Le Manoir les Minimes Hotel, Anbiose

The Vernelle House accommodation is a beautiful 17th century construction. It was completely renovated in 2013.

This contemporary and modern hotel, literally translated as the Bird Pond, offers beautifully finished rooms with an oriental feel.

Subtlety of expressive cooking, discreet service and the originality of converted bedrooms within the cliffs are on offer at this unique manor house just a few minutes from Tours. Using former monks' dwellings, 12 of its 14 rooms are sculpted into the rock and every one is different. This hotel mixes natural materials elegantly with contemporary designs to create a chic finish. Chef, Didier Edon, has a Michelin star for his excellent restaurant.

This 15th century château is built on the ruins of an 11th century fortress. Different families have lived in this domain, which included farms devoted to rearing livestock and wine production. It was a safe fortress where the peasants took refuge to protect themselves from the soldiers who scoured the region. All that is left today is the Château and its outbuildings, a park planted with trees, vines and land over a surface area of 15 hectares.

Originally a priory founded in 1107 by the Lord of Amboise, it retains its old character with stained glass windows and dragons on the gables. This small hotel is located in large gardens with century-old lime trees and an inviting outdoor swimming pool.

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.

Built by a Scottish officer who was taken captive during the battle of Fontenoy and then fell in love with the region, this château sits in a huge 2,000 hectares of forested grounds.

The Golf de Sologne is the oldest course in the Centre region, and probably one of the most beautiful natural settings.

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.

Canoeing and kayaking tours on the Loire river are offered by this company based in Loire. An excellent way to enjoy this beautiful countryside, you can take overnight tours, camping at night, or do the more active sport kayaking in fast rapids.

In the grounds of the 17th century Château Perrièrre, the golf club is within ancient trees, water features and different plant varieties that create this undulating course offering a diverse round.

Balloon Revolution offer flights over the Touraine region of the Loire Valley allowing you to discover its beautiful châteaux from the sky. Usually launching from the grounds of one of the châteaux, it's an unforgettable experience.

The golf course of the Château Cheverny has been constructed in the 142 hectares of the historic hunting grounds of the château.

This restaurant brands itself as 'almost traditional' and offers contemporary twists on classic French cuisine.

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.

This café-bistro is located in the centre of Saumur, right on the busy Place Saint-Pierre.

This small restaurant in Angers serves traditional French cuisine made with locally-sourced fresh market ingredients explained on the classic chalkboard menu.

This contemporary dining room is housed in a 19th century town house.

Escape into the countryside and discover this rustic French restaurant serving traditional meals with pretty views of the gardens.

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.

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.

The Cave des Roches at Bourré is the only example in the world of the complete production of different varieties of mushroom at 50 metres underground. The farm covers 120 kilometres of galleries on seven levels. The old-fashioned cultivation methods, in a natural atmosphere at 13°C, produce a mushroom unrivalled in terms of flavour, with a guaranteed vitamin content. Total production amounts to over 100 tonnes of mushrooms per year, entirely hand-picked. The Cave des Roches offers a varied selection (pied bleu, shitake, oyster, horse, old-fashioned button mushrooms). It is responsible for 40% of the world's pied bleu mushroom production, principally destined either for the best starred restaurants in France or exported around the world.

The golf course of the Château Cheverny has been constructed in the 142 hectares of the historic hunting grounds of the château.

This 18-hole course is set in the grounds of an 18th-century château which is now a leisure complex with outdoor pool and tennis courts as well as a charming hotel.

In the grounds of the 17th century Château Perrièrre, the golf club is within ancient trees, water features and different plant varieties that create this undulating course offering a diverse round.

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.

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.