It is a pleasure to welcome Château de Saint-Maclou to our web site.  This beautiful château, only fifteen minutes from the seaside village of Honfleur, is in 17th-century French Baroque style ~ constructed in 1606 ~ and offers travelers both bed and breakfast accommodations and the opportunity to rent the entire château on a weekly basis.  In addition, it is the perfect venue for a memorable French château wedding and especially convenient from Great Britain and Ireland.

The château sits on six hectares of wood and lawns in a peaceful part of Normandy.  It offers four elegant en suite bedrooms for bed and breakfast guests, or it can be rented by the week in the summer months with a capacity for ten people in five bedrooms.  There are several wood-burning fireplaces in the château, and it also has geothermal central heating.

Common rooms include lovely salons, a formal dining room, the Old Kitchen and, for those who rent the château, a modern fully-equipped kitchen for preparing meals.  There are lovely gardens, boules, teak garden furniture and a barbecue for outside dining.

The grounds are superb with a small bridge crossing the grassy 'moat', an ancient dovecote that once housed 5,000 pigeons, and a large expanse of lawns where weddings are frequently held.  Ensure happy memories of your time in Normandy with a few nights or more at this exquisite château.

Please visit their pages on our web site to learn more about the elegant Château de Saint-Maclou.

Our newest member is the grand Château de Picomtal in Provence whose origins can be traced back more than one thousand years.  Located in the southern Alpes, this delightful bed and breakfast has four guest rooms and four suites, all with en suite bathrooms, as well as an apartment in the Annexe which can be a B&B room or rented for longer periods as a self-catering unit.  Guest rooms are bright and sunny and have views over Lake Serre-Ponçon, the parkland and gardens, or the mountains.

Your friendly owners are French and American and devoted four long years to completely renovating the château after purchasing it in 1999.  Today it is still faithful to its roots but modernized just enough for the comfort of its guests.

Open from the 20th of April until the end of October, guests are welcomed to share in the history and ambiance of this fine castle.  Tours are given to the guests and can be organized for groups visiting the area. 

Your hosts also organize musical and cultural events (see photo below) as well as conferences and seminars, and about five times a year cooking courses are given with a professional chef followed by dinner at the château.
 
 

We are very pleased that Château de Picomtal has joined our web site.  It is a fine addition to our list of esteemed members and in a unique location of southeastern France.  We hope that you will consider a stay at this château the next time you are in Provence. 
 
 

We had the pleasure to visit Domaine des Faures in September and to get to know its cordial owners, Ray and Jacinta Standen.  We had a tour of the lovely house; it just sparkles with sunlight and warmth.  The rooms are decorated tastefully and are immaculate in every way.   Four en suite guest rooms are offered, and breakfast is served in a large, cheerful dining room.

Yes, this is a bed and breakfast ~ in all months except July and August when it is rented as a self-catering holiday home.  During our visit we were impressed by the large modern kitchen that those self-catering guests will use to prepare meals.  Every modern convenience is provided.  All guests can enjoy the recently installed swimming pool, too.

This lovely home offers a warm welcome, tranquil and comfortable rooms, spacious salons and dining rooms, and the perfect location.  Only minutes from the bastide town of Monpazier and a few minutes in the opposite direction to the amazing Château de Biron (open to the public), it is ideal for visiting all that the Dordogne has to offer.
 
 
 

                                        One of the Domaine's guest rooms

Domaine des Faures offers something else!  Garden Tours are schedule at several times of the year.  Click here to read about the tours in great detail.  Those participating become guests of the Standens and will not only enjoy the tours, but breakfast each morning and several lunches and dinners with the group.  For prices and schedules please contact inquiry@au-chateau.com and mention Faures Garden Tours in your email.

Please do visit the Domaine on this web site to read all about it, visit its for booking information or details about their special cultural events and garden tours.

We fell in love with the village of Saint-Martory which straddles the River Garonne as it flows through the Haute-Garonne département in the Midi-Pyrénées.  This French commune is located 70 kilometers southwest of Toulouse and 60 kilometers north of the Spanish border. We stopped here to visit Château de Saint Martory, a member of our web family.  The château is currently available for rent by the week in July and August. 

The magnificent river, lined with trees on both banks, is a wide, blue, gentle waterway that evokes a sense of calm as you stand on the Pont Saint Martory and watch it pass below.  Looking up in an easterly direction as in this photo, you can see a good part of the village of Saint Martory to your left. 
 

However, when you stand on that same bridge and look in the opposite direction, there before you is a small glimpse of Château de Saint Martory.  It's a wonderful place to stay ~ it looks down over the river and is hidden away behind locked gates to ensure those who stay here privacy and a quiet holiday.

