Castle and Chateau hotels in the Loire Valley and on way towards Paris

We enjoyed our stay at Chateau du Pray. Staff was helpful, room was clean and very comfortable. Their restaurant was amazing.

Like Jules, we really enjoyed our stay at Chateau de Pray. Excellent breakfast and dinner, although the latter is quite expensive. There are many dining options in Amboise, only a few minutes away by car. We felt no need to change hotels, preferring to tour rather than pack and change hotels everyday before beginning our sightseeing. I think we managed 3 chateaux per day, which made for very busy days. Some might prefer only visiting a couple perr day.

Note that while many use the terms castle and chateau interchangeably, they are not always the same. A castle refers to a fortified building built primarily for defence. Some chateaux are castles;especially the oldest ones. But many in the Loire were just very deluxe country manor houses built by the nobility and aristocracy. Palaces (Palais) were generally in more urban locations.

Its been a while since we've been to Chateau de Pray. When we were there, we thought the pricing at the restaurant was quite reasonable for a Michelin starred restaurant. We travel a lot so we are quite frugal. We did get the prix fixe menu so that may make a difference. Also, I got wine by the glass and was a bit worried at the cost. At the end of the meal we chuckled we got the bill. The wine was quite a bargain. That said, we have also eaten in town, and enjoyed our meals, and certainly, the restaurant at Chateau de Pray could be more expensive, now.

I've stayed in each of your first 3 choices, and though all are excellent, I'd rate d'Artigny above du Pray and Chissay, mostly because of the quality of the restaurant and the fabulous grounds. You can't go wrong with any of those 3.