Château Laroche Ploquin The Originals Relais

Extend the château experience by enjoying the hotel’s facilities: an outdoor swimming pool (open from May to September), sauna, fitness room, as well as a selection of massages and beauty treatments (available at an additional cost). Serenity, tranquility, and an exceptional setting, everything is designed to invite you to unwind and lose track of time. The greatest luxury of all.

Welcome to the Château de Saché, Balzac’s refuge. Born in Tours and adopted by Paris, the writer began suffering in his thirties from pulmonary and cardiac issues, which led his doctor to recommend that he regularly ‘breathe his native air’ to recover from the intensity of Parisian life (and also to escape his many creditors). Between 1825 and 1848, the writer made around ten stays at the château, where he appreciated the silence and austerity of his small room. It was there that he partly wrote some of his greatest works: Le Père Goriot, Louis Lambert, César Birotteau, and Illusions perdues.

While the history of the site dates back to ancient times (the château’s foundations originate from the Gallo-Roman period), the Clos Lucé is above all renowned for one distinguished guest: a painter, sculptor, visionary inventor, and military engineer, Leonardo da Vinci. It was here that the creator of the Mona Lisa chose to spend the final years of his life, far from his native Tuscany, captivated by the gentle atmosphere of Amboise and his close relationship with King Francis I. On May 2nd, 1519, upon the passing of the genius, the king is said to have deeply mourned the man he called ‘my father’.

Any resemblance to the castle in Sleeping Beauty is no coincidence. It was indeed upon discovering this fairy-tale residence overlooking the Indre and Loire rivers that Charles Perrault, surely with a little help from some fairies, found the inspiration to write one of his most famous tales. Once a medieval stronghold later transformed into an elegant Renaissance château, Ussé casts a certain spell that transcends the centuries, where visitors follow in the footsteps of Vauban, Le Nôtre, and Chateaubriand, not forgetting the princess of the place: Sleeping Beauty.

Honoré de Balzac described it as a “diamond set in facets.” A jewel of the French Renaissance, the Château d’Azay-le-Rideau only took on its current form in the 19th century thanks to restoration work undertaken by the Marquis de Biencourt, including the creation of its 8-hectare landscaped park. While a reflecting pool already existed on the south wing at the time, the second one visible today dates back to 1950, further enhancing the brilliance of this residence built for Gilles Berthelot, the château’s patron and a financier of King Francis I.

Lovers of gardens (and châteaux alike) cannot miss this essential stop in the Loire Valley. Exploring the gardens of Villandry is like browsing a living library of French garden design, from the Middle Ages to contemporary times, passing through the Renaissance and the formal French style created by André Le Nôtre. It is also a chance to marvel at seven distinct gardens, whether ornamental, kitchen, orchard, or water gardens, each transforming with the seasons. A truly enchanting setting, complemented by a château equally rich in wonders.