Early in July, I was invited to visit two new Chateau hotels in the Loire Valley. I have only made a few day trips to the Loire, so this was a nice opportunity to spend a few days in the region.
American real estate entrepreneur Zaya S. Younan always dreamt of owning a chateau and with his newfound wealth living in the U.S. he fulfilled his dreams quadruple, purchasing four chateaus in the Poitou- Charentes and Loire valley. La Grande Maison Younan Collection consists of four redeveloped historic chateaus, which have been transformed into four-star hotels.
Vincent and I took the train from Montparnasse station to Tours, an easy 72-minute ride. It was unusually hot in the Loire, about 87 degrees Fahrenheit.
It was about a twenty-minute ride from Tours to our first hotel, Chateau de Beauvois, perched on a hill in a tiny village on 57 acres of woodland.
Driving into the parking lot and viewing the impeccably manicured grass and flowers with the grand manor house in the background, I already felt grossly underdressed in wrinkled walking shorts, T-shirt and my comfortable but shoddy sneakers. Upon the entering the grand lobby embellished with grand crystal chandeliers, royal blue velvet Louis XIV chairs with gold trim, and festooned mustard colored drapes, it was surely time to duck into the men’s room and change into a tux and velvet evening slippers.
The staff cheerfully greeted us and showed us to our suite inside the stone turret. Our very posh two-room suite had a chintz fabric covered canopied bed and a spacious living area with velvet couches. Since it was a warm day, we headed to the pool to relax. The inviting pool area had cabanas, plush chaise lounges and a long pool with the emblem of the hotel on the bottom. We languished by the pool for a few hours, taking in the quiet, lovely greenery and forest of the Loire.
At cocktail time, we had a drink on the opulently decorated terrace with statues, twisted topiaries, and low box hedges, filled with delicate red flowers.
Rested and hungry, we went to dinner in the hotel, slightly better dressed than earlier that day but certainly not in a tux. Since Louis XIII often hunted in the nearby forest, the restaurant is named after him. Chef Régis Guilpain treated us to the best foods of summer with oysters from Marennes Oléron, a colorful vegetable mosaic terrine of peas and purple artichokes, and sea bass with beetroot and spelt risotto. Dessert was a mélange of summer fruits, sorbet, and delicate beignets. The décor of the dining room was certainly fit for a king, extending overall the opulence.
The next day we rented a car and drove to the next hotel, Le Prieuré close to Saumur, about an hour away from Chateau de Beauvois.
Le Prieuré was up a steep hill, with commanding, gasp-filled views of the Loire valley. More decadence awaited us in the lobby with marble floors, green velvet tieback drapes, Napoleon style chairs in gold satin, and bar stools tufted in royal blue. We were treated to another sumptuous suite on the top floor with 360-degree views.
The glorious views from the dining room kept distracting us from our delightful lunch prepared by chef Richard Prouteau with dishes such as buckwheat paper-thin crepes with snails, beef tournedos with bacon and red shallots in wine. Vincent leans more towards vegetarian these days and enjoyed quinoa with Greeks style vegetables. A piping hot soufflé whisked from the oven straight to out table had Cointreau inside and was served with carrot orange sorbet.
We savored our last views of the Loire and our rich chateau life for the past two days at breakfast before heading home to Paris.
All this decadent luxury can be had at a very affordable price, starting at 145€ a night for Chateau de Beauvois and 123€ a night at Le Prieuré.
Many thanks to Alexandra Radlovic for arranging my complimentary stay at both chateaus.
We also visited sites in the area during the day and I will write about them next week.
Chateau de Beauvois
https://www.younancollection.com/fr/chateau-de-beauvois/hotel-vallee-de-la-loire.html
Le Prieuré
https://www.younancollection.com/en/chateau-le-prieure/hotel-loire.html
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