In this article, I am taking you on an exceptional stay right at the doorstep of Brittany, in Torcé in Ille-et-Vilaine (just 25 minutes from Rennes and about ten minutes from Vitré). My favorite photographer and I had the chance to drop our bags at Château des Tesnières, a 19th-century neo-Gothic estate that reopened its doors in May 2025 after four years of renovations.
This family project is led by South African chef Chantel Dartnall (voted Best Female Chef in the World in 2017 at the Best Chef Awards), who moved to France to settle in the land of her Breton ancestors. The 6-hectare estate now brings together tastefully decorated luxury guest rooms, an incredible wine cellar with 30,000 bottles, and the gourmet restaurant Mosaic. Below, I tell you all about our experience and share all the practical information you need to plan your stay at Château des Tesnières!
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Staying at Château des Tesnières
Château des Tesnières was built between 1857 and 1865 by the Breton architect Jacques Mellet for the brothers Alphonse and Ferdinand de Langle. After being acquired in 2021 by the Dartnall-Du Plessis family, the place underwent four years of complete renovation led by local architect Martine Revel and interior designer Martine Di Matteo. The entire project is driven by a very feminine energy, as you will also see further down in the article. Right upon arrival, the atmosphere is wonderfully warm. The family owns an extensive art collection: you will find more than 1,300 paintings and sculptures scattered across the lounges and upper floors (notably works by South African painter Adriaan Boshoff). We were lucky enough to spend a weekend here to enjoy the property and, of course, the chef’s restaurant.
A little curiosity not to be missed during your visit: the castle tower has been converted into a “Spirits Tower”, featuring a fine selection of whiskies, cognacs, and rare bottles of Chartreuse V.E.P.
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My practical tips for visiting the castle
My recommendations for getting to Château des Tesnières in Torcé:
- By car: allow about 25 minutes from Rennes, 2 hours from Nantes, and 3 hours from Paris (via the A11 and A81).
- By train: the nearest TGV station is Vitré (accessible in about 1 hour 45 minutes on a direct train from Paris-Montparnasse) or Rennes (1 hour 25 minutes), followed by a short taxi ride.
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The estate’s gardens
The gardens were redesigned over nearly three years by Mari, Chantel‘s mother (who is a landscape architect). The grounds feature around 150 trees and more than 6,000 plants and flowers, including a thousand magnolias (the chef’s favorite flower). Additionally, a triskelion-shaped permaculture vegetable garden, tended by Marie-Louise (Chantel‘s sister), is currently being developed to directly supply the restaurant’s kitchens.
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The suites of Château des Tesnières
The castle offers 6 large suites designed as tributes to historical or mythical women: Queen Anne of Brittany, the Queen of Sheba, Dowager Empress Cixi of China, Mumtaz Mahal in India, Yama and Thida Mandalay of Burma, and the storyteller Scheherazade. All rooms have been decorated in different styles reflecting the spirit of the Belle Époque and the 1900 Universal Expositions, featuring antique furniture collected during Chantel‘s travels. It is the kind of address you can return to multiple times, discovering a completely different universe with each stay. As for us, we had the chance to stay in the gorgeous Queen of Sheba suite (category 2 suite), which completely charmed us!
In terms of comfort, this is clearly luxury hotel service (complete with evening turndown service). All rooms feature a bathtub, with a special mention for the Anne de Bretagne suite, which houses a superb freestanding copper bathtub in the bathroom (featuring custom mosaic work and a view of the sculpted Triskel on the facade).
The insider tip: remember to book your suite well in advance to secure the ambiance you like best (such as the neo-Gothic Anne de Bretagne suite, our lovely Queen of Sheba suite, or Empress Cixi’s Chinese cabinet), as the castle only has six suites.
Our suite: Queen of Sheba
Below are a few photos of the Queen of Sheba suite, where we had the chance to stay, located on the top floor of the castle (accessible via a small elevator if needed).
The other suites
We didn’t test these other suites, of course, but since some were unoccupied at the time of our visit, we were able to quickly tour them and take a few photos.
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Breakfast
In the morning, breakfast is served directly in the restaurant dining room. It’s the perfect way to build up your energy before going for a digestive stroll in the 6-hectare wooded park I mentioned earlier. It is, ofrous, a very high-quality breakfast, entirely in keeping with the spirit of the place.
Château des Tesnières
Lieu-dit Tesnières, 35370 Torcé
Rates: €340 per night in a category 1 suite / €390 per night in a category 2 suite (breakfast included)
The gourmet restaurant Mosaic by Chantel Dartnall
Located on the ground floor of the castle, the Mosaic restaurant is Chantel Dartnall‘s gourmet table. After running her first Mosaic restaurant for fifteen years in Pretoria, South Africa, the chef chose to reopen her address in France in May 2025. For this new adventure, she brought along her family as well as her loyal South African female team (including Johanna, Anna, and pastry chef Antro Davel).
