Review: Airelles Saint-Tropez, Chateau De La Messardiere

Too many service snafus at this price point. If this was one of those bonvoy property, then I would say I’m not surprised. Sounds like best to stick with Cap Ferrat Four Seasons. Have you tried Eden Rock in the area? I wonder how it compares? The one at St Barts has very high service standard.

It sounds like a lot of seasonal places. We just make a joke out of it going someplace like that in May or June. You sit down to dinner and they take your order. They bring you a dessert you didn’t order…then your entree…then the check and then 5 minutes later your appetizer and the two drinks you ordered. And the dessert is on the check.

Ben, I just really admire your success. It wasn't that long ago when you'd write about squeezing dinner out of an executive lounge in Hong Kong, and now you can pretty regularly drop USD 5,000+ on three night stays. You have made me rethink properties like this, and if the service was better, the value prop with two fantastic meals included daily for this place is actually pretty good. As for St. Tropez, what's there to do? The location itself doesn't come off as all that appealing.

I would consider myself a very wealthy person and it is for this very reason that I generally avoid many "ultra luxe" properties unless I know for sure they are top notch all around. There's no way in hell I'd give a property "3.5 stars" if the service was that terrible despite how nice it was. Service and amenities go hand in hand with ultra luxury properties. $5k for 3 nights in a standard room with terrible service is a joke. If someone read 80% of your above review, they would have been duped into thinking this was an extremely positive experience.

The property looks stunning! I have never visited that part of France, but it sure looks gorgeous.

What did Ford hear from the GM as follow up?

That service level is… unforgettable.

Unforgivable.

And even the room itself doesn't look particularly exciting either.

It appears that the free minibar does not include any alcohol. That's a major omission.

Your hotel reviews are just exceptional - thank you for sharing this one with us.

"Back toward the entrance was the bedroom, which featured double sinks, a bathtub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet."

I assume you mean "bathroom".

The Hyatt Place in Portland Maine is going for $1,000/night. Hotel rates are crazy in some parts of the world. One of our usual places is $1,200/night and while decent it’s not nearly as nice as this place.

We split our time between California and Nice. We've gone to several weddings at this hotel both before and after the rebranding. Each time has been flawless and the catering was mouthwatering. The pictures are wonderful -but in reality, it's that beautiful and more. Sorry to hear about the service, all I can offer is that on the 3-4x we've stayed as guests --we had none of these issues. Truth be told though, we've only had breakfast there as we ate out for lunches and dinners.

Wow, that level of service is extremely disappointing. Go settle your lunch bill with the front desk at a 1000+ euro a night hotel? I would have flipped my lid. Definitely room for improvement. At those prices, that's unacceptable and I'd lay into the GM fo sho.

Correction: the closest commercial airport is Toulon-Hyères (TLN), a 35-mile drive from St-Tropez. Depending on the time of the day, the picturesque coastal road may take 45-120 minutes.
There are connections to Paris and London with Easy Jet and Transavia.

Ben, another great review. One question - were the pillows pictured on your bed the ones you actually slept on?

While you should certainly expect better service for the price I think this review demonstrates that, at this end of the spectrum, it's hard to be completely satisfied (everything needs to be perfect).

At the other end of the spectrum it's hard to be dissatisfied. I checked a random 3-day booking in September and this hotel is just under $4,000 while nearby places can be had in St Tropez for $800 (8.8 rating on hotels.com) or in St Maxime for $235 (8.6). For three nights.

These are not, in any way, comparable experiences. But I wonder which stay would produce more satisfaction on the part of the guest -- the $4k stay with constant service failures or the $235 stay where no real service was expected.

I can fully understand you, I'd be VERY pissed as well if I already pay so much for the stay and then get service like that, especcially regarding payment. That's just a no-go. The property itself really looks amazing. Wasn't aware Southern France looks this amazing.

Saint Tropez and the surrounding area is mainly a beach destination, with all of the typical things you might do at a beach, and the natural setting is really beautiful. That being said, the town of Saint Tropez itself is not that appealing (to me at least). It has some upscale restaurants and clubs (tons of very large yachts port there during the summer), and a market a few times a week, but if you're looking to combine your beach vacation with a larger city you're probably better off going to Nice, which is going to offer more cultural options.

