THE GUIDE CHÂTEAUX 2021


Château de Vigiers is now a four-star hotel with a 27-hole golf course and spa, plus a Michelin-starred restaurant


dance courses and wine tasting to swimming pools, tennis courts, horse riding and helicopter landings. (The latter is, of course, an essential.) www.au-chateau.com


La Grande Maison Younan Collection (All regions)


“When I was little, I dreamed of having a château, but in the United States we have neither the history nor the patrimony of France,” says Zaya Younan, owner of a hotel group of beautiful French châteaux. “I think that everyone, no matter where they come from, deserves to spend a night in a castle, attended to like a member of the royal family.” Younan’s châteaux include Alexandra Palace, with its 18-hole golf course, in Deux- Sèvres; Château de Beauvois, near Tours, with 35 rooms, and an outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts; Château Le Prieuré, a former Benedictine priory overlooking the River Loire, near Saumur; and Domaine de Vaugouard, which is also in the Loire Valley and


140 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Jun/Jul 2021 FT183.CHATEAUX GUIDE.indd 140 14/05/2021 15:51


has a spa, 18-hole golf course, outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts. www.younancollection.com


Château de Vigiers (Dordogne)


This lovely 16th-century château, just half an hour’s drive from Bergerac airport, has been converted into a four-star hotel, complete with a 27-hole golf course, a spa, two heated outdoor swimming pools, a gym and two restaurants – one of them, Les Fresques, boasting a Michelin star. “This gourmet restaurant is classic, intimate and elegant,” says the Michelin Guide. “It prides itself on fine, meticulous cuisine, excellent ingredients (truffles in season) and local wines. These start with those from the estate’s own vineyard.” vigiers.com


Château de Monfréville (Calvados) “Whether it’s sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows, gazing at the star-drenched skies, eating oysters, having a dip in the glorious swimming


pool, or tasting cider and calvados, Château de


Monfréville is the perfect retreat in which to relax.” So say Perrine and Thibault, the owners of this small but perfectly formed Norman château. Unfortunately you can’t stay in the château itself, however, there are two adjoining cottages and a lovely campsite. www.chateaumonfreville.com


Château des Arpentis (Indre-et-Loire)


Standing majestically amid 30 hectares of peaceful parkland, the Château des Arpentis – a


neo-Gothic structure with 14th-century origins – offers 13 rooms and apartments, all decorated with murals and tapestries, lending a certain elegance to the bare stone walls. Breakfast is served on the terrace during the warmer months. In front of the château is a lawn and elegant swimming pool and beyond that is a lake and woodland. www.chateaudesarpentis.com/en


Château de Césarges (Isère)


Château de Césarges, just half an hour from Lyon, was fully


❯❯


Château Le Prieuré is a former Benedictine priory overlooking the River Loire


IMAGES © CHÂTEAU DE VIGIERS, CHÂTEAU LE PRIEURÉ


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14