A truly magnificent and magic château experience awaits you if you plan a stay at the hilltop home of Monsieur and Madame BARDIN, Château de la Motte d'Usseau in the lovely Vienne of the Poitou-Charentes.  Take this from some of us who have been guests for several days:  there is nothing about this château that could possibly be a disappointment!

The  château is straight out of a fairy tale -- you almost expect to see knights on horseback on the grounds and princesses looking from the windows!  But, this is real and a few nights as a guest will make your stay in France absolutely perfect.  Each guest room is a treasure of medieval design and 21st century comfort.  The bathrooms are all modern with newly tiled floors and walls -- the décor in all cases selected and implemented by your charming hostess, Marie-Andrée Bardin.  Her impeccable taste and skills as a craftsperson are evident throughout the château,  and guests will find themselves immersed in the place and wishing it were their own.   The common rooms are comfortable, and the dining room, where guests take breakfast and dinner, is elegant.  On chilly mornings or evenings, a roaring fire in the fireplace there makes you wish you could just stay inside forever!
 

            Château de La Motte

Your charming and well-informed host and hostess can give advice for day trips in the region, and they will happily tell you all about their wonderful château.  As they are fairly recent owners (and spent an entire year redecorating and bringing the rooms up to a very high standard), they are justifiably proud of what they offer visitors to Château de la Motte d'Usseau.

Recently, a fine building below the high château walls has been completely renovated and modernized to accommodate additional guests -- it has a grand room for such events as wedding receptions and family reunions as well!  The proprietors also offer a gîte with several bedrooms and a beautifully, recently remodeled kitchen for guests who wish to be self sufficient and spend more time at La Motte.

Perched above a green and rolling countryside affording commanding views in all directions, the château and its dependencies can be seen from a great distance making it one of the easiest properties on our web site to locate.  The front of the château, where guests arrive and park their cars, is very deceiving as it looks relatively small yet nonetheless perfectly inviting.  Walk up the wide stone steps to be greeted with a smile and handshake by the charming Marie-Andrée.  Ask to see her studio  -- just beyond the foyer -- to enjoy the tuffeau carvings she is creating.  Her studio faces the drive so she can keep busy with her creativity while keeping an eye out for her guests.  Classes in carving are offered at the château, as are workshops in picture framing and medieval calligraphy.

Up a flight of stairs and you find yourself in the salon and next to that very appealing dining room with its roaring fire.  Another flight, this time ascending an ancient winding stone stairway, takes you to the guest rooms of which there are five.  Each is exceptional in its décor and spaciousness -- and each boasts comfortable beds and modern heating units that guests can easily regulate until they reach their notion of comfort.  Most extraordinary are the views from every window!  The château's high position affords guests sweeping views of the vast countryside of the Vienne in all directions, so you at once feel cozy in your room yet never closed in. 

Perhaps you will be fortunate enough to be allowed access to the ramparts which remind one that medieval châteaux and fortresses had tumultuous histories -- all too often forgotten when they become 21st century luxury accommodations.  Another pleasant distraction is the raised garden behind the salon which is perfect for sitting in the sun, experiencing the country silence and calm or taking in the views.

We highly recommend taking dinner au château.  Marie-Andrée is multi-talented, and not the least of her talents is  her ability in the kitchen.  The Bardins spent six years in Québec where they owned a fine restaurant,  and Marie-Andrée was the chef.  Her skills returned with her to France -- dinners are a culinary delight.  Only the freshest ingredients are used, and the best of wines accompany a meal.  If you are a guest at Château de la Motte, do not hesitate to make reservations for dinner there -- we know you will not be disappointed.  And, of course, breakfasts at Château de la Motte are complete with croissants, fresh breads, homemade preserves and jams, excellent coffee, juice and yogurt. 
 
 

The location of Château de la Motte is almost perfect.  Just south of the hustle and bustle of the Loire Valley tourist attractions and the city of Tours, the château's nearest big neighbor is the lovely city of Châtellerault.  Market day is on Thursday and, as with all the markets in France, it is very lively and interesting.  Nearby, and certainly worth the short drive, is the village of Angles sur l'Anglin, designated one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France -- and it is!   With its ruined château, lovely River Anglin, winding hilly streets and buildings of character, time spent in Anglin is a worth an entry in your journal to be sure.  Also, you may want to enjoy a great lunchtime meal in La Roche Posay, where shops and small restaurants line the streets -- and where people come from far and wide to try their luck at the casino, rejuvenate at the thermal spa, or, on certain days in June, July, August or September, enjoy a day at the racecourse. 

The château is near several beautiful rivers, too, primarily the Vienne and the Gartempe -- both tranquil and lovely.  There is also the historic Roman village of Chauvigny down river from Châtellerault, a notable attraction in the region. 

Château de la Motte is a classic château, and we are very pleased to include it among the members of our web site.  It is absolutely beautiful, perfectly located in the eastern part of the Poitou-Charentes, not far at all from the attractions of the Loire Valley, yet a great stopover on the way to nearby Limoges or the Dordogne.  Best of all is the warm and sincere welcome you will receive when you become a guest.  Please visit their pages on our site for details about accommodations, additional regional pastimes and historic information about this fairy tale château.

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