Hotel and Restaurant "Le Château de la Treyne", Lot, France.

Overlooking the Dordogne River in the Lot region of France, sites the beautiful Château de la Treyne. With its formal gardens that extend into a 300 year old forest and paths that lead by fountains, private places under shady trees and on into acres of fruit and flowering trees before merging with the forest, there are wonderful places to read, nap or just wander.

The scale of this charming château, built in the XIV and XVII centuries, is perfect. Romance and history ooze out of its stones, cubby holes and formal public rooms not to mention the lovingly remodeled rooms and suites. Its owner, Madame Michèle Gombert-Devals, and her family maintain and improve the château continually. Madame Gombert-Devals' exquisite taste and sense of quiet luxury are evident throughout. Recently they managed the difficult task of installing an elevator in the building never intended for one. This has allowed them to develop the rooms and suites with the best views but the most difficult access by stair case into absolutely lovely accommodations.

The château is large enough to have many public rooms. From the high cielinged dining room with tall French windows overlooking the river to the salon with its baronial fireplace, the tea room that doubles as a breakfast room with its own fireplace, the music room just off the bar, there is a place for every taste. The style is all classic in keeping with the style of the château.

Today it is hard to believe that the first château on the site was built back in 1342 under the Ruffillacs. The wars of religion left it a burnt out shell. It was rebuilt by the family Ramière in 1553. From 1711 on, it enjoyed a rejuvenation under the hand of the Cardaillac family who owned it until 1910.

The Park is also the home of a Romanesque Chapel boasting capitals from Cuelvas (Segovia in Spain). The stone terrace just off the main salon, hangs out over the river. The little guard hut hangs out even further over the water. A truly lovely spot to take refreshment, read a book or just admire the view.

The château is just a short hop from Souillac and not too far from Rocamador with its famous Black Virgin statue. It is just north of Cahors famous for its "black" wine. After years of decline, the wines of Cahors are enjoying a resurgence of quality and popularity. It is on the eastern edge of the Foie Gras, Cepes mushrooms and Confit de Canard region.

While our room was large be and tastefully decorated in a soft green with a huge four poster bed and a gable window overlooking the formal gardens, it was a little worn around the edges. A candidate for Mme. Gombert's remodeling energies. Her newer rooms and suites are fresh and beautifully remodeled and equipped. The bathrooms, where possible, are large and styled to match the character of the bedroom each of which has its own character. They are all equipped with electric towel racks, very welcome in the often chill and damp Dordogne climate. Some rooms are traditional in rich reds and burgundies with dark antiques, others are light and airy done in soft yellows and off whites or pastels. There is something for every preference with 14 rooms and 2 suites.

The only real complaint we had was the correct but excruciatingly slow service in the dining room and at breakfast the next day. We had shared a dry baguette sandwich on the freeway and were dying for a lovely dinner when we arrived after a ten hour drive. We were almost the first guests in the dining room as soon as it opened. Yet we sat for almost an hour with our tongues hanging out while we watched guests who had arrived much later than ourselves already into their main course before we even received our demitasse of asparagus soup as an amuse bouche. Another half hour until our first real food arrived. Many guests who arrived an hour after we had were on dessert before our main course arrived. And we were not alone in this. We noticed other dinners having the same problem. Some getting very fast service, others waiting for a cow to drop dead before they could eat

The waiters were pleasant and friendly. But they saw nothing out of the ordinary both in the uneven treatment nor in the extreme slowness of the arrival of the meal. We had visions of the chef periodically stepping out side for a smoke or two and a bottle of wine to fortify himself. Well we were getting a little light headed as we consumed basket after basket of bread. When it eventually arrived, the food was reasonably well prepared and tasty enough but not especially noteworthy. In keeping with the region, it was on the rich side but not the lugubrious meals typical of the area. The lamb was tender and rare stuffed with foie gras. The shrimp was fresh and the cake of wild rice pleasant enough. The dessert of apples baked in a filo envelope with a berry sorbet was quite well done.

The dining room itself was delightful in its majestic old world style. Two stories high with a huge fireplace with carved wooden surround that extended from floor to ceiling, the room has an ornate wood paneled ceiling, tall French windows and elegant furnishing. Each table and all the serving tables were set with candelabras all lit as we entered. The evening sun shone in and the effect was very romantic.

Regardless of our mealtime experiences, we can recommend this establishment as a perfectly lovely castle hotel for its well furnished rooms and suites, its charm both indoors and out, its special vistas, its gardens and its terrace. All rooms have satellite TV, mini-bars and lots of storage. It is ideally located for an exploration of the region or if you are just stopping over on the way to Paris from the south. If you are in need of sustenance, however, after a long journey, you might or might not have your needs met with suitable alacrity. Just make sure you have a substantial lunch to keep you going until dinner arrives.

It is open from Easter until the end of October. It has a swimming pool and tennis court as well as being in a prime location for other activities such as kayaking on the river, horseback-riding, hiking and even hunting in season.

How To Get There

It is quite easy to find. Heading north from Cahors, you actually enter the southern boundary of Souillac. After crossing the bridge over the Dordogne, you will make a sharp right between two houses just before the main road makes a hard left turn into Souillac. Just follow the road straight on and in a few miles you will see the hotel across the fields.

Le Château de la Treyne
Lacave 46200 Souillac (Lot)
France.
tel:011-33-(0)5.65.27.60.60
fax:011-33-(0)5.65.27.60.70
e-mail:treyne@relaischateaux.com
Web Page: http://www.relaischateaux.com/treyne