People | 24 |
Bedrooms | 12 |
Bathrooms | 8 |
Separate WC's | 2 |
Space | 7,750 sq. ft. |
Property type | chateau / country house |
Minimum Stay | 3 - 7 nights |
Chateau de Lamostonie dates from 1478, with substantial additions over the ages. Built over massive vaulted cellars, the chateau has been carefully renovated to provide superb comfort for up to 20 in 10 bedrooms. A further 4 can be accommodated in a self-contained annex ('Pigeonnier') within the chateau grounds. The elegant stone staircase is supplemented with a lift which is appreciated by the elderly or infirm. The owners are keen musicians and two Bechstein Grand pianos are kept in good condition. There is a large dining room and three other reception rooms. Outside there are terraces with barbecues, tables, chairs, a large swimming pool and a very well landscaped hard tennis court, with floodlights at night. The position is perfect, totally secluded with fine distant views and mature trees. The location is ideal for touring the marvels of both Dordogne and Lot regions.
Joanna and Bill Stuart-Bruges bought their first property in France in 1973, when they originally fell in love with the amazing Lot/Dordogne/Aquitaine region. At that time Bill's job had taken them, just married, to Bordeaux. They already had little Lilac Cottage in Devon. Now based in Hampshire, they now spend half their time in France, where Joanna has built up a team of excellent local craftsmen and housekeepers to restore and help look after 3 châteaux, as well as the original little farmhouse Lafage. The family includes several musicians and there are now 5 grand pianos and one upright, distributed amongst the properties!
Joanna & Bill purchased this chateau / country house in 2003
As we have known the area for over twenty years we instantly recognised Lamostonie as an outstanding property in a perfect location. The Chateau itself has excellent accommodation, peaceful rural surroundings, far reaching views. The old N20, which is now reclassified as the D820, carries only a little local traffic and gives very easy access to both the Dordogne and Lot.
A historic building with delightful grounds and distant views. Joanna restored the interior to a high standard without sacrificing its character. Floodlit tennis, really large pool (heated if necessary), 2 Bechstein Grand pianos, wall-paintings of other chateaux in the area, a private chapel, 2 Drawing rooms, Huge fireplace in Dining Room, Lift (elevator) installed, 2 kitchens ......
My friends, family and I (14 adults, 5 children, 1 infant) spent a wonderful 2 weeks at the chateau to celebrate my 50th birthday. It is difficult to summarise the highlights but the key ones would be as follows:
• Having complete privacy in your own chateau, being able to eat, drink and be merry outside looking across beautiful French countryside while you do so and only disturbing the cows in a nearby field
• Lying on the lawn at midnight looking up at the most clear sky we’d ever seen with stars, satellites and the occasional aircraft passing by
• Eating out on the extensive terrace every evening, including having Jean-Marc and his Wife come over to cook us a lovely 4 course meal on a couple of evenings
• Visiting a local vineyard (Chateau Chambert) to do wine tasting in a beautiful setting then bringing some bottles back to drink at my birthday party
• A trip to Sarlat, a wonderfully preserved medieval town – only 45 minutes away
• Kayaking on the Dordogne – again about 45 minutes away
• Our very own very scenic tennis court where we held our own holiday Wimbledon
• Going for evening runs down the lovely country than ran down the side of the chateau and out even further into the countryside to Lamothette
• Visiting the extensive underground cave network at Gouffre De Padirac including a 1km boat ride
• The Pigoennier which housed 3 teenagers who were able to keep their own hours without disturbing those of us who keep normal hours
• Being looked after by Frederique who cared for the house and Jean-Claude who looked after the grounds. Communication was great fun, Frederique’s English is very good and with Jean-Claude our school-boy/Del Boy French always generated a smile.
• Joanna who was great to deal with leading to a very straight-forward booking from start to finish
However the best part had to be the pool. Heated to around 27C it was always a great temperature for jumping in and cooling off without a huge shock either during the day or at night. There is a huge area for sunbathing as well as for BBQs with lots of chairs, tables, loungers and parasols. I was able to practice my middle-aged afternoon nap on several occasions.