If you're looking just to relax at a nice resort though, this is a great area. One resort I can recommend is Lily of the Valley, which is about 30 minutes south of Saint Tropez in a less busy part of the peninsula. The resort has stunning views although it's not without its issues (service is mediocre although my expectations weren't particularly high and this type of thing doesn't generally bother me unless it's egregious).

I am curious to read 'The Good, The Bad and The Luxurious' review and see how it compares to your experience, he was there too a few days ago and seemed enthusiastic about it.

TGBL starts to be well known by luxury hotels and they go beyond their way to satisfy him with crazy welcome amenities and fulfilling any possible requests. So he may not always experience the normal service standard of the hotels he stays in. Also, he is now in the Virtuoso game through his wife.
So his review are not as trustworthy as they once were (even if he pretends to be the most transparent hotel blogger out there). But they are still a funny read.

That's true. Its much more convenient to fly to Hyeres than Nice if you have a weekend home in the area... Also St. Tropez has an airport with scheduled flights to Sion (Switzerland).

Kind of what I noticed. "Here is a free coke or two, along with some chips, for your $1,300/night room."

Umm, if having a conflict of interest with Virtuoso or another similar program disqualifies or discredits reviews, I would suggest another website...

Lucky,
It's very interesting to see how greatly this property has changed since our stay in May of 2016, when my husband and I came away completely underwhelmed. All the hotel's furnishings looked like they came from a California chain department store, and the 'artwork' on the walls was jaw-droppingly amateurish. There wasn't a thing in the entire hotel that spoke to being in France. Service was lacking as well. Frankly, I haven't given a thought to Chateau de la Messardière in years, and was surprised when I saw you were planning to stay there. I must say it's clear there have been a lot of improvements! (Sorry the service level wasn't one of them.)
If interested you can see a few photos of the place as it looked in 2016 in one of my Flickr albums. The link is below.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmRCzbFt

The takeaways from this post and the comments:
1. Other aspects of the property are no excuse for poor service
2. The readers of this blog are some wealthy folks, having what sounds to be fantastic stays
3. I better kick things up a notch to have those experiences

To be honest, service has never been a strong point at any of the establishments in Nice. There really is very little incentive. My partner loved to frequent Nice although I never understood the charm. There are far more beautiful and hospitable destinations in the South of France.

A few years ago, they used to offer chauffeured services in Rolls Royce Phantoms. I guess that changed in favour of the uglier cousin for the storage.

Ben. another comprehensive review. As for the service, it’s simply unacceptable. However the fish ice sculpture- amazing 🙂

I am curious to hear about Ford’s follow up with the manager after the stay or yours in other similar situations as this.

Let’s be honest, no one staying here is flying Easy Jet or Transavia.

This blog was about reviewing luxury travel, made accessible to more people thanks to miles and points.
Now it’s about “look at me staying at Uber-luxurious places not bookable on points, paying a lot of money, splurging in luxury. Please Book those properties through my husband so we can maintain this lifestyle, and you’ll get $100 credit to go with your $1500+ a night booking.” Mix that in with reviews of hotels booked on half-price non-publicly available rates.
You should change the title of the blog to “one $1000 at a time”

Stunning property. You got a deal, in August it was going for 2,200EUR a night. Europe is struggling under the weight of staffing - so there is that. I am sure you would have nice ground for chargeback with your credit card to get lots of what you spent back.

Also, to the poster above that said he/she admires Lucky and his success: that’s what hard work gets you. Always aim for more and never get satisfied and you will reach the stars. That’s how I made my money anyways 🙂

Went there last June too and I can tell you that experienced exactly the same thing so it was not you being unlucky.
And the food, except the breakfast, was a total rip off and not even spectacular. I was extremely disappointed because it was such a promising property and we went there for our birthdays my husband and I. I don't mind paying a certain price at a restaurant for excellent food, but this was really ordinary for that level of price, you can find a lot better in France without the stinking nouveau riche/influencer/narcissists vibe.

A waste of time and money. Full of "wannabes" taking picture of themselves and being loud, despicable service although very kind staff ...but not competent.
Oh, and they tried to charge an extra 1000 euros before checkout.

Airelles group, done, and never again.