Une famille, pas une société A family, not a company
Since 2013
Who bought it, and why
Une maison de famille A family château
The Story
A Family Château
When the Waters family bought Château de Gudanes in 2013, it was classified as a ruin: floors remained in only three of its rooms, and 500 tonnes of rubble had to be cleared before the work could begin. Since then the restoration has been followed the world over, room by room, and the château has begun, slowly, to live again. In 2016 the restoration received the Medal of Honour of the Fondation Prince Louis de Polignac, presented by Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Gudanes is a family château, not a hotel. Guests are welcomed into it as it returns, and the workshops, the full Gudanes experience, let them stay long enough to become part of its story.
La famille The family
The Family
Since 2013
The Waters family bought Château de Gudanes in 2013, and has been bringing it back ever since.
A château like this was never meant to stand empty, so it is lived in while it is restored. Five guest rooms are open, and the workshops bring people to stay, cook and take part in the château as it comes back.
La famille The family
The Family
The restoration began in November 2013 as a family undertaking. The family leads the restoration and the care of the château, room by room, and every decision about the walls, the rooms and the guests who come to stay passes through them. The restoration has been privately funded, with no grants.
Two Ways In
What You Can Do Here
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01
Stay the night
Five guest rooms. Room and breakfast.
From€270a night · room and breakfast
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02
The full experience
Retreats of three to seven nights, with all meals and drinks, cooking classes, the brocantes, yoga, kayaking and hiking: in a small group sharing the château.
From€2,600per person · all meals and drinks
La maisonnée The household
The People Who Keep It
The family, the kitchen and the people who look after the château and its guests, and Bruce, the French bulldog, who looks after all of them.
In the pastry kitchen, with Bruce 
Bruce, dressed for winter 
Bruce at Christmas 
Laying the table in the salon 
The chef, before dinner 
By the window 
From the garden to the table 
In the salon 
Lighting the candles 
On the terrace steps 
In the salon, flowers on the table 
The chef
Before you book Bruce, a French bulldog, and four cats live here. If anyone in your party has an animal allergy, tell us when you book.
Monument Historique · Classé A Class I Historic Monument, restored under French heritage law since 2013