Hotel de France - Le Relais de Ronsard

I have stayed many times at The Grand Monarque when travelling to Chartres with work and often I end up just eating at their brasserie.

The Loir valley is worth a visit but this renowned place is rather disappointing. Unless you are a big fan of past car race champions, the inside decoration doesn't fit what the outside looks. It is a sad regular comfortable setting that you may find everywhere. Except for a nice lady, members of the crew are either indifferent or even rough and unpleasant. Food is tasteless and VERY expensive. You can easily find charming B

Le Grand Monarque was a lovely hotel (with a Michelin starred restaurant), abutting the upper part of the old town.

We spent a delightful five days at this unique hotel. The Graham Hill room in which we stayed was spacious, tastefully furnished, extremely comfortable, and overlooked the interesting town square. Never before have we seen so many vintage sports cars parked outside a hotel. The whole ambience of the hotel is geared to Le Mans racing drivers whose photos adorn the bar/brasserie walls.The staff went out of their way to be charming and helpful, and nothing was too much trouble. We enjoyed some excellent meals in the restaurant, and more, informal, lunches on the patio overlooking the square. The outdoor swimming pool and sun-lounging area was most welcome in the very hot weather, as were the pretty gardens by the river. A delightful stay indeed.

Chose the tourist menu which is really good value for money (3 courses plus a cheese course) but the standard of food was excellent. Last visited 8 years ago the standard was still good but the whole hotel needed some 'love and updating,' since then an English family have taken it on lifted the decor to a high standard and the food even higher - so good we went twice in our 3 day visit.