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BEWARE; CHATEAU DE FRETAY!!

53 replies

laurawaterford · 17/08/2006 16:33

We have just returned from Brittany and stayed at this 'site'. We booked it in February after fairly extensive searching, accessing their website, speaking to them etc.. When we arrived, expecting a ninehole golf course, go-kart track, tennis, private swmming pool, restaurant, as well as our accommodation which was a converted 16th century chapel, our accommodation had bat droppings on the bed daily, and bats flying around our bedroom at night, a dead GOAT in the unusable go-kart tract, our private swimming pool was a raised plastic tub. The general indoor heated swimming pool didnt appear to exist, there was no tennis court, we only found 3 golf holes, the restaurant didnt open at all, open cesspits, burning hot water out of the taps, no water in showers or loos for hours, on different days. The setting was idyllic, on the edge of a lake. However the chateau had been demolished in the 1970s and what is referred to as the chateau is in fact a poorly converted stable block. Our furniture was shabby and there was lino on the floor, and broken door handles, doors that couldnt close, leaky showers, broken handrails on the stairs, the list goes on and on . The owners, I think, are probably nice people but cannot cope, and are dishonest about the way they market the place: I dont think they deliberately lie - just use poetic license. We are shattered from lack of sleep, too much usual cooking (no restaurant and no barbeque as promised), and the sheer disappointment of coming all the way from Ireland to that. We paid 2600 euro for the accommodation alone for the two weeks. Not cheap.

OP posts:
BollockBrain · 07/09/2010 12:36

bloody hell, sounds as if it is straight out of a novel.

Marking.

Bumperlicious · 07/09/2010 12:49

Do you think they're investigating the murder of the goat?

Portofino · 07/09/2010 13:12

Well the Hall's certainly sounded like an "interesting" couple! Their poor children! Sad

notalone · 07/09/2010 14:17
Shock
FiveGoMadInDorset · 07/09/2010 14:28

DM I know

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 07/09/2010 14:41

I love the way the comments have steered away from the actual murder, and are now discussing the high cost of living.

mrsplant · 08/09/2010 10:06

Hi, I stayed here in Summer 2006 too, with a group of friends and totally agree with Laura's comments. The whole place had gone to rack and ruin through neglect and lack of maintenance and management.
Joanne and Robert Hall were very obviously heavy drinkers though, very possibly alcoholics, although they were amiable hosts, to us at least.
I was very shocked to hear about this incident (as were my friends). It's very sad, but maybe a testament to what alcoholism can do to lives.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 08/09/2010 10:11
Shock
BerryLellow · 08/09/2010 10:17
Shock
tpsontour · 08/09/2010 15:20

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet.

mrsplant · 09/09/2010 11:51

Can someone tell me, what does "marking" or "place marking" mean? Smile

FioFio · 09/09/2010 16:51

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted

TheDuchessOfNorks · 09/09/2010 18:13

mrsplant, 'marking' means the thread will come up on "threads I'm on" later when the marker can read all the details at their leisure. :smile:

The Hall's do sound like alcoholics, terribly sad for their children.

jonronson · 04/10/2010 10:51

Hey. Nervous to come back onto mumsnet - my previous appearance didn't go brilliantly. But I was wondering, if laurawaterford and mrsplant read this, can they possibly email me - jon @ jonronson dot com - because I'm hoping to ask you a question about the Chateau.

Thanks

Jon

ilovedplaydays · 15/10/2010 10:17

Hi. I'm intrigued to see chateau de crape resurrected! Have not read all the messages yet, so have to do that. I am laurawaterford, unfortunately I cannot log under that any longer for some reason - think cos I can't access my old email site. Anyway, hence my new name.

Happy to be back!!

ilovedplaydays · 15/10/2010 10:25

bloody hell!! Just read it quickly, about the murder. Wow! Poor, poor, poor kids.

AnyFuleKno · 15/10/2010 10:56

horrifying turn of events

AnyFuleKno · 16/10/2010 01:00

By the way, hello Jon Ronson Grin. Best way for you to contact those posters would be to private message them - click on "message poster" on the line where their name appears and they'll get an email notification. Hope that's not a patronising explanation (patronising means "to talk down to someone")

sux2bsanta · 08/01/2011 00:43

And here is his article in todays guardian which linked back to here...

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/08/expat-dream-turned-sour-jon-ronson

ChippyMinton · 08/01/2011 10:40

link

Shock
AnyFuleKno · 08/01/2011 11:01

Very interesting and macabre story indeed

coastgirl · 08/01/2011 17:47

When I read that article I didn't expect to end up back at MN. Terrible story.

bluebump · 08/01/2011 17:50

I thought that article in the magazine today was something to do with this thread!

Hassled · 08/01/2011 20:08

I was just searching for this thread to link to the article but you're there ahead of me. All very sad.

AnyFuleKno · 08/01/2011 20:50

it is to do with this thread bluebump - isn't the Laura of this thread the Laura in the article? Jon Ronson must have contacted her from here