WOW. We were very fortunate to spend three nights over the Easter weekend at the wonderful abbaye.
Having stayed several times at Amberley Castle in Sussex, which was until recently owned and run by the parents of Clive, the resident proprietor of the Abbaye, we had extremely high expectations. We were therefore delighted to find that these expectations were not only met but highly exceeded.
The location of the abbaye is absolutely perfect, just a short walk from the idyllic Burgundy countryside and the picturesque canal, perfect for long walks. The grounds of the abbaye are truly beautiful - even in winter with snow on the ground. A self guided tour of the grounds and outbuildings is a must, it is so charming and tranquil, a walk around the tiny hamlet of bussiere is also well worth the effort, it is delightfully quaint . Stranglely enough, we also found it faintly reminiscent of the tiny hamlet of Amberley.very interesting.
On arrival, check in was smooth and efficient, the reception staff were brilliant- their English is first class and their customer service is second to none, we were given a quick tour of the interior of the abbaye as we were shown to our room, the interior is stunning, the renovation has been done absolutely superbly, retaining all the beautiful stained glass,high ceilings and arches. The soft furnishings are luxurious and beautifully in keeping with the character and age of the building- it is just stunning. Our room "Reigny" was exquisite, the bed was large with gorgeous bed linin, the tall floor to ceiling windows were dressed beautifuly and let the sunlight flood in to the room, we just had time to admire the magnificent bathroom- which was as large as some hotel bedrooms, taking in the huge whirlpool bath, separate huge shower, two wash basins and two fluffy bathrobes before some delicious complimentary kir and pastries were delivered to our room- absolutely wonderful, gosh we had only been there 20 minutes and we were already in love with the place!
Dinner in the gastronomic restaurant was fabulous, truly outstanding. The chef more than deserves his Michelin star. We experienced the wonderful taster menu, which as I don't eat meat, he very kindly adapted especaily for me each night. Each of the 7 courses was an exquisite triumph on the tastebuds, and a visual feast for the eyes as well. We tried many new tastes, and there was not one dish we disliked. The restaurant is stunningly beautiful and each and every member of staff were faultless in the execution of their duties, they really appeared to to be immensely proud not only of the wonderful food they were serving but of the abbaye as a whole. A special mention must be made of the wine waiter, who was simply terrific, he took great delight in recommending a perfect wine for us- not the most expensive on the menu, and took true interest in whether we liked it, offering to change the bottle should we not like it - not that there was any need for that- his choice was perfect.
Each day after venturing out on an excursion in to the countryside, we would return to find the reception clerk would magically appear on the steps as we parked the car, holding our room key in her hand, that's service.
On our departure, there was quite a coating of snow on the drive and on the car, the lovely reception clerk offered to clear the snow from our car for us, an offer which my husband politey refused advising her to stay inside in the warm, within seconds she returned with a broom/ scrapper to assist with the clean up.
The staff were all without a shadow of a doubt the best team we have experinced in a hotel, they were extremely friendly, helpful and all were constantly going the "extra mile" for the good of the customer experience.
All in all, our stay was magical, memorable and as Micheal Winner would say "historic"
Without doubt we shall be returning, we are already plotting our next trip.

We were looking for a base to explore the Burgundy vineyards and chose the Abbaye after reading reviews on Tripadvisor and looking at the hotel's web-site.

The whole experience was fabulous - the stunning setting and beautiful room complete with whirlpool bath, kir royale in the room on arrival, the exquisite tasting menu - we loved it!

We loved it so much, in fact, that we have booked to get married there in 2009.

We stayed for 2 nights at L'Abbaye at the end of a 6 week tour around Switzerland, France and Italy. During our trip we stayed at the Villa D'Este and Hotel Splendido in Italy - both were great but neither quite lived up to the hype, despite staying in the best suites. We were just so glad that we ended our grand tour at such a special place as L'Abbaye. We can honestly say that the hotel (and its location) was the place that most resonated on our souls and left us yearning to return (which we will). Of all the places we'd stayed in, the peace and calmness of the place gave us the brain-space we needed before we returned to the madness and hectic-ness of our lives in London.
We were obviously there in the heart of Autumn and the place just seemed to lend itself quite beautifully to this particular time of year. We stayed in one of their wonderfully decorated suites overlooking the lake and in the morning we would draw back the curtains and watch the mist lifting over the lake and the lawns peppered with copper leaves. The beautiful grounds and buildings within the walls of L'Abbaye were wonderful to explore wrapped up in jumpers, with the sun shining down. Saying all that, I'm sure L'Abbaye would be extremely special all year round as the Autumn is usually the hardest season to make a place look and feel appealing.
As others have said here, Clive and his wife Tanith, have undertaken a sympathetic and quite stunning renovation of the main L'Abbaye and have exciting plans for the future, which kick off in Jan 08. They were kind enough to let us view the 'before' areas and we have no doubt they will transform those to the same high level as the rest of the property. The place is usually fully booked so I can see the need for more rooms and suites.
I must also agree with others in that the staff were extremely helpful, friendly and accommodating (and certainly helped us with our ton of luggage !). The restaurant staff especially, including Julian and Nicholas, really made our evenings very special without the pomp and uber-formality we'd experienced at the other 'destination' hotels, where you just felt like any other guest. They took the time and had the people skills to make each of the guests feel as though they were VIPs. No formal jacket and tie policy is also a bonus, although guests were still smart, the men had far more choice. Clive and Tanith also work hard to be on hand and get to their guests and check all is well. A very rare thing these days in hotels of this standard.
Again, agree that the food was exquisite, the chef (I think Olivier) is an extremely talented and imaginative young chef and the Michelin star is very well deserved.
Finally, I must make a comment on the beds and bed linen ! Having slept in some of the finest hotels, we have never experienced such comfortable beds, pillows and linen ! I really just wanted to be towed back to the UK on mine hitched to the back of the car :-)
Huge Congratulations to Clive and Tanith and we wish them continued success at L'Abbaye and hope they will stay there for many years to come - so that we can continue to visit regularly !
Mark & Davina

We stayed at the Abbaye de La Bussiere while on a tour with [--]. Nicolas booked our group which was driving Porsches throughout France for 10 days. It was the perfect end for our trip before turning in our 997's in Stuttgart the next day. Clive was an incredible host giving us a tour of the grounds and sharing his future visions for the Abbaye. Our room was beautifully decorated and extremely comfortable. The hospitality was warm and inviting. The meals we enjoyed were delicious and perfectly prepared. We hope to return to spend more time.