day after our booking, I found out that I would have to stay in the UK where I live for much longer than expected given some ongoing health issues, and that my covid vaccine would have to be postponed. We called La Borde to let them know immediately and cancel and explore postponing options. We spoke to one of the owners (the wife) who was extremely rude to us on the phone, and basically hung up on us because she was annoyed. She said “I’m going to cut your short” as my husband was explaining the situation and she ended the call. We were shocked. During our stay in 2020 there were a few occasions when she was a bit too direct and rude, but we decided to ignore it. This goes a step too far however and is an unacceptable way of treating returning customers. She clearly thought we were lying but that is no excuse!!!! Needless to say, despite the beautiful grounds we will never go back to La Borde and won’t recommend it to our friends. Very disappointing especially given the price. We followed up with an email after the call and we’re reimbursed fully, but still. You are running a 5 star hotel - not a playground.…
Lovely intimate yet spacious luxury inn in the countryside of Burgundy. It is rare gem and has the personal touch of the owners/hoteliers that are on site. If you want a nice moment in the countryside just 2 hours from Paris or a nice stopover while going toward the south of France, this is the place!
Just back from a (too) short stay at La Borde at the end of a few days in Bourgogne. This is a truly special place, run by two gifted and special hosts - Marieke and Rik. The location, the extensive garden and land around the property - all available to explore, the sense of calm (just five, maximum six, rooms occupied) and the attention to detail in the rooms and the whole place let you know this is a very special stay. A great pool, a beautiful junior suite with a high, open beamed, ceiling, kept cool by the medieval walls, as well as an effective airco. Nice touches were the espresso machine in the room and the Bose blue tooth speaker that actually worked. Some lovely open areas, such as the terrace for breakfast or the bar/relaxation area, which had I been staying longer would definitely have seen me trying the Monkey 47 - the choice of a property’s gin can tell you a lot about a place. As this was a Sunday, which is the evening they do not cook for guests, they recommended a lovely restaurant by the river about half an hour away in Vincelottes. This was a great recommendation. Having driven through the regional parc de Morvan on our way, it is clear that there are lots of possibilities for things to do in this region and the history of Auxerre and the vineyards of Chablis are close as well. However, the one thing above others, that I take away from this stay and which tells me I want to return is that you left feeling that you had been made to feel at home. You had the chance to meet two great, driven people, who had made a success of project to build a business from scratch and who were managing to find their way through a challenging COVID environment, while offering a superlative experience.…
If you are looking for a peaceful, authentic yet classy retreat, La Borde is the right place for you. It combines the charm of old stones with a 5* experience. The owners are great hosts. They make you feel at home and welcome in their domain.
We arrived after a long day driving from Sarlat-la-Caneda. Rik and Marieke warmly welcomed us and Rik carried our luggage upstairs to our room. Room was clean, beautifully presented, with well appointed bathroom with separate toilet and shower, plus free-standing bath. Beds were comfortable and the room had plenty of space for open suitcases without tripping over them. The trip was part of a 30th anniversary holiday and the stay here was delightful. Dinner outside on the covered terrace was relaxed, delicious and accompanied by Rik's suggestion of a local Chablis - also excellent. The moon-rise was exquisite and the silence wonderful. The following morning we strolled around the grounds taking photographs, enjoying chatting with the gardener in the large vegetable garden, patting the dogs, realising how much more was on offer at this stunning boutique establishment : games room, reading room, huge glasshouse, etc. We enjoyed the ambience so much, we have already booked to stay for 3 nights next year.…
stayed here for one night en route to the Euro Tunnel, delightful place, slept far too well. Mr Klop was just lovely nothing was too much trouble. Great wine selection and very accommodating on the food. Gym & heated were enjoyed by the other half.
Junior Suite was fabulous, as was the service, facilities and location. Will return with family and stay longer. Dinner and breakfast of the highest quality. Setting for dinner was stunning. Can’t rate too highly
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