Fit for royalty! Inside the lavish 16th-century French chateau owned by a count and countess where guests can sleep in a tower for just £50 a night

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We spy the towering chateau as we make our way along the long, winding gravel driveway, the vast building looking magnificent and welcoming at the same time.

Tucked away in the French countryside in a tiny village called Tocqueville, our impressive home for the next three nights - Chateau de Tocqueville - is classified as a historic monument, with parts of the original building dating back to the 16th century.

Now owned by the Count and Countess de Tocqueville d'Hérouville, it is used as their private home with their three children, and has played host to many VIPs, nobility and even royalty over the years.

The building is situated on vast, lush grounds and overlooks a large pond, which is guarded by a single white swan, and makes for a great mirror to the chateau when standing at its far end.

The Norman stone house, which is flanked by two towers with conical roofs, now offers guests the chance to rent one of the towers, which boasts five larger-than-expected double rooms each with an ensuite bathroom

Tucked away in the French countryside in a tiny village called Tocqueville, our impressive home for the next three nights - Chateau de Tocqueville - is classified as a historic monument

And they have opened up part of the chateau for those of us who don’t generally mix within those elite circles - think Alfred Hitchcock, Ernest Hemingway, Sarah Bernhardt, Greta Garbo, King Edward VIII and Agatha Christie (and those are just the guests who can be named).

The Norman stone house, which is flanked by two towers with conical roofs, now offers guests the chance to rent one of the towers, which boasts five larger-than-expected double rooms each with an ensuite bathroom and sleeps 10 people.

The building is situated on vast, lush grounds and overlooks a large pond, which is guarded by a single white swan, and makes for a great mirror to the chateau when standing at its far end.

My family and I make our way inside the Tower Wing, which was built in 1892 but was recently renovated, and into the living room which boasts an incredible master fireplace with sofas and reading chairs dotted around, and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Each of the spacious boudoirs is themed from a different era, boasting king-size beds, reading areas, and a separate bath or shower room

The Barnett room on the first floor – where my husband and I stay – takes guests into the 17th century, featuring an English Soho tapestry, and a large en suite with a standalone tub and French shower, a toilet and two huge sinks

The Pink Room is opposite ours, and has a 19th-century feel with ciel de lit (canopies and netting), and a shower room which overlooks the gardens and an ancient willow tree

The walls are decorated with historical portraits, including that of political writer Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville, who lived here with his wife Mary Motley in the 18th/19th century (and whom created the stunning English gardens).

At the other end of the open-plan room is a large dining area, along with a compact kitchen area that features all the modern equipment guests would need to make breakfast or dinner.

There are also doors opening up to the back garden, with tables and chairs for alfresco dining when the weather suits.

We go upstairs using the tiny ‘hidden’ lift that only carries three people at a time, excitedly claiming our rooms as we stop at each of the four floors (there is also a winding stone stairwell at the back of the property).

My family and I make our way inside the Tower Wing, which was built in 1892 but was recently renovated, and into the living room which boasts an incredible master fireplace with sofas and reading chairs dotted around, and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling

The walls are decorated with historical portraits, including that of political writer Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville, who lived here with his wife Mary Motley in the 18th/19th century (and whom created the stunning English gardens)

At the other end of the open-plan room is a large dining area, along with a compact kitchen area that features all the modern equipment guests would need to make breakfast or dinner

Chateau de Tocqueville is classified as a historic monument, with parts of the original building dating back to the 16th century

Now owned by the Count and Countess de Tocqueville d'Hérouville, it is used as their private home with their three children, and has played host to many VIPs, nobility and even royalty over the years

Each of the five spacious boudoirs is themed from a different era, boasting king-size beds, reading areas, and a separate bath or shower room.

The Barnett room on the first floor – where my husband and I stay – takes guests into the 17th century, featuring an English Soho tapestry, and a large en suite with a standalone tub and French shower, a toilet and two huge sinks.

