Chateaux living

Relais de Chambord

GETAWAYS • Loire Valley

Within a two hour drive from Paris (not quite as easy by train), you’re in the Loire Valley in the middle of chateaux built hundreds of years ago by kings. Built by Francis the 1st, Chambord is among the most famous, while the Relais de Chambord, a hotel steps away from the 16th Century castle, makes visiting a door-to-door breeze of a weekend trip.

The only hotel on the large Unesco heritage site property, the Relais is a four-star boutique spot with a classic, clean look and historic flair, featuring an attractive restaurant and a wonderful spa. Breakfast is a French buffet, with everything from a selection of pastries made in-house to a cheese bar leaning very local. Dinner is an intricate affair, where pasta comes with freshly shaved truffles, and the giant ribeyes pair well with a wide selection of French wines.

While rooms and hospitality are on point, the property, the largest enclosed park in Europe, is the reason to come. There are bikes to be borrowed, boats to be rented, and horses to be ridden. To round out the trip, embark on an hour-long hot air balloon ride with Aerocom, a company that will pick you up in a car and take you up in a wicker basket, up to 5000 meters over the clouds, floating to bliss past several chateaux, many vineyards, and the rest of the resplendence of the Loire landscape. –Andra Zeppelin

→ Relais de Chambord (Loire Valley) • Place Saint-Louis, 41250 Chambord • Weekend room rates from 188 €.