Castelbrac Hôtel & Spa

“Amazing place - great service on top”

This is an amazing charming place. Withe a service like you can hardly find in Europe. The rooms all have a nice view. The breakfast is outstanding. The 1* restaurant is losing itself in too complexe disches. But the view and service make it a memorable experience.

“Very enjoyable, very professional, very French.”

It seems unkind not to give this an exceptional score as it is a very good hotel but there are some elements (trivial you may think) that make this so. It is a very agreeable building and its conversion to a hotel has been done with imagination, flair, style, care and thoughtfulness. You have, as… lisää

It seems unkind not to give this an exceptional score as it is a very good hotel but there are some elements (trivial you may think) that make this so. It is a very agreeable building and its conversion to a hotel has been done with imagination, flair, style, care and thoughtfulness. You have, as a result, an elegant hotel with charm and character. All the rooms have a view over the bay and because of the building's age ours was quiet and restful. It was a decent size for an entry-level room and was decently equipped. Enough storage space for a reasonable stay, 'fridge with water replenished daily or as needed, a safe, radio/alarm and a TV. The bed was comfortable and pillows (which we usually find not to our liking in Continental hotels) actually very good. The décor, in keeping with the rest of the hotel, was stylish and elegant. The bathroom (separate WC) also had a sea view as well as an excellent shower. The usual fripperies were provided together with robe and slippers. There is a car park on site for about 15 cars and parking is done for you. You need to look for the entrance but once you know it's there all is fine. There are multiple EV charging points and although the hotel charges your car it won't charge the owner for the privilege, but there is a charge of 30 Euros a night for use of the car park. There are few public rooms, the consequence of the hotel's geography I think. A nice restaurant which serves as a breakfast room, a bar and a salon. There's also outdoor seating on a terrace. A wellness/beauty suite exists which we didn't try. A pool with loungers on two levels completes the hotel; there are no gardens but there is a small pool. Breakfast was fine but a little eclectic with a distinct read-across from the restaurant. All the usual suspects present but if you're not on a B&B basis (we were) you should expect to pay either 30 or 40 Euros for breakfast with the more expensive option getting you eggs and fish and meats/cheese The staff were uniformally first-class: helpful, warm, friendly, courteous, professional and exceptionally well-mannered. Oh that more hotels didn't have the same. We used the restaurant once and this is subject of a separate review. Suffice to say it was all you would expect from a Michelin-status establishment. So far so good so why the 'very good'? Well if you can't park in the hotel street parking is almost impossible. When walking about we found some but it was a fair distance away so you are pretty much compelled to use the hotel's car park unless you want to traipse through Dinard's (very pleasant) streets. It seems somewhat miserly to charge what they do for breakfast as although it is indeed good we've had just as good elsewhere and more cheaply. It seems, also, mean-spirited to levy another 10 Euros for the full Continental but I suspect that those guests not travelling on a B&B basis (our was with Brittany Ferries – excellent value for money) won't really notice the cost, or indeed care overly. The pool, which is sized for a single swimmer or a small family, is good but the steps leading to it need some attention and the associated shower/WC is cramped as they store parasols and seat cushions there too. Whilst the pool is fine the infrastructure around it is not in keeping with the rest of the hotel. Finally the public rooms are stylish yet cramped, a result of the hotel's footprint. There's nowhere to go and sit and quietly read if the weather turns as the salon's chairs are elegant but not made for relaxing in. It serves as an adjunct to the bar and restaurant so can get busy. You're left with retiring to your room if you do want to read which is perhaps not ideal. Overall then a very good hotel but not quite exceptional. The owners have done a superb job in the conversion but have been constrained by the physical geography of the site. All credit to them for achieving what they have. Is it worth staying at? Well it's as far removed from a corporate Hilton or Hyatt as you can get so you get the individuality that comes with being small. Equally Dinard is a very pleasant resort and all the plus points mentioned above make the hotel a nicely comfortable base for exploring huge swathes of Brittany. Recommended, but with reservations.

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“Disappointing”

While this hotel is extremely well located it is not a true five star experience. Reasons: inadequate service at breakfast. Three days: gluten free bread day 1 inedible, day 2 -- tried harder and passable, day 3-- good.... and not enough. Served to everyone without any notation so when I asked… lisää

While this hotel is extremely well located it is not a true five star experience. Reasons: inadequate service at breakfast. Three days: gluten free bread day 1 inedible, day 2 -- tried harder and passable, day 3-- good.... and not enough. Served to everyone without any notation so when I asked for a second slice of toast I was told there isn't anymore! Unheard of! Breakfast was so poor that we canceled our reservation at the Michelin starred restaurant for dinner! Coffee orders: macchiato.... took 3X to get it right 2 out of 3 days Gluten free bread-- disastrous Omelette orders mixed up! Room-- great view-- but-- bugs.......no a/c in bathroom or WC! Check in, the person who assisted us knew very little (even about opening the bathroom shades! Concierges in the evening were lovely. Overall, management is lacking. We complained, yet there was not even a follow up from owners a week later!

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“property open to the public, not 5-star service”

We had what was probably the best room in the hotel (#16), on the very top of the original aquarium tower. We had a large balcony overseeing the bay/boats. At first, we loved the room and were already making plans for a nice breakfast on the balcony and to returning next weekend for a calm weekend … lisää

We had what was probably the best room in the hotel (#16), on the very top of the original aquarium tower. We had a large balcony overseeing the bay/boats. At first, we loved the room and were already making plans for a nice breakfast on the balcony and to returning next weekend for a calm weekend away, but then… Positives: - Nice small property, ~23 rooms. Historic building. The original rock walls everywhere are just beautiful. - The lap pool is small but nice to swim a bit. Negatives: - Service lacks the 5-star touch. As Hyatt members, we were very disappointed. - Check out time is 11am, even though the app and our reservation said 12pm. The front desk was even annoyed when we mentioned that our reservation stated noon as the checkout time. Having paid for the most expensive room in the hotel, a surprise 11am-check out time was disappointing. - There was a very loud party that was open to the public that started at 6pm and went until 11:30pm in the large veranda next to our balcony. The cleaning of the space continued until 12:30am (clanking of glasses, equipment and chairs being moved). When I told the front desk that we got very little sleep because of the party, they simply didn’t care. They did as if they didn’t hear me. More importantly, we weren’t warned that there would be a hotel party open to the public next to our balcony. The lack of courtesy! We were in our robes or changing, and the people were there in front of our windows. Paying for a sea view and having to shut the curtains and close the windows was not what we had in mind for a calm weekend away on the beach. - Beware: That veranda is open to the public all day, every day. People who are not hotel guests come and go to take pictures of the bay, while peaking at your room windows (which look directly into toilet, bed). - There is no fitness room. - Other than the small lap pool, there are no other amenities.

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