We were all very sad to leave and could easily have stayed for longer. The whole experience was very relaxing and the perfect tonic for a hectic life back at home. All-in-all a really great experience from start to finish.
We have just returned from a wonderful holiday at Chateau Lamostonie in which the venue far exceeded our expectations.
The chateau, put quite simply, was fantastic. The bedrooms were all lovely, comfortable and well served by the many bathrooms throughout. The kitchen was extremely well stocked and there is a second ‘butlers kitchen’ in addition to the main one. Two ovens, two dishwashers and two fridge freezers accompany the plethora of utensils etc. There is more than enough crockery and glassware is also plentiful.
We spend most evenings eating on the terrace often having used the BBQ. There are a few mozzies about but they are not excessive, my advice would be to have plenty of coils and spray to hand.
Additionally to the terrace there is the dining room which we used when we had a more formal meal cooked by Jean-Marc. This we dressed up for and we certainly overindulged, finishing with a slightly raucous party in the cellar.
We never used the drawing room or music room/study as the weather was too lovely.
Finally there is a well provisioned laundry room in the basement which those with children were extremely grateful for.
The Tennis court is lit at night and was heavily used throughout. We spread various other games across the lawn and the pool (which was a lovely temperature and got warmer during the week thanks to the weather) was well stocked with inflatables for children (found in the pool house). We also donated a couple of lilos.
The Chateau was stunning. Located above a valley, with beautiful views. It was clearly well maintained and had been decorated to a high spec.
We were there as a small group of 9, but we could easily have taken a much larger group. There is plenty of space for people to sleep, and enough bathrooms etc. for everyone to use without any worries.
The kitchen had just about every utensil under the sun. Great big BBQ as well, which was used a lot!!!
We had one of the recommended chefs come and cook one evening, which was a great break from cooking and a real treat. Very high quality of food and would highly recommend this option where possible.
The pool was refreshing, but it was hot so we needed it to cool off! Very well positioned to catch mid morning sun through to sunset.
The tennis court was also lovely and light enough to play into the evening.
There are plenty of villages to visit, and activities to do (we particularly liked the caves at Lacave).
Distances:
3 miles to nearest village with shops and supermarket.
Further Details:
Situated in between the rivers Dordogne and Lot, perfect for exploring the region.
Rental Period | Minimum Price | Additional Nights | Weekend Night | Weekly | Monthly * | Event Price | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peak 2018
14 Jul 2018 -
31 Aug 2018
Changeover Day: Saturday 7 night minimum stay
|
£7,900
for 7 nights
|
|
£7,900
|
|
|
||||
Late Summer
1 Sep 2018 -
29 Sep 2018
4 night minimum stay
|
£2,500
for 4 nights
|
From
£600
|
From
£700
Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun
|
£3,500
|
£8,900
|
|
|||
Notes: Rates are based on 10 guests; add £10 per night, per additional guest | |||||||||
Autumn
30 Sep 2018 -
20 Dec 2018
3 night minimum stay
|
£1,800
for 3 nights
|
From
£600
|
From
£700
Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun
|
£2,900
|
£6,000
|
|
|||
Christmas/New Year
21 Dec 2018 -
5 Jan 2019
4 night minimum stay
|
£3,000
for 4 nights
|
From
£750
|
£4,500
|
|
|
||||
Notes: Rates are based on 10 guests; add £10 per night, per additional guest | |||||||||
Peak Season
13 Jul 2019 -
31 Aug 2019
Changeover Day: Saturday 7 night minimum stay
|
£7,900
for 7 nights
|
|
£7,900
|
|
|
||||
My Standard Rate
4 night minimum stay
|
£2,900
for 4 nights
|
From
£700
|
From
£800
Thu,Fri,Sat,Sun
|
£4,500
|
£9,900
|
|
|||
Notes: Rates are based on 10 guests; add £10 per night, per additional guest |
Fees | No additional mandatory fees |
Booking Notes:
Please contact owner for details. Discounts may be available for small groups.
Changeover Day:
Normally Saturday to Saturday
Notes on prices:
Prices based on occupancy by 10 persons, additional people (up to 20/24) are charged a nominal extra amount, see owner's website.
* Approximate monthly price. Actual pricing will depend on the days of the month you stay.