Lady Hamlyn discovered the Chateau de Bagnols in 1987, and with much energy and vision she painstakingly restored the château to its former glory and created what is now France's finest five-star deluxe Château-Hotel.

Dating from the 13th Century, the Chateau de Bagnols is set among vineyards, forests and green hills in the heart of the Beaujolais countryside in south-eastern France. Lyon, which is about 20 Km distant, has an international airport; a train from Paris or Geneva takes only two hours and the ski slopes are a 90 minute drive away. With its towers, moat, honey-colored stone known as pierres dorées and entrance across a drawbridge, Bagnols is one of France's major historic monuments.

The 21 bedrooms, which include eight apartments (six in the château itself and two in the Residence), bear the names of those who have contributed to the château's distinguished past: the Chambre des Seigneurs d'Oingt, the Suite des Seigneurs de Balzac, the Chambre de Madame de Sévigné and the Claude Marie Chavanais Suite. Many are decorated with remarkable wall paintings, which date back through the centuries. The rooms, all with private bathrooms, have been furnished with exceptional care: with soft velvets and shimmering silks and with rare and beautiful antiques; they also possess the very latest telecommunications system.