The gastronomic experience begins right at aperitif time, served leisurely in one of the two large ground-floor lounges before moving to the dining room. The restaurant space is quite intimate, with around twenty covers. The decor pays close attention to detail: each table features a small bronze statuette, a bouquet of fresh flowers from the garden, and a wooden display stand holding an explanatory card for each dish. The restaurant also recently entered the global La Liste 2026-2027 ranking, just one year after opening!
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The chef’s botanical and floral menu
What struck me most about Chantel Dartnall‘s cuisine is the attention to detail and the precision of the color arrangements, which truly transform the plates into little works of art. Her cuisine, which she describes as “botanical,” makes heavy use of edible flowers and aromatic herbs (magnolia flower, fennel, calendula, hibiscus, honeybush), not just for looks, but to impart specific flavors and properties.
The chef works with small local producers and draws inspiration from the Breton terroir (she also loves going to the Marché des Lices in Rennes on Saturday mornings—a truly incredible market to discover if you aren’t familiar with it yet). The menu changes with the seasons, offering three options for both lunch and dinner: a 3-course Discovery Menu (€95/pers), a 5-course Small Tasting Menu (€190/pers), and a 7-course Grand Tasting Menu (€220/pers). When we visited, we enjoyed a variation of her Sakura menu.
Our Sakura Grand Tasting Menu:
- Preludes followed by Franschhoek Mosbolletjies (Mosbolletjies, Comté, Anise)
- Flowers from My Garden (zucchini, green peas, asparagus)
- Tidal Pool (squid, sea lettuce, candied lemon)
- Song of the Sea (salmon, coconut foam, radish)
- The Alchemist’s Infusion (beetroot, white balsamic, vegetable consommé)
- Sea Foam (langoustine, risotto, rooibos)
- Marché des Lices Catch (catch of the day, fennel) or Pigeon – Whispers of the Forest (pigeon, mushrooms, red wine)
- Blink-Blaar-Wag-‘n-Bietjie (24-month aged Comté, honey cream, pumpkin seeds)
- And for sweets, the Sakura dessert (Valrhona dark chocolate and cherry mousse)
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A cellar of 30,000 bottles and non-alcoholic pairings
On the wine front, the estate houses an impressive collection of 30,000 bottles (including 10,000 bottles of champagne with some wonderful magnums), put together by Cobus du Plessis, Chantel‘s father. The wine list highlights great French and European vintages, as well as exceptional South African gems.
In the dining room, South African sommelier Renf Veldhuizen guides guests with very successful food and wine pairings (offered in the Passionates package at €70/€110 or Connoisseurs at €110/€155). And good news for those who don’t drink alcohol: the restaurant also offers homemade non-alcoholic pairings (€25 or €35) based on iced teas, flower infusions, and vegetable broths (such as The Alchemist’s Infusion made with hibiscus, fennel, and lemongrass), which I found particularly original and delightful! We went with one alcoholic pairing and one non-alcoholic one with my favorite photographer, to test both experiences, and it was really interesting.
Restaurant Mosaic – Château des Tesnières
Lieu-dit Tesnières, 35370 Torcé
Hours: open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch (closed Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday evening)
Prices: Discovery Menu at €95, Small Tasting at €190, Grand Tasting at €220; food & wine pairings from €70, non-alcoholic pairings from €25
What to see and do around Château des Tesnières?
If you come spend a weekend at the castle, you can easily take the opportunity to discover the surrounding area in Ille-et-Vilaine and Brittany. Below, I’m sharing a few excursion ideas nearby.
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Visit the medieval town of Vitré
Just a 10-minute drive from the castle, Vitré is a very pretty town well worth the detour for its medieval fortress, old cobbled streets, and magnificent, well-preserved timber-framed houses. I actually talk about it in my article on Rennes if you’re interested (link below).
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Discover Rennes
About a 25-minute drive away, Rennes offers plenty of great ideas for strolls. If you are there on a Saturday morning, don’t miss a trip to the famous Marché des Lices, the second-largest market in France. To find more ideas for visits and restaurants in the Breton capital, you can take a look at my articles on visiting Rennes and its surroundings and my favorite restaurant addresses in Rennes.
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Thank you to Chef Chantel Dartnall, Stéphanie from the Cuisine en Chœur agency, the Dartnall-Du Plessis family, and the entire team at Château des Tesnières for their warm welcome during this wonderful stay.
I hope all this has inspired you to discover Château des Tesnières and Restaurant Mosaic in Brittany! And if you also have your own favorite spots in the region or questions to help plan your stay, feel free to share them in the comments below!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez and Melle Bon Plan Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's permission is mandatory before any use
