© Le Manoir les Minimes
© Le Manoir les Minimes
Luxury hotel on the banks of the Loire in Amboise
This charming luxury hotel sits on the banks of the Loire and its sumptuous bedrooms have views of the beautiful Château d'Amboise. Elegantly decorated, with lovely gardens, this is a wonderful choice in heart of Amboise.
The hotel has 13 rooms and 2 suites. The spaces have all been decorated individually in a sophisticated and elegant style. They rooms are set over 3 rooms, with a disabled access from on the ground floor.
For breakfast, the hotel offers a good choice of options. Including hot drinks, fresh juices, seasonal fruit, cereal, freshly baked pastries and bread. A choice of eggs, cheese, ham, a selection of yoghurts, rice pudding and homemade apple compote,
There is a bar to enjoy a drink throughout the day in the lounges and library or on the terrace.
Located on the banks of the river Loire with Sancerre hill in the background, this course in the midst of century-old trees, ornamented by natural water hazards, is considered one of the most attractive golf courses in the centre of France. An 18-hole course with bunkers and water hazards which offer some interesting problems. There is also a pro-shop, restaurant, 6-hole practice course, driving range and putting green.
Located in the heart of the Sologne, this 27-hole club offers three courses; Sarcelles, Faisans and Chevreuils. You can do 9 holes, combine two courses to do a round of 18, or if you're feeling energetic, you can do all 27!
This golf course is part of the Blue Green group of golf courses.
NaviLoire offers short guided boat trips on the Loire river from Rochecorbon, taking in cave dwellings, discovering the rich wildlife along the banks, as well as catching a glimpse of the wine-producing Château de Moncontour.
This relatively new course, set in beautiful Saumur, is a pleasant 9-hole round if you're searching for a change from historical monuments and châteaux.
Built in the grounds of the Château de l'Epinay, this 18-hole golf course extends over 67 hectares. The 5,790-metre course has slightly wavy greens and small rivers, ponds and streams. A reasonably easy course with the Martin Hawtree signature.
This cute traditional French restaurant in Blois serves good quality food on, as the name suggests, red benches! The dishes are innovative and work well, and the is atmosphere charming.
This excellent restaurant in Tours was named after the original chef and serves gastronomic delights from a contemporary ambitious menu. The talented Hervé Lussault now heads up the kitchen and was awarded a Michelin star in 1998. Lussault is also famed for his excellent bread. The restaurant is light and spacious, feeling luxurious and warm, and has a lovely garden for when the weather permits.
With a wonderful spot overlooking the Loire river, this restaurant is located in the fishing villages of Varades. The chef, Jean-Marc Terrien and his team produce mainly fish dishes using local market produce.
This fondue house and chocolatier has been running since 1913 serving pastries, macaroons and wonderful hand-made chocolates in its tea house. You can attend a chocolate-making demonstration and workshop.
Chef, Didier Edon, has a Michelin star for his excellent restaurant in the Hautes Roches manor house.
This restaurant brands itself as 'almost traditional' and offers contemporary twists on classic French cuisine.
This emblematic monument and its landscaped gardens offer one of the most remarkable panoramas of the Loire Valley. A regal heritage, the Château d'Amboise has been home to Charles VII, Louis XI and Charles VIII. The château is registered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Still incredibly impressive, the current buildings are just one fifth of the original palace which was destroyed and neglected over the years. Leonardo da Vinci is buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert in the château's grounds.
Home to Leonardo da Vinci during his final years, this house was built in the 15th century and was a gift to da Vinci from King François I. The death of Leonardo da Vinci, on 2nd May 1519, marked the end of an era in the history of the Château du Clos Lucé. Today the château is a listed monument and has been restored in an authentic style, displaying an impressive collection of da Vinci's inventions and machines.
Château de Valmer, with its striking park and gardens, nestles on the edge of a hillside overlooking the Brenne Valley, a tributary of the Loire river.
Built on the river Cher, the Château de Chenonceau is the epitome of beauty. Château des Dames, as it is recorded in the French history books, owes a large part of its charm to women.
Dating back to the 14th century, this Renaissance château was home to many royal mistresses. Nowadays it is visited more for its beautiful grounds which include a vegetable garden with a massive 650 varieties of tomato, the contemporary and colourful Dalhia garden and a medicinal garden. It is possible to stay in the château and take cookery classes there.
Château de Chaumont dominates the Loire Valley skyline and is an illustration of both the defensive architecture of its period and the beautiful Renaissance style. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the château, which belonged to Queen Catherine de Medicis and later Diane de Poitiers, knew an intense period of intellectual activity. The Le Ray de Chaumont family welcomed, one after the other, the sculptor Nini, the American Benjamin Franklin and writer Germaine de Staël. The wider Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire reached its peak at the end of the 19th century thanks to Prince and Princess de Broglie. The royal couple designed magnificent modern stables, with the help of Maison Hermès, and entrusted Henri Duchêne, the landscape architect, with the creation of a landscaped park. The château is a UNESCO world heritage site.
