The apartment is unforgettable and the photos hardly do it justice. The location is unbeatable: you are a couple of minutes' walk from the pedestrianised shopping area and overlooking the river. The living room has stunning views both of the chateau and of the Loire; the bedrooms have a wonderful view of the river. But at least as impressive as the location is the interior itself. The apartment includes an incredible selection of sculptures, tapestries and furniture from the 15th century onwards (some possibly earlier!) which give it a unique ambience. It is comfortably furnished with lots of nooks and crannies for sitting and reading and enjoying the view. The apartment is a duplex, occupying the top two floors (3rd and 4th) of the building. Three of the bedrooms (including the beautiful master bedroom) are on the lower floor, and the upper floor houses two more bedrooms, the living area and a small kitchen. There's a slightly steep staircase between floors, and also (a godsend for us) a lift (the lift entrance on the 4th floor is a private one within the apartment, but on the 3rd floor, the lift entrance is on the landing outside the apartment). With the incredible artwork and the staircase, I might think twice if we had very young children, but our 12-year-olds loved the apartment (as did we) and are already talking about returning next year (as are we).
There is short-term (paid) public parking directly outside the apartment, and free parking a bit further away, but if you walk round the corner to the Police Municipale office, €30 gets you a parking pass for the current calendar month allowing you to park in any paid public parking in the city.
Monsieur Gros was a very solicitous host only a phone call away, sorting out a small problem with the lock on the building's main door very quickly, and Madame Charles was enthusiastic and helpful in welcoming us to the apartment and in seeing us off.
All in all, we couldn't recommend this apartment highly enough. We loved Saumur and plan to return next year, and we certainly plan to return to this apartment.
