Chateau Alois

The recently renovated & historic Chateau Alois sleeps up to 35 guests and is the ideal place to stay with family and friends. Beautifully positioned on the banks of the River Bocq and only 3 kilometres from Ciney and a short drive from Calais and Brussels, the Chateau Alois comprises a main building and two wings surrounding a courtyard and has a number of large reception rooms, making the perfect party or conference venue. Almost all the bedrooms have en-suite bath or shower rooms.

The Chateau Alois was once home to the Bishop of Luik and dates back to the 12th century. Its ten hectares of grounds incorporate an extensive park with many century old trees, you can enjoy fishing, canoeing and swimming in its private lake and its woods are perfect for walking and cycling trips. There is also an all-weather tennis court on site.

The chateau and both wings are exclusive to you and your party will have sole enjoyment of the property. There are 14 bedrooms in total (5 doubles, 6 twins, a triple, 2 quads and a mezzanine area that can hold up to 4 beds). All of the bedrooms have a connecting en suite bath or shower room.

On the ground floor is a large living room with parquet floor, paintings, open fireplace and satellite TV. The dining room has parquet flooring and original panelling. The modern kitchen is fully equipped with the standard appliances and also includes an AGA cooker, a vitro ceramic stove and a coffee machine. The ‘salle des chasseurs’ has a large open fireplace, games, bar area and billiards table. The cellar holds an additional freezer, a washing machine, a tumble dryer & ironing board.

On the first floor are 3 double bedrooms and a twin, all with en suite bathrooms. The second floor has a twin bedroom, a quad and a mezzanine area that can hold up to 4 single beds. Both bedrooms have en suite shower rooms.

In the west wing of the chateau is a living room with fireplace, satellite TV and CD player. There is also a cloakroom. The wing has 3 bedrooms (2 twins & a triple), all with en suite bathrooms.

The east wing has a brand new kitchen and utility area. The sitting room comes with parquet floor, wood stove, satellite TV and CD-player. There is also an additional salon with sofa-bed. There are 4 twin bedrooms (one of which is large enough to add extra beds) and a double (all of which have en suite bath or shower rooms).
 
Within the grounds you will find a covered barbeque area that seats 36 that can be used in all weather as it is closed in on three sides by most attractive half-timbered walls with windows. The fourth side is open and offers a splendid view of the lake. There is also a beautiful courtyard, a large dining terrace, plenty of garden furniture, an all weather tennis court, a large lake and ample parking.

*Please note, locations shown on the maps are approximations only

The chateau is easily accessible being only 70km from Brussels (flights or Eurostar) and 280km from Calais. The local town of Ciney is only 3km away and has a number of excellent restaurants, a supermarket and other shops for the essentials; it also has a train station.

Restaurant Le Comptoir du Goût: This Michelin, Gault Millau and Lemaire recommended restaurant is only two minutes drive from the chateau. It has a beautiful garden and terrace for al fresco dining and is renowned for its fresh seasonal cuisine. Of course, there is a whole host of other local restaurants which cater for all tastes and budgets.

Picturesque, cultural and historic, Namur is perfect for both nature and culture vultures alike. It has a colourful range of tranquil woodland, pasture, valleys, small lakes and meandering rivers as well as a strong cultural heritage. Activities include walking, horse riding, mountain biking, canoeing and kayaking on the River Lesse, golf, archery and if you need an adrenalin kick, there's delta-flying, rock climbing, caving, quad-biking, karting, and adventure trailing.

Outside the city we recommend visiting the caves of Han and La Merveilleuse (Dinant), the Gallo-Roman ruins of Malagne, the ruins of Montaigle (Falaën), Freyr and Lavaux-Sainte-Anne castles, the Gardens of Annevoie and some of ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de Wallonie’ (Wallonia’s Most Beautiful Villages) such as Celles.

Local ‘traiteurs’ (caterers) such as Alain Weber are available to cater for any number of guests. Typically, prices start at 30 Euros per person for a four course meal. Alternatively, one can hire a cook locally. Local cooks charge between 10 and 15 Euros an hour and are usually prepared to shop for the food and clear up afterwards.

Maid service is also available on request for between 10 and 15 Euros an hour.

Capacity
Indoor reception capacity: cocktail 350 people, dinner 175, evening dancing party 250.
Outdoor reception capacity: cocktail 400
Marquee hire is also possible. The wedding hire price is in addition to the rental price of the chateau and is based on the number of people at the reception. If used, there is an additional charge for the rental of the large room on the 2nd floor of 200 Euros. Indeed the maximum capacity in a single room on the groundfloor is 70 (circular tables) or 96 (rectangular tables); for larger group which want to have the dinner in a single room, the large room on the second floor is perfect (a lift is available if needed).

Availability
All year. Minimum of 1 weeks rental in peak season.

The Service
There are beautiful churches nearby.

Catering
A range of options is available

Other Services
Flowers: YES, in Ciney, Live bands/DJs: YES, information on live bands could be provided, Transport: YES, Marquee hire: YES.

Accommodation
36 guests can be accommodated at the chateau. There is plenty of additional accommodation nearby in the city of Ciney, 3 km away.

Travel
The Brussels South Charleroi Airport is about 60 km far from the chateau; by car it takes about 43 minutes (highway). By train, it is very easy too: there is at least one train each hour and the station of Ciney is 3 km far from the castle. It takes 1h30 by train from the Brussels South Airport via Charleroi and Namur and then Ciney.

- Capacity: The property comfortably sleeps 24 adults and 11 children or teenagers.
- Security deposit: €1300. This is paid via bank transfer prior to arrival and will be refunded in full after departure (2 weeks maximum) subject to damage inspection.
- Linen & towels: Bed linen is available for hire at 6 euros per person as are bath towels for 2 euros per person. This is paid by cash on arrival.
- Energy costs: To expenditure - This is paid by cash at the chateau.
- End of stay cleaning: 355 euros. This is paid by cash on arrival.
- Arrival time: 7pm onwards.
- Departure time: 10am.
- Pets: No pets allowed.
- Smoking: No smoking in the bedrooms.
- Firewood: Is available for 5 euros per set.
- Other: Please note that bookings start on a Friday or a Monday so please book accordingly.
- It is recommended that all guests take out insurance to cover against potential cancellation and any accidental damage caused during your stay at the property.

We have rented your chateau last summer with great pleasure.  After this wonderful weekend we decided to make this an annual event and would like to inquire about your availability for next year.
 

Peter Diepenmaat

“I had to write to say a big thank you for such a fantastic weekend. My mum was so surprised by the whole weekend! The chateau was absolutely stunning - even better than the pictures - and every room was very special and unique. It has been a pleasure working with you towards this weekend, and everything has been done with such ease.
My thanks to you and the team at the Chateau - I very much hope we'll be able to return again in the future.”

Cally Dean

“I can't tell you how much we enjoyed our weekend in your beautiful chateau and we will certainly recommend it to all of our friends”.

Vie Peart

We had a wonderful stay at the Chateau and the cook was absolutely delightful (we all wanted to bring her back with us to the UK).  Thank you very much for everything you did.

Jeremy Marcus