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Special Edition January 2004
In this issue: Château du Breil, Antigny-le-Château,
Car Rental Links
| Golfers
(and everyone else) welcome to . . .
Château du Breil January has seen several new members join our web site, the first of whom is Château de Breil near Nantes in the western Loire. It is a beautiful and elegant château, and the proprietors, Monsieur and Madame Delasnerie, are truly gracious and charming. The château dates from the second half of the nineteenth century and can be described as a Folie Nantaise -- the word folie referring to the leaves of trees -- a building situated in a green environment and originally built as a country home during the 18th and 19th centuries. Château du Breil was one such château. Later in Paris the term folie came to mean 'madness' because so many of the owners had included revolutionary elements in these homes (such as running water!), the expense of which ruined many of these city folk. That is what befell Hughes de la Cantrie in 1903 -- he was the rich man who destroyed the older Folie of Le Breil and built the new one in 1870.
Today, there is definitely no madness associated with Château de Breil. Instead, it is a warm and inviting family home among the vineyards of the Pays de la Loire and with easy accessibility to historic Nantes -- and several fine golf courses! Golf is a passion of your host and hostess, Dominique and Elisabeth Delasnerie. Not only will they tell you about the local golf courses and how to get to them, they will be very happy to join you in a round of golf! On the grounds golf practice (with a net) is available, too, so bring your clubs! The park at Château de Breil is called a parc à l'anglaise -- an English garden -- simply done with flower beds, grand cedars and a small wood. All of this is surrounded by meadows for cart-horses and sheep and by the Muscadet vineyards. (Because the horses and sheep are easily disturbed, no dogs are accepted at the château -- a restriction which also serves to protect the remaining peacock.) Guests are invited to stroll the grounds, enjoy the delightful heated swimming pool, or borrow cross-country bicycles for local exploration. A pool house offering guest rooms (except in winter months) also has a billiard table, a music room and a completely equipped summer kitchen. Visit Château de Breil on our web site for details about accommodations and amenities in the pool house.
Four en suite bedrooms are offered in the château -- each in a corner having windows facing two different exposures with views over the park and vineyards. Guests will be pleased by the coffee and tea tray in each room, and some will find the Internet plug very useful. The rooms are very reasonably priced -- a pleasant surprise considering the magnificence of this estate! The Grand Salon with a large fireplace and comfortable seating has a piano and fireplace, and it has proven the perfect place for card games when staying indoors. Apéritifs with Champagne precede the fine cuisine served by candlelight in the exquisite dining room on Saturday evenings (with advance reservations). Guests will also enjoy generous breakfasts each morning to get the day off to a good start.
We who hope you have enjoyed this brief visit to Château de Breil and that it stirs your interest enough to make reservations for your own stay the next time you visit this beautiful region of western France. Visit our Wine Châteaux page to read all about the vineyards at Château de Breil and their plans to offer their own label in about three years. Contact Château de Breil by email for the answers to your questions, and let us know if we can help in any way when you are planning your next visit to France. [Photos: courtesy M. et Mme Delasnerie, Château de Breil]
. . . and the fascinating Antigny-le-Château Welcome to Burgundy -- in particular, the Côte d'Or -- the heart of French wine country. We would like to introduce Antigny-le-Châteauto you. Offering six bedrooms, four with modern en suite baths, the château can accommodate whole families or a group of friends and is available for rent in its entirety by the week.
Perhaps you require something less grand -- consider the lovely three-bedroom cottage on the grounds with a fully-equipped kitchen with dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, a dining area, satellite TV, code-free DVD and stereo with a good selection of CDs and DVDs, and English language books. There are two baths with showers as well. A welcome basket of bread, milk, cheese, fruit, juice, coffee and wine are presented upon their arrival to those who rent the cottage. Back at the château you will find large and inviting common rooms including a library in the tower and several salons, one with a Pleyel piano. If you must keep in touch with the outside world, Internet access is provided. Although this is not a bed and breakfast accommodation (the kitchen is modern and completely equipped), breakfast is nonetheless provided every morning by the kind caretaker.
The
family has owned Antigny-le-Château since 1923 when it was
purchased by Elisina, the American grandmother of the current owner, and
her husband, Royall Tyler. They gradually restored and preserved
the château and its buildings over the years -- it even survived
the troops billeted there during World War II. Elisina was the great-great
granddaughter of Napoléon's brother, Louis,
King of Holland. Read more of the château's history
on our web site.
The location of Antigny-le-Château permits easy day trips to visit the Abbey at Cluny, the Abbey de Fontenay, the beautiful hill town of Vézélay, or the towns of Autun, Alesia and the candy-making village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, made famous as the movie location for Chocolat. For weekly rental rates for both the cottage and the château, other details and many more photos, please visit Antigny-le-Château on this web site. This beautiful and unique family home can be your base in Burgundy for your next gathering of friends or family in France. [Photos: courtesy Mme Todd, Antigny-le-Château]
Car Rental Links We have added a new feature to most of the members' pages on our site -- a link to a car rental agency at railway stations, in town or at airports near a property's location. The company is France Car Hire, and their on line booking allows you to choose the type and size of vehicle best suited to your needs, check availability and prices and reserve your vehicle. This information has been added to our web site solely for the convenience of those travelers who prefer to take a train or plane to their destination but want or need a car at their disposal once they are there. The link can be found on a member's first page just above the link to the Michelin Map. We hope you find this helpful when you plan to visit one of the properties on au Château. [We have no financial interest in France Car Hire nor do we derive any benefit from these links.] We
hope you have enjoyed this Special Edition of au Château News.
Of
course, if you have questions or need help with reservations at any
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Disclaimer:
Cold Spring Press, au Château© and/or any persons associated
with either organization take no responsibility for errors and/or omissions
in any edition of au Château News© and no guarantees are given
or implied with regard to any statements made in au Château News©.
We are not responsible for any information provided in the web sites linked
to any issue of au Château News©, and those links
are for informational
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Other
regional attractions include visits to historic 
