Château du Plessis-Anjou has a history that stretches back around 500 years, with the first mention of the property being found in records that describe it as a noble house owned by members of the Tertre family in 1503. They owned the property for more than a hundred years, with the cellar being the oldest remaining trace from their time, before a change in ownership led to the Bailleul family becoming the new owners in 1650. The Bailleul family then owned it for a similar length of time. It was around the 1700s when much of the castle construction occurred, with later developments being additions or renovations.

By 1745, the chateau changed ownership again, becoming the property of the La Grandière family, with some of the oldest physical artifacts and markings on the chateau directly traced back to their time. From then on, the property changed hands more quickly, being sold to a Mr. Hamon in 1795, and then to Mr. Achille-Jean Doublard du Vigneau in 1835. Throughout the 19th century further developments to the property included cowsheds, a bakehouse, a well, a park, and other minor additions. The Messey family later owned it by 1888, with paintings done by members of this family remaining up to today, and then the Badel family in 1938. By the 1980s, the property opened its doors to the public and became an accommodation. The property is now owned by Mr. Laurent Renoul and his wife, Valerie, with the chateau now listed in the General Inventory of Cultural Heritage.

Design and Architecture

In its current form, the Château du Plessis-Anjou is an exemplar of the châteauesque style of architecture. Its location in the Loire Valley reinforces its association with the region’s distinctive chateau style, most apparent in its towers, spires, and steeply pitched roofs. This is also evident in the building’s segmented form, featuring an asymmetrical design, varied rooflines, and a façade composed of alternating recessed and projecting surfaces.

Indoors, the chateau features more of a blend between its chateauesque origins and Art Nouveau interior design. Walls, floors, and fixtures feature wood or simple tile and stonework. However, this is supplemented by flowing naturalist designs featuring animal and floral patterns that adorn the walls and paintings hanging in bathrooms. Similarly, furnishings feature wooden furniture styled in either a neoclassical or Mid-Century Modern form.

The main culinary offerings at the Château du Plessis-Anjou are offered during breakfast, which is prepared by the chateau’s staff according to family and regional traditions. As such, the meals provided by the chateau largely feature seasonal ingredients and are mainly dependent on the availability and culinary choices of the staff. For the most part, ingredients are sourced either from the chateau’s garden or local producers. Lunch is also available, whether as brunch, tasting lunch, cold platters, or picnic baskets, but the choices are largely consistent with the dishes served at other parts of the day. Wine features brands from areas such as Anjou, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, and others.

The continental breakfast at the chateau is served as a table d’hôte, offered at 48 EUR (54 USD). Guests can choose to have breakfast in their rooms, the communal dining room, or the outdoor park. The choices of drinks include coffee, chocolate, wine, and regular or herbal tea. Pa stries include toast, baguette, croissant, raisin bread, brioche, and chocolate bread; while stuffing is made up of butter, cheese, and homemade jams. Eggs, bacon, and cereal are also usually available, while yogurt and fruit are seasonally available. 

Cultural and Outdoor Experiences

The chateau offers and recommends multiple activities for guests to enjoy during their stay, whether inside or outside of the property. Indoors, the property offers visitors the opportunity to tour its amenities. The chateau’s permaculture and farm, containing Highland cattle, goats, llamas, horses, poultry, and other animals, can all be toured and viewed. Afterwards, they can take up the chateau’s cooking classes and liquor workshop to become acquainted with the local culinary and viticulture expertise.

Outside the property, among the many activities guests can engage in is the Oenology Tour, where they can visit and taste the produce of the vineyards of the Angevine countryside. The chateau will even personalize wines and menus during the tours for interested guests. For additional fees, guests may even enhance their tour with helicopter shuttles and hot air balloon flights, depending on the weather.

From mid-October to the end of March, the hotel invites guests to join in the local tradition of Vénerie, an ancestral art of hunting deer. Riding horseback or in a car, guests will be accompanied by a veneur, a leader of the hunt. Guests will have dinner at a hunting lodge or restaurant, and even visit the kennels where the hunting dogs stay.

More simply, guests can go on walks in the surrounding area to get to know the area more personally. Those interested in touring the broader countryside comfortably can do so while driving vintage cars, many decades old, but still well-maintained and operational. Besides these, guests can expect many other activities available for them to do to make the most of their stay at the chateau.