Splendide Chai rénové de 700 m2 en plein coeur de Bordeaux - Chartrons

We travelled to Bordeaux for the Medoc Marathon, and this house was a great set up for the eight of us. We all had plenty of space for privacy and room to gather together comfortably on the first level. It's a great location near shops, restaurants, and the riverwalk. I greatly appreciated having the house guide, as there are some quirks in the house, like odd lightswitches and hot water controls. The only downside was that my sinuses did not agree with the musty antique charm of the house ... bring Benadryl!

The house is beautiful. I think they said it was a converted wine warehouse. They made it very comfortable with lots of modern conveniences. There is a media room and Sonos sound system that you can download the app to control the music. There are 2 living areas and an outdoor living area. All bedrooms are upstairs. They also have a utility room upstairs with a washer and dryer. The house was very clean and well maintained. Plenty of room for large groups. The reason I did not give it 5 stars is there is NO air conditioning. Full disclosure, we did ask and they did tell us there wasn't any AC. However, they do not disclose this up front, you have to ask. We stayed in July, and thought it would be in the 80 degree range during the day but we wouldn't be there much during the day and that it would cool off at night. Unfortunately, we arrived during a heat wave with the temperature in the 90's! And it did not cool down at night. It was cooler downstairs where we could open the glass doors to the outdoor living area. The windows do not open in the bedrooms and the skylights do not provide much air circulation. There are no ceiling fans, but they did have Dyson portable fans in each bedroom. Also, to add to our heat frustration the freezer was not working, so no ice.

This house was a perfect pick for a family /friend group of 5 couples (it actually can fit one more couple in a loft space). It's been featured on local TV as a design highlight in that the original warehouse (chai) exterior has been preserved and a completely updated interior space was created that is peaceful and elegant in heart of city. Chartrons neighborhood is full of small stores and cafes and walkable to downtown historic sights. Property managers were attentive and helpful too.

The communal living area is as you see in the photos... straight out of a lifestyle magazine. It's very comfortable and most things are easy to use, except perhaps the lighting which seems overly complicated. It is a huge loft-like area, but even on a bright day, it's not a space with an abundance of light.

Upstairs there are 6 bedrooms and only 2 with full en-suites. Whilst the overall design of this converted wine warehouse offers the wow factor in spades, the finishings and presentation, particularly upstairs, aren't in keeping with what I expected from the photos and the price. In addition, there were 9 of us staying and the hot water was sporadic and sparse - cold showers!

Bordeaux is a wonderful city. This property is in a very charming area, which I would highly recommend, about a 15 minute walk from the city centre and right by the river.

This is an incredibly cool property with unique architectural designs. It was the perfect place for our group of 8 to relax and stretch our legs after the long flight. Could not have been better.