I’ve recently been back from a fam trip in Loire Valley. What we call a « fam trip » is obviously some of the best part of our job, as it consists in exploring wonderful places with brilliant guides, visiting exquisite hotels, and searching new original ideas to share with our future travelers. This is very exciting!
So, from this recent « quest » in the land of Kings and Queens, I brought back a few gems that I would like to share with you.
I must recognize that until now, I used to skip the city of Tours in most of my itineraries, focusing more on the small city of Amboise and some of the « must-see » castles such as Chambord or Chenonceau. Shame on me! Tours is definitely a place you have to visit, and spend at least a couple of hours to feel the atmosphere of a peaceful and opulent middle-size city (around 130 000 inhabitants in 2020). Stroll in the narrow pedestrian streets of its historic quarters with their half-timbered houses, seat and have a sip in the vibrant Place Plumereau, admire the architecture of the Saint Gatien Cathedral or the recent Olivier Debre Contemporary Art Centre. On sunny days, the star of Tours is the River Loire! The now famous ‘Tours-sur-Loire’ guinguette and the Tours beaches extend the city limits to the banks of the river. Numerous activities are offered. Tours is also packed with gourmet bistros featuring fresh, locally sourced produce on their menus. You should taste the nougat of Tours, the potted rillettes of Tours, the saffron, or the “poires tapées” (dried pears). Genuinely unique!
You have a few days ahead of you? Renting a bike, you will cycle from Tours to the St Cosme priory, the gardens of Villandry and the Vouvray wineries (Château Gaudrelle, Vigneau-Chevreau…).
And for night owls, a stopover in Tours also gives them an opportunity to treat themselves to a show, an evening in one of the many bars and cafés in the Old Town or a front seat at the free sound and light show projected onto the Fine Art Museum façade every evening in the summer.
When you enter this 750 acres’ private forest, only 15 minutes’ drive from Tours, you cannot imagine what you’re going to find…Well, you’ll probably meet some boars and deer’s, crossing graciously the forest tracks that lead to the Loire Valley Lodge. But that’s rather common in the forests of Loire Valley. Much more unusual is the giant carved dog made in bronze and more than 4 meters high that you’ll meet just at the entrance of the last track that leads to the reception of the « hotel ». This is a statue from the artist Aurele, and it’s only the first one of a long list that you’ll find in Loire Valley Lodges. This place is an unexpected combination and a perfect balance between nature, peacefulness, luxury and contemporary art…
Once you’ve parked and left your car in the parking lot, you will arrive at Loire Valley Lodges by way of our aromatics courtyard, where you will be caught up in the scent of coriander, basil, thyme…
The aromatics courtyards is in the immediate vicinity of the kitchens and the bar so that your herbal teas and salads are guaranteed fresh! Perhaps you will also want to taste our homemade sorbets with thyme and rosemary? In this same courtyard, our red fruits garden takes the sun so that currants, blackcurrants, raspberries or blueberries illuminate you dishes and awaken your taste buds.
You’ll be driven with an electric cart to your own wooden bungalow, built on stilts, 4 to 5 meters above the ground.
“Light, osmosis with the forest, transparency, space” inspired the design of our 18 lodges, said the owners, a couple of Parisians entrepreneurs who love nature as much as art. Built on stilts, from wood species present in the surrounding forest – douglas, chestnut, oak – our lodges are real, warm and cosy suites. Their large windows and open terraces, equipped with a private spa, promote a harmonious dialogue between the interiors and the forest. And for the final touch, each lodge has been designed by a contemporary artist.
The lodges have the layout of a hotel suite, bringing you the same level of hospitality, comfort and service you would expect from a hotel. With a living area of 35 sq. m, they are all fitted with a fully equipped bathroom, Italian shower, separate toilets, and mini bar with hot and cold drinks to satisfy your desires at any time of the day. Each lodge extends into a 25 sq. m terrace that includes a private spa. Everything has been designed to ensure complete privacy and allow you to fully immerse yourselves in nature.
To optimize your immersion in nature and to wake your senses, we have deliberately chosen not to include Wifi and TV in our lodges. You will nevertheless find a walkie-talkie in your room, connected to the reception, for all your requests and a free WiFi connection and a large screen in the common areas of the hotel.
Of course most of the travelers who come to Loire Valley want to experience the stay in a château hotel (like the one here after described, or our favorite Château des Grotteaux). But if you’re staying 3 or 4 nights, escape from the hustle and bustle of crowded Chambord or Chenonceau castles, and get the most relaxing option of accommodation with the Loire Valley Lodges.
Contact us to design a proper itinerary in Loire Valley that is perfectly adapted to the location of this lodge and how to get the best of it during your stay.
You’ve probably heard about the famous Fontevraud Abbey. Located only 15mn drive from Saumur and close to Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau castles, Fontevraud is unrivalled in terms of its rich history, closely linked to the history of France and even of Europe. It is also unique in its configuration. You don’t need to know the entire history of Fontevraud to be able to appreciate the importance of this nearly thousand-year old site, part of the Loire Valley’s classification as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
From the moment you arrive you realize the unusual scale of the site: thirteen hectares of ancient buildings sitting within a lush landscape. At the heart of all this is the main priory, which links the Abbey’s most beautiful buildings – the magnificent abbey church, which overlooks the entire site, the Roman kitchens, the chapter house, the cloisters and their gardens regularly adorned by contemporary artworks, the great dormitory that permanently houses a work by Claude Lévêque…
The discovery doesn’t stop there. The Saint-Benoît area and the Saint-Lazare priory are perfect for a stroll, as are the gardens, where vegetables, herbs and fruit trees create the ideal landscape for reflection. The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud is a unique location for a multitude of experiences.
Among the most singular ones, we highly recommend a night at the hotel which is inside the Abbey.
A night with Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France and then Queen of England? Fontevraud L’Hôtel offers an incomparable experience. At the Saint-Lazare priory, formerly the home of a community of nuns, the tradition of hospitality that is an intrinsic part of this place is being renewed. Sleeping in the tranquil silence of the Abbey, walking alone – or with a knowledgeable private guide- through the monastery as night falls and the site is closed to the public … these are magical private moments. Be aware the rooms are small and rather simply decorated, as it brings to you the atmosphere of a monastery. There’s no air conditioning, as the large stoned walls are a guarantee of a cool temperature even on hot days.
Opened on to the cloister and adopting the architecture of a former priory, Fontevraud Le Restaurant combines heritage, history and haute cuisine.
Thibaut Ruggeri, Bocuse d’Or, one Michelin star, found in Fontevraud the ideal place to realize his desire: to engage in a contemporary kitchen, sensible and refined where the superfluous and the pageantry have no place. His motto: reconcile the beautiful with the good! There’s only one menu called Moon, and it’s renewed every new cycle of the moon. It always starts with a soup (cold or hot according to the season) and a piece of bread, to remind the simplicity of meals taken by the nuns in this place eight centuries ago.
Emotion and conviviality are at the heart of the Fontevraud experience. The hotel is the best illustration of this. From the quality of the welcome to the comfort of the rooms, everything has been designed to pamper our guests, in a simply designed space that lends itself to calm and reflection.
Contact us to organize a stay in this unique, spiritual and inspiring place!
If you enjoyed this post My Last Trip in The Loire Valley, you can check out 10 things to in the Loire Valley with teens.
