My friend and I stayed at Les Hautes Roches during August of 2006 and it was a great experience. I live in Tampa, Florida, and he lives in Hong Kong. The rooms are spacious, bathrooms modern, and the view we had of the river was incredible. Rooms were very clean, the staff was very friendly and helpful, and the natural beauty of the place was just great.
I don't remember that the room had any airconditioning, but we were there in August, and it wasn't a problem to just have the windows open during the day.
We ate at the hotel restaurant, and the meal was good, but it was very expensive. If you really enjoy great food, it's probably worth it, but honestly it was lost on me. All the meals we had in the Loire Valley were incredible, and this one didn't really stand out above the others in my opinion. The hotel faces a two lane street that consistently has traffic, so if you're looking for absolute peace and quiet, this may not be your ideal spot.
The rooms were a little expensive, but I'm really glad I spent the money, it was a great, unique, experience.
Given the opportunity, I would definitely return, a real class act.

We stayed here for two nights. It is a wonderfuly unique place to stay with the troglodyte rooms (cave rooms built into the rock). The restaurant is very high end and served delicious food. NOTE: the restaurant is closed on Mondays. This is a very good place to stay for a special occasion.

I think the previous reviewer stayed in one of the non-cave rooms on top of the restaurant. There was definitely heavy traffic on the road, but the rock walls made it a sound proofed room. We just came from staying at a noisy Marriott in Paris, so this quiet was heaven to me. The cave rooms also kept the room cool (there is no AC, but it isn't needed). So, I'd suggest reserving one of the cave rooms if you are a light sleeper.

I would recommend this for those looking for a unique place, but probably for not for an extended stay. There is a lot of traffic outside the hotel during the day so going for walks really isn't very peaceful unless you walk down the bank to the Loire river. It is a very convenient location to see the sites in Loire Valley and there are a lot of wine caves within walking distance. The pool is nice and clean. It was really neat seeing the full moon on the river at night.

They do need to replace their carpet and upgrade the furniture. There isn't a lot of room for clothing. But otherwise it was a very impressive place to stay. I highly recommend the restaurant. - Though, some of the wait staff were a bit overly stuffy.

If you arrive on Sunday or Monday, you may have a hard time renting a car. We had to take a train to Nantes to rent a car on Sunday and drive up from there since there were no rental cars open in the area. But the drive turned out to be a wonderful way to see the area.

This was very much a highlight of our trip.

Having stayed at various Relais&Chateaux properties over the past 30 years, I have become accustomed to expect above average accommodations in order to justify the higher tariffs their members charge. I had booked Les Hautes Roches many months in advance because I was captivated by the idea of staying in a luxuriously appointed "troglodytic cave" in such close proximity to the Loire Valley chateaux. I had stayed at the Domaine des Hauts de Loire years ago and loved it, but wanted to try something different. When I check in to Hautes Roches, they had given me their top room (the one featured on their web site) for 265 Euros per night (I had booked a two night stay). I was soon appalled to discover that the road (Route N152) which ran right past the hotel was a major truck route. I walked into the town of Rochecorbon, about a mile or less, and back and returned to my hotel covered in soot, dust, grit and diesel fumes. The noise of the trucks roaring by, blasting their horns, forced me to keep my windows closed at all times, which meant I could not enjoy any fresh air in my room. This was never mentioned in any reviews I read. Since I had a rental car, I was able to do a quick surveillance of the area nearby and discovered another member of the R/C group, the Chateau de Noizay, about 4 KM away. What a difference! A lovely but beautifully maintained and restored old chateau in the country with birds singing, a lovely pool that was filled (unlike the one at the Hautes Roches), and utter peace and tranquility. The price, I might add, was less as well. The room was beautifully appointed with high ceilings, a modernized bath, and an antique four poster bed. Also, the room had a mini bar, which I always want for the convenience. My room at the Hautes Roches did NOT. TO make a long story short, I complained to the reception desk at the HR about not being happy with the location of the hotel and expressed my desire to leave. The woman at the desk was quite snippy and informed me that I was free to do so, but that they would have to charge me for the second night whether or not I stayed. Fortunately, because I insisted on taking it up with the manager, he did allow me to leave without having to pay for the second night. But the website blurb describing the hotel as being in a quiet village is very misleading, so caveat emptor!

My wife and two of our children spent 6 nights at this lovely hotel in late March and early April of 2003. We had a wonderful time. The rooms provided a glorious view of the Loire River. The formal restaurant had some of the best food we have ever tasted, perhaps the best. The concierge was most helpful in arranging for us a wonderful daytrip to Paris on the high speed train. The staff were models of propriety. The hotel is well-located, just east of Tours. We made unforgettable visits to the great chateaux at Chenonceau, Blois, Cheverny, Azay-le-Rideau, Chambord, Chaumont and Amboise. Fascinating wine caves surround the hotel, and we also managed a boat trip on the Loire. If there were not so much else to see in the world, I would be back in the Loire Valley as soon as possible.