Ever fancied staying in a hunting lodge but never had the money or the connections? Me too. So this hotel seemed ideal, billed as it was as an "ancien repaire noble". The rather odd English translation called it a "noble haunt"; I prefer "lodge", and I bet they hunted from it. The website pictures looked fantastic above and it was in just the right location. We booked for 6 nights half board.

Booking was simple. Photos of some of the rooms are on the website, but they are the top-priced ones. Having got the flavour, as it were, we selected a medium-priced room, Les Bleuets. You can book on-line but I prefer to do it by phone then I know where I am right away rather than wait for an e-mail. I e-mailed to confirm; they replied the same day with a form to pay a deposit by credit card. I faxed it back. Voilà, we're in!

We arrive. It's easy to find, on the outskirts of Le Bugue on the road from Périgueux. Now before I launch into the nitty-gritty I should make it clear that we had a nice time here. I look back on it as a relaxing, enjoyable stay in an interesting location. I'm saying this now because there are going to be criticisms which I'll describe extensively, that being the nature of these reviews.

So on our and your behalf I inspected 3 more rooms. Le Chevalier was very grand, complete with massive fireplace, wooden beams and a superb view over the grounds, and we were tempted. La Boudeuse was nice but a bit anonymous. Finally we opted for Bara Bahau - lovely and light, decorated in pale yellow, with a high ceiling curving away to a mansard forming an alcove in one corner.

Back in our own Bara Bahau the only further thing we had to ask our by now somewhat relieved young lady was for some trouser hangers, strangely missing in the wardrobe. They duly arrived, but not hangers with bars; these were the sort with two clips to hold either trousers or skirts. Fiddly, and not ideally suited for Mr C's best chinos. Gah, it's the little things ….. Still, the room had good quality furniture which suited the room and the building, plenty of lights, TV, good hanging space, a safe. There was no air conditioning but there was a big window to open and the room stayed cool, only getting the direct sun late in the evening. The bed was very comfortable and yes, it was quiet, no rabbits within miles.

Downstairs were two lovely adjoining lounge areas. The original reception rooms of the lodge, they were spacious, well furnished and cool in the hot weather. Given the size of the massive fireplace they would be warm and welcoming in winter. Tiled floors are covered with bright, brand new looking rugs, beams criss-cross overhead and there is a large, rather incongruous flatscreen TV in one corner. Beyond the two lounges a smaller former reception room acts as the breakfast room. The building is long and thin, so that these 3 downstairs rooms face southwards across the grounds. Behind them is a long corridor with access to the stairs and lift, and behind that kitchen and offices. Stepping out of the lounge area you are on a spacious gravelled terrace from which steps lead down to the formal French-style garden and beyond that the acres of grounds. I really loved sitting on this terrace having breakfast and surveying my estate, knowing that the crunch of footsteps on the gravel behind me was a minion bring me more coffee.

The problem arose the next day. The daily market offering proved to be remarkably similar to the previous day. A little discussion with the waiter established that we could select from some of the other menus and parts of the carte. Unfortunately, we doubted we could find enough variety for 5 more nights - their big thing is foie gras (as everywhere in the Périgord) and I find it too rich. Mr C doesn't eat it at all, and frequently has the vegetarian option; vegetarians were not well catered for here. While we were deep in menu options, one of the other waiters asked if Monsieur and Madame were informed about Monday (this was Sunday). No, we were not apprised. On Mondays the restaurant is closed and hotel guests are offered one course in the evening. Not one menu, one course. Vous rigolez. I bet they still charge the full half-board whack, but we didn't enquire, just un-booked the half-board option for the rest of the stay.

The hotel is very proud of its history and relates it on an A4 sized sheet included with the literature. The original building dates from the 14th century, and changed hands and was enlarged over the years until 1789 when everything went pear-shaped. You may be glad to know that the then owner escaped to England and one of his descendants is still living in Paris. The current owners acquired it in 1989 and have sympathetically restored it. Trouble is, it needs more money spending on it and I doubt if the revenue from 18 rooms generates enough, nor are there the facilities for the lucrative conference and seminar market. It is rated 3 star - for all the reasons above - and it needs to get itself to 4 star and charge more, but can't do that without more investment. Would I go again? Probably not. Was it value for money? No, it was over-priced. But I say again, I enjoyed my stay here and felt relaxed and refreshed despite the downsides.