Le Relais d’Amboise hotel opens with 63 rooms and a troglodyte spa facing the château

Inaugurated on 24 September 2026, Le Relais d’Amboise combines two of the city’s historic hotels, Le Choiseul and Les Minimes, which closed at the end of 2024 to be merged into a 63-room and suite five-star property. At the foot of the royal château, the estate has undergone 17 million euros of renovation work, featuring a spa carved into the tufa stone and a restaurant entrusted to Michelin-starred chef Nicolas Aubry.

Two hotels merged after €17m of work

Le Choiseul and Les Minimes faced each other on the quay, at the foot of the château. Their owner, entrepreneur Frédéric Jousset, acquired them through Artnova, his impact fund dedicated to heritage, and closed them at the end of 2024 to merge them into one. Le Relais d’Amboise now spans seven houses and pavilions, including the Manoir des Minimes, a former convent founded at the beginning of the 16th century, and the Maison du Duc, named after the Duke of Choiseul to whom Louis XV gifted the property. The hotel is operated by Marugal and has joined The Leading Hotels of the World.

63 rooms and suites in twelve categories

The architecture is by LBBA, with interior design by Fabien Roque (Roque Intérieurs), under the artistic direction of Joséphine Fossey. Rooms range from Comfort (15 to 28 m²) to Superior (23 to 34 m²) and Deluxe (32 to 43 m²), some with a terrace or view of the château; 22 of the 63 keys are suites, starting with the Junior Suites overlooking the garden, measuring 39 to 52 m². Pets are welcome.

A spa carved into five troglodyte caves

The Spa des Roches occupies five caves carved into the tufa stone. The thermal circuit includes a sauna, hammam, hot tub and cold plunge pool, with treatments by Clarins and myBlend. The outdoor swimming pool, which has been enlarged, sits at the heart of the one-hectare park, and a fitness room completes the facilities. The images published by the hotel are currently renderings.

Le Choiseul, the restaurant by Nicolas Aubry

Le Choiseul restaurant serves bistronomic French cuisine created by Nicolas Aubry, Michelin-starred chef at Ezia, with Vincent Léger Blanchard as executive chef. Le Turner bar features a rooftop terrace, facing the Loire, the Île d’Or and the château.

Les Greniers de César and Bernar Venet

Beneath the cliff, Les Greniers de César brings together troglodyte galleries for concerts, screenings and exhibitions, four 16th-century red-brick silo domes and a cellar dedicated to Loire wines. For the opening, sculptor Bernar Venet has been given carte blanche, with an exhibition trail organised in partnership with the Château du Clos Lucé and the Château Royal d’Amboise.

Facing the Château Royal d’Amboise

The park descends in gardens to the Jardin des Minimes; a century-old Lebanon cedar overlooks the cliffside gardens, and a staircase of about 130 steps leads to a viewpoint over the Loire. To extend your journey, see our best Loire Valley castle hotels and our review of Château & Spa La Borde, near Chambord.