AnnaCossack

After visiting the castle Le Prieuré, the first one of Younan Collection properties, we headed south in the direction of Bordeaux. Just one hour of driving – and we reached Alexandra Palace, a brand new 5-star hotel opened by Younan Collection in June 2019.

The renovation of this castle previously called Château du Petit Chêne wasn’t easy: just before completion of works a terrible fire destroyed the building. Almost nothing left, except the fireplaces emerging from the ashes… It took Younan Collection two additional years of works and millions of euros investments to re-built the castle according to its historical project and complete the interiors’ design and decoration. It was opened for the public just a couple of months ago under the new name of Alexandra Palace which symbolizes the beginning of the new life of this more than 400 years old castle.

What first impressed me when we arrived to Alexandra Palace was the enormous park surrounding the hotel. We drove through this park looking like a forest, the road passing in old woods, and felt ourselves on the doorstep to the fairytale. Once the woods have ended, Alexandra Palace appeared gloriously above the pond. Behind the castle the golf camp was laying among the hills… The territory of the property is more than 165 hectares  – to visit the whole of it we had to take the bicycles!

Our room offered a view on the golf camp – peaceful scenery, trees here and there and forest in the distance. Since the hotel was opened just a few months ago, everything in the room was brand new, every piece of furniture was impeccable. Air conditioning worked perfectly (and absolutely silently) which was priceless on that hot weekend. White walls with elegant moldings, white bed linen and crystal lamps, white marble in the bathroom  – we felt ourselves in a cocoon of luxury and comfort…

After visiting the property and a short jogging in the park, we got ready for dinner which was served on the terrace behind the castle. It was by the way the best location for sunset watching. The concept of the restaurant Le Castellane is original: there’s no menu and the dishes based on the seasonal products are proposed by the chef, so the guests only choose the number of servings. We got a classical menu “Découverte” including a starter, a main course and a dessert to which we decided to add a cheese plate. We were agreeably surprised by the creativity of the chef: tomato carpaccio with melon sorbet was a true gastronomic discovery, the marriage of flavors being original and refreshing. I was a bit hesitant about pork as a main course (I rarely eat this kind of meat finding it too heavy for my stomach) but it was cooked so perfectly that I really liked it. The desserts were fruit-based and light, which we greatly appreciated. Delicious dinner, good wine and beautiful sunset made our evening absolutely fabulous!

A special mention should be also given to breakfast which was served in the luxury king’s worthy salon, with elegant furniture and amazing antique fireplace. There was also an option to have breakfast on the terrace, so we started to eat inside and then brought coffee and some sweet treats outside, to enjoy the sun. We got ham, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit salad and yogurts, pancakes with jam, coffee and orange juice – a healthy breakfast , simple but yummy because all the products were super fresh.

Alexandra Palace fully corresponds its 5-star status – it’s a truly luxurious hotel which makes you feel like a member of the royal family. And this is even if not all the facilities were completely provided at the moment we were staying at Alexandra Palace. For example, the swimming pool and spa center were in the process of construction, and I can imagine the day when they will become operational Alexandra Palace will gain a lot in attractiveness.

As usual, the photos will tell you more than a thousand words, so I invite you to have a look at my snaps from this beautiful hotel.

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Alexandra Palace

https://www.hotelalexandrapalace.com/en/
The Little Oak,
79310 Mazières-en-Gâtine, FRANCE
+33 5 49 05 44 73