Belle-Isle sur Risle - Chateau Hotel & Spa

I adored Belle Isle sur Risle. It is such a relaxing place, The staff were so welcoming and accommodating (with the exception of one or two members who were less than friendly, but they were easily outshone by the others who were exceptionally kind.) When we discovered that they were fully booked for massages, they went out of their way to hire a second masseur so we would not be disappointed. I have read some reviews which said the hotel was tired and in need of refurbishment, but this is an authentic French country house and so, whilst not pristine throughout, has all the charms which come with that and for me make it preferable to somewhere more corporate and less personal. We didn't get chance to eat in the restaurant but did have breakfast. As we only wanted coffee and a croissant, it worked out very expensive so we only went once, but there was a full array of cooked dishes, including dauphinoise potatoes and champagne on offer so that would justify the price. We stayed a week and found it was perfect to spend some days relaxing by the 2 pools, having our massages, canoeing on the river or using the bikes to go into Pont-Audemer (which is a really charming place with plenty of shops and places to eat). The location is wonderful for exploring Normandy and beyond so on other days we took off and saw the delights of Honfleur, Bayeux and Giverny, all with in really easy reach.

A quiet and relaxing location with an excellent restaurant.

Most unique place in Normandy to stay!

We had seen the pictures and description of the bedrooms on the website and it all looked good. Unfortunately we found the reality to be different. We had chosen a room with air-conditioning but our allocated room (albeit with a balcony and a great view of the garden) was hot and had no air-conditioning. After some discussion we chose to move to an alternative room on the top floor, which did have ac. Although this was working when we checked into the room it stopped cooling during the night - we were told that it had recently been repaired but obviously, the repair couldn't have been done properly. Bedroom decor was very basic and could have been far better, especially as this was not a cheap stay. The bathroom was interesting. There was a bath with a shower attachment although it would have been impossible to stand and shower in the bath due to the sloping roof. I reckon that you would have to have been a contortionist to have been able to use the bidet conventionally. due to its positioning in a corner of the room. We did have dinner, and this was the bright spot of the stay, along with a particularly good bottle of burgundy. The decor of the dining room was generally good although it was spoilt but what looked like a shower curtain fixed to one of the walls (see photo below). Once seen it couldnt be unseen. Location was very good but we won't be visiting again in a hurry - the hotel needs to upgrade its rooms and for the description on the website to be more accurate.

Sejour de charme dans cet hotel noyé dans un beau parc. Excellent accueil personnalisé, personnel charmant. Tres agreable malgre une batisse qui commencerait a meriter une renovation .

Quiet and beautiful. Personnel were very friendly and helpful. Town was closed for dinner with many options. Breakfast and coffee were good

Joli cadre et calme. Très bien. Personnel agréable

Very, very tired. Lovely house and location. Great garden, but hotel virtually untouched for decades. Also overpriced to start with and breakfast was extra.

Séjour familial. Bon accueil, service attentionné. Lieu agréable avec de bons équipements (piscine, jacuzzi, hammam, vélos) Chambres au rez de chaussée trop humides (même le linge et les serviettes sentent l'humidité). Les salles de bain gagneraient à être rénovées. Dîner dans une ambiance sympathique (vue sur le parc, pianiste...) mais la cuisine n'est pas du tout à la hauteur de la publicité (tataki avec du thon décongelé, canard quelconque servi presque froid, plat de salade facturé un euro alors qu'il s'agissait de remplacer un plateau de fromage, dessert pas franchement léger). Bref, pas désagréable mais pas inoubliable!

Ein schönes Kleinod mit vielen tollen Möglichkeiten (Pool, Kanu, Fahrrad) und einem traumhaft schönen Park. Man fühlt sich Willkommen.