In the heart of Burgundy, France, golf and gastronomy meet at the beautiful Hôtel Golf Château de Chailly, home to an 18-hole golf course and French country estate that once welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Hôtel Golf Château de Chailly
Golfers will love to know that the course at Hôtel Golf Château de Chailly was listed in the top 10 of Northeastern France golf resorts by Fairways Magazine, but you don’t need to be a golfer to enjoy this former 16th-century fortress turned French country estate.
Our first impression walking through the medieval gate was impressive thanks to its stern façade flanked by two round towers. The chateau was bought in 1987 by a Japanese investor and entrepreneur, Yashuiko Sata who completely renovated the property, converting it into a four-star hotel and 18-hole golf course, which was opened in 1990.
It’s now a comfortable country home with a spectacular stone staircase, welcoming reception rooms, a bar with paneled walls, a gastronomic restaurant, a fitness center and a spa as well as the the outdoor swimming pool and the 18-hole golf course.
The resort’s full-time golf instructor also teaches at a variety of levels, from competitive players to first-time golfers, if you’re keen to learn.
Sumptuous suite where the Dalai Lama slept in 1997
Staying at the Castle
The chateau has 45 refined rooms and suites plus eight beautifully furnished apartments with one to six bedrooms for families or friends. The rooms and suites are all spacious and tastefully decorated in a chic, French country style. The most spectacular of them all is the suite on the second floor of one of the towers. Its huge bedroom rests under an impressive oak frame, and it’s where the Dalai Lama stayed in 1997 when he visited Chateau de Chailly. It felt like quite a privilege to be able to sleep in the same room as His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Make sure to admire the beautiful cedar tree he planted in the park near the chateau. This is a very good spot for a picnic that the hotel. can organize for you. There is also a heated outdoor swimming pool next to the chateau with views over the golf course.
The hotel Spa is set in beautiful vaulted rooms with a wide choice of treatments, a big Jacuzzi, sauna and Turkish baths.
The outside swimming pool
Gastronomic Dining
Alexandre Clochet-Rousselet is the head chef at Hôtel Golf Château de Chailly in June 2022. Originally from Burgundy, he has mainly worked in starred restaurants across France such as Le Pressoir d’Argent (Gordon Ramsay, Bordeaux), La Table de Pavie (Saint Emilion) and Relais Bernard Loiseau.
He’s now back home at the helm of the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, La Table du Chef where he masterfully creates traditional dishes with a modern twist, using mostly local products. The wine list honours Burgundy’s illustrious pedigree as one of the world’s best wine regions and sommelier Thierry Ledieu can skillfully help you make a choice.
The restaurant features the cooking prowess of chef Alexandre Clochet-Rousselet
La Table du Chef is set in three adjoining rooms with spectacular fireplaces and beamed ceilings. The farm-to-fork menu changes with the seasons but you might find beef that comes from a farm located in the same village as the hotel, fish from a nearby river, vegetables and most fruits from gardens and orchards just a few kilometres away.
Desserts using fresh regional fruit
A breakfast buffet is set up an a set of vaulted rooms in the north tower. The buffet is filled with tempting food with a wide choice of breads, croissants, cold cuts, eggs, jams, juices, cheese, cakes, which is a great way to start your day.
Relax in a cozy lounge
Plenty To Do, Too!
Besides golf and picnics, the hotel proposes many other activities. As this isBurgundy, it’s only natural that wine tasting in the chateau’s cellar should top your list. Sommelier Thierry Ledieu will tell you everything you want to know about Burgundy wines and the best way to enjoy them.
You will taste two whites and two reds, as well as the iconic Burgundy gougères, a kind of savoury cheese choux.
For something a little different, inquire about renting a Citroen 2 CV or DS for a one-day tour of the close by sites of interest.
Of course, the hotel organises wedding parties and you can declare your marriage vows in the astonishing Dome du Cosmos. There was no chapel in the former fortress so Yashuiko Sata created this ecumenical room during the chateau’s restoration. Even if you are not getting married during your stay don’t miss to visit this unique place.
The famous Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits and Chablis are less than a hour drive from the hotel. They can also arrange a guided tour of local vineyards.
The-close-by-Chateauneuf-en-Auxois-village
Hotel owner Yashuiko Sata is a Burgundy wine lover and he promotes them all over the world through the Sata Foundation. He gave 60 barrels of wine to the Meiji-Jingu Shrine in Tokyo and every year 60 Burgundy wine estates give a few of their most precious bottles to the shrine to promote international friendship and peace.
Chateauneuf-en-Auxoix
Explore Burgundy
Many Burgundy sites of interest also are less than a one-hour drive from the hotel. You can easily get to Beaune, Dijon, Vezelay, Flavigny, Noyers, Autun, Chablis, Avallon, Semur-en-Auxois.
There are many picturesque villages near-by such as Chateauneuf-en-Auxois, only 10 minutes drive from Hôtel Golf Château de Chailly. The village is perched on the edge of a high headland overlooking the Canal de Bourgogne. Chateauneuf is listed as one of the “Most Beautiful French Villages”. It is mostly pedestrian and you will quietly enjoy your visit discovering the medieval and Renaissance houses. On top of the hill stands an impressive medieval fortress open to the visit from where you’ll get a panoramic view of the Burgundy countryside.
Magnificent Commarin Chateau. Photo by allfreephotos.com
Don’t miss Chateau de Commarin. This chateau belongs to the same family for over 900 years and is still inhabited. It was a fortress but was turned into a family country house in the 17th century. It is still surrounded by moats filled with running water, and still has its 14th century chapel, round towers, and original furniture.
The hotel can also arrange excursions in the nearby countryside such as a day swimming at Chambloux or Settons lakes, take a bike and go around the region on little-used small roads, go hiking, fly in a balloon from the hotel park.
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BeSeeingYou In: Burgundy
Good to know: Hôtel Golf Château de Chailly is within easy reach of popular attractions and historical monuments
WOW! Factor: The chateau’s original garden à la française has been reproduced with geometric lines around a circular pond and fountain
Tip: The nearest train station is Dijon and is approximately 40 minutes from the hotel
Author bio: Annick Dournes
Photos: ©Frederic de Poligny or ©Annick Dournes
