Châteauform’ Château de Nointel

Preferring not to post negative reviews/​comments, I usually just opt not to. But this place needs help, and I’d hate for you to be as disappointed as we. Even with all of the below, I would like to say that this IS a magical place… it just need a little money spent on it, and a few «house rules» put into place…
We were so excited to visit here, because of the photos we found online… but in reality, it’s pretty run-​down. The château, I’m certain, was phenomenal in its day… but it is now stuck, rather hopelessly it seems, somewhere in between a ruin and a nice place to stay. We were determined to make the best of it, as we do love old chateaus, castles, and ruins. But here, we have gotten very little good sleep, making our determination to make lemonade out of lemons extremely difficult!
There was a large, very loud, business group staying here who was still partying at 1 a.m., when my husband and I tried to go to sleep. They were laughing, yelling, clapping, etc., outside on the lawn till the wee hours, then played music on the first floor after that. Everyone in our party could hear EVERYTHING, and none of us were happy! When I spoke with the manager about this the next morning, her attitude was, «I’ll speak with them… but…» (Basically, she couldn’t/wouldn’t do anything about it.) Then, beginning early in the morning, we began to hear everything going on in the halls and outside again. The staff were SLAMMING doors as if for sport, and stomping down the wooden hallways like elephants. We were all LIVID.
One of the worst issues, for me, was the bed. It was actually two cots put together. But mine was firm, and actually felt pretty good… until I kept getting a «fish smell» wafting up from between the two cots! It was DISGUSTING! I seriously do not even want to know what THAT was!:-[
Our bathroom only had a tub with a handheld sprayer… a «squatting shower» sure is FUN! (Sucks majorly.):-(Since I’m not a fan of taking baths anywhere other than home… a squatting shower was my only option.
I decided to walk the grounds to see if I could discover anything I’d like to photograph. I did find some interesting statues amongst the trees, which were nice surprises… but the grounds are in desperate need of some TLC! The tennis courts are old and run down… and there isn’t a pool… unless you count the extremely old/​dirty/​dark green pool I found in the woods… which I wouldn’t suggest even getting close to. They say there is horseback riding, on their website, but beware… it is off-​site, and you will need to pay for a cab to get there. Some people in our party went riding, and said that the horses had broken spirits, and would only plod along… and that their guide was in front, texting someone on her cell the whole time.
We were also promised the history of the château, but all we were able to glean was that «a German built it».
The wooden floors in the Château are beautiful, but badly in need of repair… ditto for most of the walls, doors, and windows. The entrance steps, as well as any statues, or concrete of any kind, are DESPERATELY in need of a good scrubbing.
Sadly, my personal recommendation would be to skip this particular château… and find another that is quieter and cleaner, with more usable amenities, (if these things are important to you, too).
Update: I wrote the above towards the end of our stay… and I have to admit that, on our last day here, I was able to do more exploring, deeper in the woods, and found some very unexpected treasures… a very large, albeit old and filthy pool, surrounded by trees… with a beautiful, glass gazebo nearby… Even run-​down, it was a truly magical space. And we were indeed able to FINALLY get some stories about the Château. Overall, in the end, there were some things that made the trip worth it, I guess… but just be prepared for all of the above issues!