Chateau de Valcreuse, La Roche Posay (a review)

I’m so happy to share about the most amazing trip to France that I went on recently. I stayed at Chateau de Valcreuse, La Roche Posay for a week with my husband and four friends. “La Roche Posay” may ring a bell for you since it’s a well-known line of beauty products. Known as a spa town, thousands of people come to La Roche Posay each year to experience the healing properties of their town’s water. Read on about our very dreamy stay in this lovely place!

Chateau de Valcreuse

We were invited on the trip by my friend Sandy. She had gotten to know Catherine (the owner) through Instagram and was encouraged to come and stay at their 19th century chateau, described in French literature as one of the most romantic castles in France. Wait… you want us to come and eat croissants, coq au vin and crepes and stay at a chateau? Naturally, the answer was, “Of course!” We traveled to France with Sandy and her husband and our friends Chris and Carma too. My husband and I have traveled to France before, but this trip was a whole different experience! The history of Chateau de Valcreuse is interesting to read about.

We all flew in to Paris and met at the train station. After a quick nicoise salad and aperol spritz in a local cafe, we took the train down to Chatellerault. A 20-minute taxi ride took us to Chateau de Valcreuse in La Roche Posay.

Here’s a peek at the chateau from the air. The property is actually much larger than you see here (nearly 24 acres). That’s the main chateau (7 bedrooms) on the right. There is a 3-bedroom cottage on the property as well. And there is a lot of land as well as buildings off to the right with plans for a yoga studio, reception area for weddings, etc. The heated swimming pool area is off to the left, along with a pool bar. There are vineyards and an orchard to the left of the pool. And down below the chateau is the Creuse River and a beautiful view of the Creuse Valley.

Estate manager Laura met us as we arrived. She gave us a tour of the chateau and shared the scoop on the area, restaurants, things to do, etc. She made all of our reservations for restaurants, golf, spa, etc. We provided a list for Laura, and she got groceries for us before we arrived. She also shopped for our breakfasts, provided enough espresso for the week so we never ran out of the amazing French coffee. She brought us fresh-pressed apple juice and farm eggs every morning. We were able to purchase wine and spirits right there in the chateau, but she also suggested great places for wine tasting. Laura is fabulous.

This is the awesome display of goodies that Laura shared with us upon our arrival. We were all starving after traveling all the way from the West coast of the U.S., and we were ready for some wine too.

My husband Brian poured some champagne, and we were ready for our luxurious stay!

Here’s a peek at some of the interior areas of the chateau. The bedrooms are on the second floor- up that amazing staircase. The photo in the lower left was the view from our bedroom! There are more photos of all of the bedrooms and more on the Chateau de Valcreuse website.

And here are some of the grounds. There are so many fun places to explore and so many things to do… right on the grounds of the chateau!

One of the first nights we were there, we hired Laura’s husband Ian come in and cook dinner for us. He is an excellent cook, and we had the most pleasant and delicious several-course dinner.

And best of all, we enjoyed it in the luxurious chateau dining room with our friends!

Here’s a look at the back of the chateau. There are a few tables out back (just outside the wine-tasting room) where we sat often to enjoy wine and appetizers in the early evenings.

And a view of the chateau at night too. Isn’t it dreamy??

Most mornings we made our own breakfast in the gourmet kitchen. The town of La Roche Posay is literally a 5 minute walk down the road. So it’s easy to go into town to get pastries like chocolate croissants, apple tarte tatin and French almond cake. The chateau has a fabulous espresso/coffee machine, so there is no need to go out for coffee! The larger market is walkable too, but we usually drove to the market because we were getting too many things for a walk.

A couple of days per week, there is a lovely farmer’s market in town. We bought so many beautiful vegetables, fruit, bread and sweets.

Although we were on vacation, we took advantage of the kitchen. It is well-stocked with dishes, glassware, knives, platters, spices and so much more. It’s a spacious kitchen with two refrigerators and a large stainless island, so that makes food prep super easy. We made many meals, which is fun when you’re preparing meals together!

Me with my best pal: Sandy. We love traveling together with our husbands.

It was hot while we were in France (early September). So we took advantage of hanging out at the pool every single day we were there. The guys enjoyed playing Petanque on the chateau grounds. One night, we prepared an amazing barbecue and dined poolside.

Needless to say, we went through a lot of rosé, white wine and charcuterie. Rosé all day, every day (when in France!)

There is something to remember about traveling with others. If you are traveling with the right people– people with whom you enjoy conversation and company, people who are easy to get along with and who you like immensely and laugh with, then traveling with others can be a great experience. Our stay at the most amazing chateau in France was a great, great experience with the best of friends!

We did a lot of fun things during our stay at Chateau de Valcreuse, so I will include those fun things in my recommendations below:

Visit the Chateau de Valcreuse website for more information about booking this amazing property for a trip with friends, family reunion, anniversary, wedding, girl’s trip and more!