We hope that you will have the opportunity to visit this region of France.  If you need precise directions, just let us know.  We'll be happy to help.  In the meantime, visit Château de Saint Martory on our site.
 
 

The opportunity to gather your friends and family for a holiday in France doesn't come along very often.  But, if you can coordinate everyone's schedule, what better way to spend a vacation than at a magical château filled with history and splendid in so many ways?

The Château de Servigny has eight guest rooms and accommodates a maximum of 14 adults and 2 children under the age of three.  As mentioned on our web site, the château offers renters a large, user-friendly kitchen, a spacious dining room with a grand fireplace, a Louis XVI drawing room / library which is especially conducive to relaxation and reading, a smaller Louis XVI games and music room for guests to play the piano or take on an opponent in a game of  backgammon, and a billiards room.  There is even a recreation room for children in the 17th century outbuilding.  Best of all is a delightful swimming pool and tennis court.

For those who can't forego their connection to the world of technology while living in an historic residence, the château is equipped with satellite television, and Internet connections can be found in the guest rooms.

Day trips to the landing beaches of World War II, lovely towns such as Barfleur, le Mont St-Michel, Bayeux (do see the tapestry), and so many more interesting places are easy.  And, if you are coming from the UK by way of Cherbourg, it is only a twenty minute drive to the château.

Please visit Château de Servigny on our site to learn more.  To obtain further details and booking information, please contact inquiry@au-chateau.com and mention Servigny in the subject line.

• Château de la Barre, in the beautiful Sarthe near the Loire Valley, is offering two enchanting musical weekends this summer:  July 26 - 30 and August 2 - 6 when guests will be welcomed with a Champagne reception and spend that day and the next days visiting the royal Loire châteaux, enjoying teas and wine tastings as well as exclusive dinners at neighboring châteaux, lovely lunches and, of course, classical and jazz concerts - and so much more!  For more information and a detailed itinerary, please contact us at inquiry@au-chateau.com and please mention Barre Concerts in the subject line.

• The incredible Medieval Château d'Agel in Languedoc still has four weeks free in July (June 30 to July 28) for that special group self-catering holiday.  Rent the château for one, two, three or all four weeks ~ a special rate is being given for the first two weeks in July.  This lovely and much-loved family château will be all yours ~ including a refreshing swimming pool.  Area vineyards offer wine tastings, and you can visit Carcassonne, the Canal du Midi, Narbonne and the Mediterranean beaches for enjoyable day trips.  Contact us for more information and availability at inquiry@au-chateau.com, and put Agel in the subject line.

• Château de Pomiro in southwest France's Gascony region welcomes guests to experience its three new activities:  Polo, Hawk Walks, and Clay Pigeon Shooting.  Visit their pages on this web site to read details and see photos.  This is a lovely B&B in Armagnac country ~ and it is becoming one of southwest France's most popular wedding venues.  For information about any of the above opportunities at the château, please email inquiry@au-chateau.com with Pomiro in the subject line.

We will soon be welcoming the restored 19th-century Château de Locqueran in Brittany's Finistère département ~ it is in a splendid location overlooking the River Goyen and is divided into several apartments that can be rented for holidays.

Look for it on our site in the coming month.  Until then, if you are interested in details, prices and availability, contact us at inquiry@au-chateau.com, and we will get information for you.

Our favorite French chef is Jacques Pépin, as we mentioned in our last newsletter, so we are going to include one more of his easy recipes in this issue.  We love leeks, so this recipe is especially appealing. [Note about leeks from the chef:  cook leeks in unsalted water; use most of the green part of the leek, trimming away only the tips of the leaves and any wilted or damaged outer leaves; be sure to open the leeks and wash them thoroughly before using.]

You will need 4 medium leeks (about 1-1/4 pounds) trimmed and washed; 1 ripe tomato (about 7 oz.) peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch pieces; 3 tablespoons virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

In a stainless steel saucepan bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the leeks, bring back to the boil and cook gently (covered) for about 10 minutes or until tender.  Drain (reserving the juice for  soup, if you wish) and when cool enough to handle, squeeze the leeks to extract and reserve most of the remaining liquid.

Cut the leeks into 2-inch pieces and arrange the pieces in a gratin dish, mixing them to combine the white and green parts.

Mix together the tomato, oil, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Spoon the mixture over the leeks.  Serve lukewarm or at room temperature. 

Serves four.   Bon appétit!

The answer to last issue's quiz is Pont Alexandre III in Paris.
We received several correct answers, but our winner hails 
from Massachusetts.  Congratulations to her!

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