Loire Valley, France

The Garden of France

With storybook castles, enchanted gardens and gastronomic adventures at almost every turn, the Loire Valley is both close to (a 55-minute train ride) and worlds away from Paris. Anchored by the Loire River, an official UNESCO World Heritage site, the valley is celebrating the 500th year anniversary of the Renaissance with a series of fall parties,performances, picturesque garden events and no shortage of food and wine.

Inn Crowd

One of the Loire’s most opulent homes has just embarked on its second act as the 45,000-square-foot Hotel Chateau. Located in the village of Le Grand-Luce, the sprawling retreat, set on 80 private acres of hyper-manicured gardens, takes visitors back 300 years with its working greenhouse, orangerie, pool, bocce ball court and courtyards. Within the neoclassical estate, 17 completely renovated guest rooms take a quieter approach to full-tilt opulence: Gilt, silks and velvets whisper country luxury instead of screaming it. Look for vintage Hermes scarf pillows, sprawling marble bathrooms and ballroom-sized rooms with less-is-more period furniture and art. Food figures prominently into the equation with Le Luce, the hotel’s restaurant led by Chef Maxime Thomas.