General & History

The elegant Château du Vallon and three other properties, la Grande Maison du Parc, la Petite Maison du Parc and la Maison Portail, are situated in almost 70 acres of Breton forest and parklands with a well providing natural spring water. All the buildings have been carefully restored and offer guests the optimum choice of holiday from the refined luxury of the main house with all the services and amenities expected from a stay in a château to the functional but tasteful decor of the Maisons du Parc or the intimacy of a private stay in the small and delightful Maison Portail. The enchanting little wedding chapel completes the idyll.

The first recorded owner was a medieval knight and the estate remained in the hands of the French nobility who left their mark on the buildings in various ways. The main château is comprised of two early buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries respectively and boasts a marvelous arched ceiling supported by original pillars that remain intact. The magnificent medieval fireplace with its solid ashlar foundations and original decorations has also survived and provides a spectacular centerpiece to be enjoyed while dining at the main château where the lobster dinners (fresh from the nearby village of Cancale famous for its shellfish) and first class cuisine are legendary. Throughout the autumn season local pheasant and partridge are prepared by the local French chef to be consumed at the château. Fishing at Château du Vallon is first class with three ponds on the estate and plenty of local rivers in the surrounding while for the more adventurous sea fishing trips can be arranged at the seaside towns of Dinard and St Malo, both a short drive from the estate through the beautiful Brittany countryside.

Château du Vallon has survived several wars and a revolution, most recently the Second World War during which it was commandeered by the invading Nazi army. Unfortunately it suffered the loss of many of the parks trees and the chapel’s original wooden floor, which was used to make bunk beds for German soldiers while the main château was commandeered by German officers after evicting the French residents.