On Thursday January 2, 2025 in the morning, customers who will have breakfast in the Choiseul restaurant will experience a very special moment. Indeed, once their meal is over, the establishment will close for eighteen months for work which will bring Le Choiseul and the neighboring Hôtel des Minimes to become a single hotel complex. A major step in the life of this large Amboise establishment, which arouses a certain emotion among some of the customers.
A soul, a special charm
“For some time now, the behavior of some of our customers has changed. A good number of our regulars come even more frequently to enjoy the Choiseul as they have known it for many years.”explains Jean-Baptiste Loiseau, director of Choiseul. “But even if there is an element of nostalgia in their approach, it is associated with a form of curiosity, of impatience to discover the renovated establishment. We are very sensitive to the presence of these regulars for the holidays because they also come to show us their friendship and loyalty. »
Having become a hotel-restaurant after the Second World War, Le Choiseul is preparing to turn a long page in its history. If the establishment of the Quai Charles-Guinot has welcomed a number of celebrities (Michel Drucker, Jean Rochefort, Robert De Niro accompanied by Noémie Campbell, Claude Lelouch, Juliette Binoche…), it is obviously among local customers that the emotion is most palpable.
“I’m a little sad to leave this place because I really liked the decor. Even if, in places, it was sometimes outdated, it had a real soul, character, a singularity. This decoration is priceless and risks disappearing forever. And then, the views of the Loire and the castle are superb”confides Diane, who goes to Choiseul when her professional obligations take her to Amboise. “The staff takes great care of the customers. For me, Choiseul is professionalism combined with kindness. »
“There, I appreciate the calm”
Same feeling from Roberto Rui, another local customer. “I too am a little sad about this closure. This place is part of the city’s history. It’s a magnificent place, especially the restaurant room. There, I also appreciate the calm”explains the boss of Ciné A, who organized several events at Choiseul on the occasion of the release of films like Flavors of the palate or 36 quai des Orfèvres. “Each establishment must, of course, modernize. But when we hang out with him, it creates bonds. »
For Gérard Guerlais, who directed Choiseul for thirty years, the eighteen-month period which is opening is also special. “Even though I’m watching it from afar, I’m excited to see what the new facility will look like. I am all the more interested because, when the building of the Hôtel des Minimes was put up for sale a few years ago, my wife and I proposed to the owner of Choiseul at the time, Mr. Traversac, to buy the building to complete ours, which unfortunately did not happen. »
The former director, in any case, looks favorably on the coming rapprochement with the Minimes. “I find that this merger of the two establishments corresponds to a commercial logic and this is the vision that my wife and I had at that time. »