It’s about four times the size of our bedroom back home, with high ceilings and a large window overlooking the pond, offering a great view of sunrise and sunset.

The Pink Room is opposite ours, and has a 19th-century feel with ciel de lit (canopies and netting), and a shower room which overlooks the gardens and an ancient willow tree.

In the Barnett room, on the second floor, is where guests can sleep in Alexis de Tocqueville’s own bed frame, in a 19th-century Napoleon-style bed. The cosy Ming room is opposite, featuring a four-poster bed.

Each of the spacious boudoirs is themed from a different era, boasting king-size beds, reading areas, and a separate bath or shower room

Up on the third floor is The Love Bird Room, featuring a Toile de Jouy four-poster bed and an art deco-style bathroom. Next to it is the ‘family room’ where guests can sit in comfy sofas and watch movies on a projector.

We settle in and unpack, before heading to explore the grounds. In keeping with the style of property and the type of guests that have stayed and would stay here, there are stables and a tennis court – but no swimming pool.

We while away a few hours playing tennis, wandering around the longstanding stables, and head inside the dovecote – a circular building which was once considered a status symbol. It contains thousands of small holes where the birds would be kept.

The roof was taken off during the French Revolution as it was a sign of the power of the aristocracy.

We while away a few hours playing tennis, wandering around the longstanding stables, and head inside the dovecote

We head to nearby Barfleur (basically turn right out of the chateau and drive for about 10 minutes) where we find a pizzeria where we have our fill of Italian food mixed with French wines, before heading for a walk.

It’s a quaint harbour village – and it’s easy to see why it has been named among ‘the most beautiful villages of France’, with a pretty port area with cafes and restaurants, as well as a small beach.

We spend an hour or so wandering the lanes, with my nephew throwing off his shoes and socks, desperate to take a paddle in the chilly waters.

As there are no restaurants within walking distance, we stock up on supplies in Saint-Pierre-Église (basically turn left out of the chateau and drive for about 10 minutes) thanks to a small boulangerie and a supermarche which seems to sell everything you could ever need.

In keeping with the style of property and the type of guests that have stayed and would stay here, there are stables and a tennis court – but no swimming pool

Up on the third floor is The Love Bird Room, featuring a Toile de Jouy four-poster bed and an art deco-style bathroom. Next to it is the ‘family room’ where guests can sit in comfy sofas and watch movies on a projector

We settle in for the night, cooking, playing games, listening to music before enjoying a feast al fresco.

The property is within driving distance to the D-Day Landing beaches, so we set off the next day for a tour.

We make a stop at Utah beach, a vast stretch of sand that echoes with history – ruins of forts and defences can be spotted in the dunes as Mother Nature reclaims the land with high-reaching reefs.

The enormity of what happened here in the Second World War is silencing. Unlike other beaches, the tourists here come to learn, to pay their respects. There are no sunworshippers, no children making sandcastles and no cafes blaring music.

Instead it is filled with memories.

Visitors can visit all five of the Normandy beaches, including Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, which are spread out along a 50-mile stretch of coast – where some 156,000 British, US and Canadian forces landed on June 6 1944.

The property is within driving distance to the D-Day Landing beaches, so we set off the next day for a tour 

We spend a few hours at the Utah Beach museum, a vast dedication to the US forces, with thousands of artefacts on display – from foods the soldiers would have eaten at the time, and newspaper clippings, to an authentic B26 bomber and an LCVP ‘Higgins Boat’.

It gives a fascinating insight into the conditions the troops lived in.

It’s then a short drive to the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, a vast memorial over 172.5 acres containing the graves of some 10,000 US military dead.

Worn out, we head back to our chateau for the night. We’ve stocked up on French wines and food, so get to work preparing another feast, around a huge table which would be fit for a banquet.

We say ‘Santé’ and tuck into our meals, before heading to bed in what is our exclusive castle for another two nights, to recharge for another day’s exploration. 

Photos by Glyn Ridgers Photography.