"The location on the grounds is the chateaux is lovely, but the service was very poor for a place that markets itself as a luxury hotel. The breakfast is surprisingly poor (buffet only, self-service coffee from a machine), and the dinner service at their expensive restaurant was incredibly slow — it was an hour between courses and the staff ignored me the whole time. The restaurant is on the patio with lovely views of the castle, but this also means people can smoke, which I think destroys the enjoyment of a fancy meal for those seated nearby. They charge way more for bike rentals than the chateau rentals literally a few steps sways which to me just sends a message that they are looking to rip off their customers (frankly, I would think a luxury hotel could just loan the bikes for free, and they certainly don’t need to price gouge them). Also according to their website the jacuzzi in their spa has been out of commission for quite a long time … seems like they should fix that more promptly."

"The Relais de Chambord’s location is spectacular, in the midst of thousands of walkable and bikable meadows and woodland acres and with the Chambord Castle in full view. The room we had was pricey but it was spacious and had a view of the castle. Reception staff were friendly, welcoming and very helpful, as were the housekeeping and restaurant staff. However, the Relais falls short on maintaining cleanliness in the common areas such as the lounge and the restaurant and the restaurant offerings could be improved. Tables remained uncleared and there was dust on some of the furniture at the restaurant and in the lounge. The waitstaff seem to work hard but the Relais doesn’t seem to have enough staff during busy hours. The breakfast buffet was somewhat meager for such a nice hotel, e.g., there was very little fruit, quiche was served cold, and everything was crammed into a relatively small area rather than nicely displayed. The à la carte breakfast menu is very short. Thea la carte dinner menu, while the food was excellent, is short as well. We were there three nights and chose to eat there each night for convenience. While what we ordered was mostly excellent, the starch with every entree was the same every night, scalloped potatoes. The vegetables every night were “mixed vegetables.” They were all delicious, but at those prices, the kitchen should be able to mix it up a little."

"The location next to Château de Chambord is undeniably the hotel’s strongest asset, but beyond that, the experience was disappointing and far below what should be expected from a 4-star property. In reality, this feels much closer to a 3-star hotel. The rooms are tired and clearly need repainting and refreshing. The beds were extremely hard and uncomfortable. There was no heating during the night, and instead of fixing the issue properly, we were given a dusty portable heater. There is also no turndown service in the evening, which is surprising for a hotel positioning itself as luxury. Upon arrival, nobody informed us about the château access pass or offered any guidance regarding the visit, despite the hotel heavily relying on its proximity to the château as a selling point. Dinner service was also disappointing and nowhere near luxury hotel standards. We were told we were lucky to get the “last available table” because the restaurant was supposedly fully booked, yet there were many empty tables throughout the evening. To make matters worse, once guests left, the staff did not clear or reset the tables, leaving diners surrounded by dirty and messy tables for the entire meal. The service overall lacked professionalism and attention to detail. Finally, the photos online are not representative of the actual condition and atmosphere of the hotel. The property relies heavily on its exceptional location, but the overall experience and level of service do not justify the rating or expectations created."