Castelbrac Hôtel & Spa

We had what was probably the best room in the hotel (#16), on the very top of the original aquarium tower. We had a large balcony overseeing the bay/boats. At first, we loved the room and were already making plans for a nice breakfast on the balcony and to returning next weekend for a calm weekend away, but then… Positives: - Nice small property, ~23 rooms. Historic building. The original rock walls everywhere are just beautiful. - The lap pool is small but nice to swim a bit. Negatives: - Service lacks the 5-star touch. As Hyatt members, we were very disappointed. - Check out time is 11am, even though the app and our reservation said 12pm. The front desk was even annoyed when we mentioned that our reservation stated noon as the checkout time. Having paid for the most expensive room in the hotel, a surprise 11am-check out time was disappointing. - There was a very loud party that was open to the public that started at 6pm and went until 11:30pm in the large veranda next to our balcony. The cleaning of the space continued until 12:30am (clanking of glasses, equipment and chairs being moved). When I told the front desk that we got very little sleep because of the party, they simply didn’t care. They did as if they didn’t hear me. More importantly, we weren’t warned that there would be a hotel party open to the public next to our balcony. The lack of courtesy! We were in our robes or changing, and the people were there in front of our windows. Paying for a sea view and having to shut the curtains and close the windows was not what we had in mind for a calm weekend away on the beach. - Beware: That veranda is open to the public all day, every day. People who are not hotel guests come and go to take pictures of the bay, while peaking at your room windows (which look directly into toilet, bed). - There is no fitness room. - Other than the small lap pool, there are no other amenities.

This is an amazing charming place. Withe a service like you can hardly find in Europe. The rooms all have a nice view. The breakfast is outstanding. The 1* restaurant is losing itself in too complexe disches. But the view and service make it a memorable experience.

There are not enough superlatives to describe our stay at Castelbrac. We enjoyed absolutely everything. We stayed in the Prestige Suite and appreciated the space and the ever changing view of the tides coming in and out as well as the activity in the harbor. It seems that every child in town learns to sail and this was most fun to watch. The room was comfortable and quiet. The meals we had at the hotel, a light dinner and breakfasts, were enjoyable. We also had delicious cocktails on the balcony of the salon. The best part of our entire trip to France was our boat trip on their private yacht. The captain was knowledgeable and we were able to see the beauty of the nearby cliffs and the area from the water. We had a great time and would visit again in a heartbeat. We enjoyed walking along the cliff walk that winds around the Dinard waterfront, finding sea glass and shells on the beach, walking through the town to get ice cream and had a delicious dinner at a nearby restaurant. We wanted a low key place to stay and both Dinard and Castelbrac were perfection. In fact, unpretentious and relaxing would be a great way to describe them both. The only regret was that we did not stay there longer. Ah, next time. Thank you for making my significant birthday celebration so special. I appreciated all of the delightful treats and we look forward to returning sometime in the future!

Amazing location on the sea in Dinard. The staff are very good and always happy to help. The hotel grounds are very nice and the decoration of the hotel is very thoughtful. Rooms are spacious with comfortable beds, even though the hotel feels a bit cramped (common spaces are tiny with lots of stairs). They have a Michelin starred restaurant which is good but not great, with only one fixed menu. We found that the other, less formal, restaurant did not offer many options and the food there was not good. Breakfast options were limited with an à la carte menu that was giving four choices of breakfast; this was fine for a one-night stay but I am not sure I would have enjoyed it over several days. We did not like the first room they gave us. Even though this was a luxury room with terrace, the bathroom was very dark and small. You kind of felt being in a crypt as this was a vaulted ceiling room with no natural light (you actually had to take stairs down to get to the bathroom). They moved us to another room that was much better. The views from the terrace in that other room were amazing. But, overall, I would say that the hotel did not meet our expectations. Despite many positives, it is a bit tricky to give a good rating because one issue we had with the hotel was that we spent the dinner at the Michelin starred restaurant together with of a rat that was there on the terrace (we were actually sitting inside). The staff at the restaurant said they had had several problems with rats but did not do anything in this particular instance; the rat left on its own after about 30 minutes. The hotel manager, who had been informed that we had taken a picture of the rat (I will actually not post the picture; we sent it to the hotel manager; he knows this is true), came to see us at breakfast looking surprised, arguing this was the first time he was witnessing this, thereby contradicting the restaurant staff. I guess this problem could come from the fact that we found the city beaches to be quite dirty. The hotel is in fact close to a small beach with many dead crabs lying on the beach with a horrible smell; I am not sure why the city does not do anything about this. Barring the rat incident, we had a pleasant stay and I would have given it 4 stars. But we will not come back to this hotel.

Our travel plans were disrupted by changed ferry time because of bad weather but we managed to book at Castelbrac at short notice. Arriving in the evening we knew that the restaurant would be closed but were assured that room service was available. We arrived in the pouring rain and the bagagiste/voiturier came to meet us. When my wife asked if he had an umbrella he said we would find one in our room- not a lot of help since there is a path to negotiate! The room was adequate and clean. We were told that room service was available for food so we chose that instead of going to the bar. When it arrived it was totally inedible and must have been the leftovers from the day. Fortunately we had some biscuits and water with us so we ate that. Room service breakfast was equally dreadful. Having stayed previously and eaten in the Pourquoi Pas one could not believe that this was the same establishment. I pointed this out at Reception when paying the bill but simply got a shrug of the shoulders worthy of a waiter in a Paris bistro. We regularly pass through this area but we know where not to stay next time.

We just spent 3 at this hotel. I have mobility problems so need a shower and cannot do a lot of stairs. The kindness and support of the staff was unbelievable. We had an extraordinary room with a large balcony and a fantastic bathroom, with hot tub and a rain showerBut every single detail was perfect, help with car parking, help with movement, help always with a smile! It is a very interesting historic building, lovingly restores by the current owners. We cannot recommend it enough. Restaurant is small but chef has a well deserved Michelin star, has to be tried! There is also a pleasant bar which serves simple food. Thanks, Castelbrac, for a marvellous short holiday.