Interior & Grounds

The eleven bedrooms can accommodate a total of twenty-five, all year round. Renting the Chateau automatically grants access to the Apartment. Should you wish only to rent the Chateau, you will have the place to yourselves as the Coach House is never rented separately at the same time. You are asked not to smoke in the Chateau or the Chapel, and as a matter of safety, only children who can swim are allowed to use the swimming pool.

The Chateau Ground Floor

Decorated throughout with flair, the high ceilinged ground floor rooms are flooded with light from tall windows, reflected by antique mirrors above carved marble fireplaces. There is an air of quiet opulence, with the silk covered walls forming a sensuous backdrop to old oil paintings and tapestries, and a glittering wealth of chandeliers. The floors are slate or limestone, interspersed decoratively with oak.

The Entrance Hall greets the visitor with the quiet elegance that characterizes this property – the floor of timeworn flagstones is casually overlaid by a Persian rug. The Grand Staircase dominates, with a crystal chandelier and delicate wrought iron balustrade. There is a guest toilet on the half-landing. For safety reasons, small children should use the wooden back staircase by the kitchen.

The Grand Salon is dominated by a magnificent chandelier, whose sparkling crystals are reflected in the period mirror above the handsome functioning fireplace. This fine, spacious room has the unusual benefit of receiving both morning and evening light. Strips of inlaid oak set off the polished limestone floor. The decorative walnut panels flanking the fireplace are in fact concealed doorways, one of which opens into the East-facing Library, with French doors leading out to a terrace and garden. This is the perfect venue for a quiet read or a game of cards.

The other concealed door leads into a comfortable television room, from whose capacious sofa you can watch satellite television or video.

Beyond this is a study, a quiet haven equipped with a roomy desk, internet line, fax machine, printer and telephone answering machine. It also contains a single sofa bed, making it, along with the adjoining bathroom, into the ideal private suite for a guest who finds stairs a problem.

The grand mahogany table and comfortable matching chairs in the dining room can seat sixteen, illuminated from above by a fine brass chandelier. Tapestries and paintings adorn the walls, reflected in a vast mirror above an intricately carved marble fireplace. From here, French doors open straight out into the courtyard.

The Breakfast Room, which seats fourteen at its old pine farmhouse table, exploits the best of all seasons – a huge floor to ceiling fireplace for cosy winter dining, and glazed doors opening out on to a charming terrace for summer drinks. It faces South and West in order to benefit from every scintilla of the available sun.

Next to this is the adaptable kitchen – a soothing place for a solitary cup of coffee, and easily large enough to be the arena for cookery demonstrations. A thick slab of polished granite, eight feet long, occupies the centre, functioning either as a dining table or as work surface. The enviable professional stove makes cooking a pleasure, with its five burners, two ovens (one electric) and grill, not to mention its good looks. At its side is an indoor barbecue – an open fireplace with a spit to roast your wild boar in appropriate medieval fashion. Should these prove daunting to the amateur cook, there is also a microwave. There is a multiplicity of fridges in the kitchen and the pantry, including icemakers and wine chillers, and two sinks, one with a granite workspace. As if this were not enough, there is a washing machine and tumble dryer to hand, and a television to alleviate those longueurs while stirring the sauce.

First Floor

There are 4 luxurious bedrooms on this floor, all have high ceilings, plenty of space, marble fireplace, heavy fitted carpets, gold silk-lined walls and wonderful views.

Bedroom 1: This has an enormous bed (super king size, over two metres square) with a brocade canopy. The en suite bathroom contains a bath with shower attachment, twin basins, and a toilet. There is an antechamber, ideal for a baby.

Bedroom 2: There is subtle hidden lighting in the headboard of the (US king size) bed. The generous bathtub with a shower attachment in the en suite bathroom is encased in slate. Twin basins, a toilet and a bidet make this a very well-appointed bathroom.

Bedroom 3: A wonderfully romantic room, with a sleigh bed (US king size), and French windows leading out to a balcony with a view of the rose garden. The en suite bathroom has a marble shower room, basin, bidet and toilet. There is also a separate dressing room.

Bedroom 4: Another vast bed (super king size) dominates this room, vying with an extraordinary fireplace featuring lions carved from marble, and a fine plasterwork ceiling. It has French windows out to a balcony with views of the rose garden. The bathroom has a bathtub with an overhead shower and a bidet. The toilet is separate.

Bedroom 5: Another very romantic room in the tower, with a four poster bed (super king size) topped with a canopy, a fireplace, and fabulous views. The en suite bathroom has a bath with shower attachment. The toilet and bidet are in a separate room.

Second Floor

This contains 3 large twin bedrooms, nicely furnished, and a communal bathroom. There is a huge multi-purpose room here containing a fully equipped kitchen, which doubles as a comfortable living room with stereo, satellite television and VCR player. At the other end of the room are darts, snooker, table football and various board games.

Coach house

In contrast to the period elegance of the Chateau, the décor of the Coach house has a cool contemporary edge. On the ground floor are a living room with a sofa bed, satellite Television, a VCR and stereo, and a dining area. There is a very well equipped kitchen including a washing machine, and there is a convenient toilet on this floor. Attached to the Coach house is a spacious conservatory, making another delicious living room with peaceful garden views. It has its own garden plus patio and barbecue, and usually has the use of the swimming pool and orangery.

Upstairs there are 3 bedrooms, a UK king size double plus two twin bedrooms. The shared bathroom has a bathtub with a shower fitting. There is a separate toilet.

The Chapel is a little Gothic gem with exceptional acoustics, and the perfect hallowed place for an unforgettable wedding, with seating for a congregation of seventy. With a typical stylish touch, a red carpet is laid down for bride and groom to walk the forty metres from the Chateau to the Chapel.

Orangery and Pool: A large, simple south facing stone building, with tall arched French windows, utterly glamorous when lit up at night for a dance or cocktail party, practical and adaptable by day for lectures, meetings, or simply lazy lounging, the orangery is summer heaven. Looking out onto a spacious patio that encircles the large swimming pool, it contains everything necessary for poolside happiness – a fully equipped kitchen plus two fridges and an ice maker, two gas barbecues, a shower and toilet, hammocks, parasols and sun loungers. The overactive can exhaust themselves with table tennis or at the exercise machine, and inveterate housewives can make use of the laundry room with dryer and ironing facilities. There are also all the requirements for flower arranging.

The Gardens are quite exceptional, and among many other inducements, a good reason to stay at Chateau Sirvan. The lake has an eight metre fountain whose sound makes a musical background to al fresco dining on the floral terrace. The enclosed expanse of lawns and mature trees that makes up the grounds, also includes an outstanding rose garden, outstanding both in terms of design and quantity – there are literally thousands of roses. The garden can be lit up at night for real fairytale romance.